The UI is offering a seminar series starting in May, designed to give educators a multifaceted peek at how higher education is changing to address society’s changing needs.
Urbana Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise recently announced the first two speakers of the series, who will talk about “The Research University in the World of the Future” beginning May 2.
“In the world of 2030, how do we best extend our capacity to propel young people into their lives, to deal with global challenges, to provide opportunities for discovery and to preserve and enhance the life of the mind?” Wise said.
She said the impetus for the series is the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the U.S. Land Grant Act, which established the UI and a host of public universities across the country.
The future-oriented theme will be examined by several renowned speakers, two of whom have committed to speak in May and two others in the fall. Details for the fall sessions are being completed and more speakers could be added.
“The hope is, this will help us establish a long-term vision for our campus,” Wise said. “We are inviting leaders of higher education and research to dream along with us. We want them to discuss their vision for the research university 20 years hence as it sets the stage for the subsequent 20-30 years.”
The May 2 speaker, Maria Helena Nazaré, is the newly elected and first female president of the European University Association. She will deliver her public message from 4-5 p.m. May 2 in the ballroom of the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. A reception follows.
In addition to the seminar, Nazaré, a physicist, will meet with several campus leaders during the day, including the Chancellor’s Cabinet, the provost, the Council of Deans and faculty members. She also will be invited to tour the university’s libraries and the Blue Waters supercomputer facility, and lead a roundtable discussion with administrators and senior faculty members.
Nazaré is a past president of Portugal’s University of Aveiro, has led several committees as vice president of the EUA (including the Internationalization Working Group) and serves on the board of directors of Portugal Telecom.
The second speaker in the series, Wei Yang, the president of China’s Zhejiang University, is scheduled to deliver his public address from 4-5 p.m. May 31 in the auditorium of the Beckman Institute.
Yang, a nanoscience researcher and past president of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, also will meet with campus leaders during his visit, including at a post-seminar reception and roundtable discussion with administrators and senior faculty members.
Wise, in her first year as chancellor, also is completing an in-house initiative, Visioning Future Excellence, addressing the university’s future. She said she is eager to hear the leaders share their vision of higher education’s future.
“These are some of the same things we’re already talking about and thinking about,” she said. “Some of the very issues we face are the same for our international colleagues. I’m eager to hear their perspectives and learn from them.”
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