Yurii Bobalo, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic, took part in the conference on the occasion of the anniversary of the Magna Charta Universitatum. The event took place on September 14–16 at the University of Bologna, Italy.
Representatives of various universities around the world joined the event to sign the Magna Charta Universitatum in solidarity with the global higher education community and to celebrate academic freedom, autonomy and values that help universities serve the community and the public good.
The theme of this year’s conference concerned the interaction of universities with society in turbulent times. Within the framework of the event, international speakers and university leaders had the opportunity to discuss methods of effective response to the challenges faced by higher education institutions and develop steps that would strengthen the ability of universities to maintain fundamental values for the benefit of their students, society and university communities.
The conference dealt, in particular, with academic freedom and human rights (report by Rita Monticelli, a human rights advisor, the University of Bologna), the representation of universities in the news, as well as how to cooperate with the media (the speaker is Brendan O’Malley, Editor in Chief, University World News).
At the event, Yurii Bobalo, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic, met with Massimiliano Tarozzi, UNESCO Chair in Global Citizenship Education in Higher Education, and discussed the possibility of including the ensemble of buildings of our University in the UNESCO heritage list. The Rector also invited Massimiliano Tarozzi to visit Lviv Polytechnic.
Roman Hryniuk, Rector of Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University, and Volodymyr Tsios, Rector of Lesia Ukrainka Volyn National University, also took part in the conference.
The ceremony of signing the Magna Charta Universitatum took place on Friday, September 16.
Let’s remind you that the Magna Charta Universitatum was first signed by 388 rectors in 1988 in the presence of many political leaders and representatives of society. It was revised in 2020 to reflect the changes in the world facing higher education institutions and to reaffirm the mission and activities of universities.
So far, the Magna Charta Universitatum has been signed by more than 950 heads of universities from all over the world. Every year, the Observatory Magna Charta Universitatum organizes an international conference to solve current problems in upholding fundamental values and responsible service to society, as well as holds a ceremony when more and more rectors sign the Magna Charta Universitatum.
Lviv Polytechnic joined the Magna Charta Universitatum in 2009, and in 2021 it signed an updated document.
