The 5th Universia International Rectors' Meeting was held on 8-10 May 2023, bringing together 700 rectors from 14 countries, representing 14 million students from Europe, the United States and Latin America. The event was attended by the Rector of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska.
The event provided a forum for debate under the motto 'The university and society'. The meeting was officially opened by Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and Ana Botin, President of the Santander Group. Speakers in the discussion included personalities from the worlds of science, politics and business, including Tim Berners-Lee - inventor of the World Wide Web, Larry Summers - former US Secretary of the Treasury in the administration of President Bill Clinton and Chief Economist of the World Bank, Ignacio Cirac - Spanish physicist and winner of the 2006 Prince of Asturias Award, Pilar Manchón - Chief Director of Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Research at Google.
Participants at the session discussed ways in which universities can work even more effectively within these three areas:
- lifelong learning
- entrepreneurship and innovation,
- networking and relationships between universities from around the world.
During the opening ceremony, Ana Botín reaffirmed the Santander Group's continued support for universities, pledging to "invest an additional €400 million between 2023 and 2026 in education, enhancing employability and supporting entrepreneurship".
The commitments developed at the 5th International Rectors' Meeting were written up in the "Valencia Declaration". It reflects the commitment of rectors and the academic world to the development of society.
Photo credit: Santander.com