The IV Universia International Meeting of Rectors was held to concide with the VIII Centenary of the University of Salamanca and opened a debate involving experts from around the world looking in-depth into the key areas of universities, their present situation and immediate future. More than 700 rectors attended, among them Dr Xavier Gil, rector of UIC Barcelona, as well as academic representatives, political figures, companies, and national and international institutions.
The debate focused on three thematic areas that are of particular interest in the academic world: “Teaching and learning in a digital world”, “University research, a paradigm that needs revised?” and “The contribution of universities to social and territorial development”. Among the speakers who took part in the inauguration panel, the following stand out: Pam Fredman, president of the International University Association, María José Alonso, full professor at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and member of the US National Academy of Medicine, and Leila Janah, founder and CEO of Samasource and LXMI. The mission of the latter companies is to end world poverty by providing job opportunities to people in disadvantaged socioeconomic situations.
The conclusions of the debate were added to the "Salamanca Declaration”, with a commitment of authorities and attending rectors for universities to progress, through specific action, in line with the needs of society in the 21st century.
Microbiologist, researcher and lecturer at the University of Alicante, Francis Mojica, who is known around the world for his genome research related to the mechanisms of immunity in prokaryote cells, gave the closing talk at this meeting. The meeting ended today at a ceremony presided over by Ana Botín, along with the President of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy.
This symposium provides a continuation to the meetings held in Río de Janeiro (Brasil, 2014), Guadalajara (Mexico, 2010) and Sevilla (España, 2005), and receives support from Banco Santander. This bank invests the more in supporting education than any other company in the world (Varkey/UNESCO–Fortune 500 Report), and holds more than 1.200 cooperation agreemeents with universities and academic institutions in 21 countries through the Santander Universidades programme (www.santander.com/universidades). It also brings together more than 1.300 Iberoamerican academic institutions through Universia (www.universia.net).
