The changing face of Europe’s universities

EUA Annual Conference Diversities and Commonalities – the changing face of Europe’s universities 20-23 October 2010, University of Palermo, Italy.
In response to the multiple demands of to-day’s knowledge societies, universities across Europe are moving to sharpen their distinctive institutional profiles while also maintaining their common cultural heritage and shared values. Universities have a crucial function, not only in creating and disseminating knowledge, but also in reinforcing social cohesion and promoting inter- and multicultural dialogue, not least through involvement in the life of their communities at different levels. They are also increasingly actively engaged in promoting dialogue and building partnerships with a variety of different actors, be it at regional, national or international level.
The Palermo conference will address the various forces pushing for institutional change and in particular for greater diversification in European higher education, how these impact on universities, and what this means in relation to the common values upheld by universities that constitute a unique contribution to our societies.
The key objective is to assist institutional leaders in understanding better and in responding to the different pressures they face, in particular to focus and sharpen their specific institutional profiles.
The Conference will highlight examples of strategies and practices adopted by university leaders in different contexts and designed to enhance specific institutional missions, as well as to attract and retain high quality staff, cater to diverse student profiles, and consider incentives for developing diverse research strategies and research portfolios. The current economic crisis, increasingly limited financial resources and serious government cutbacks in many countries make consideration of these topics crucial, with many institutions under pressure to make difficult decisions as a result of mergers or other change processes as well as fierce global competition.