13.09.2024 Macerata, Italy
“ERUA is our common house”, said John McCourt, Rector of UNIMC at the opening of the press conference today.
During the whole week top-level representatives of the 8th moments universities of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA) worked on a strategy of the alliance. From September 10–13, 2024, in Macerata, Italy, “We are designing and developing our future university”, shared Roman Cieślak, Rector of SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, President of ERUA Board of Rectors. “Through our collective efforts, we can continue with renewed energy the extraordinary civilizational mission that is at the very heart of universities.”
Macerata brought together key decision-making bodies of the Alliance, including the Board of Rectors, Steering Committee, Advisory Board, and Vice-Rectors from the alliance’s eight member universities.
“To inspire, to connect – this is ERUA. We are a family of common values, one big community.”, shares Inga Žalėnienė, Rector of the Mykolas Romeris University.
“We are a powerful community and we are getting even stronger after this week, during which we worked hard here, in Macerata, for the future of better academic education in Europe.” said Bruna Vives, Secretary General of the ERUA. “We are a student centered alliance. That’s why one of the main decisions we took this week is to have students representative on our Advisory board. We want to be sure our voice is heard in Europe. We believe we have a lot to contribute.”
Boards meetings and discussions included strategic development, ensuring alignment across member institutions, and reinforcing ERUA’s role in shaping a progressive European educational space. The alliance aims to foster reforms in higher education, emphasizing diversity, inclusion, and innovation across all partner institutions.
As an alliance for ERUA was important to be part of the 735th inauguration ceremony of the academic year for the University of Macerata, celebrating its centuries-old tradition since its founding in 1290. The theme of the inauguration is “The Value of Our European University.” It is chosen so as to emphasize the public value both of our own university in Macerata and of the Italian and European university system more generally, while also questioning the values that a university should embody in the twenty-first century.
“It is time to rethink and relaunch, as we will with this ERUA network, a new model of university education capable of supporting the personal and professional growth of new generations”, John McCourt, Rector of UNIMC
“Universities must lead the way in shaping Europe’s future and meaningfully impacting society. This involves not only educating future leaders, but also fostering critical thinking, inclusivity, and civic responsibility. The ERUA alliance aims to achieve this through collaborative research projects, cross-border student mobility, and joint academic programs, striving for a Europe where education is more accessible, inclusive, and transformative.”
Bruna Vives, Secretary General of the ERUA
ERUAs team
