Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) Rector, Vice - President of the International Association of Universities (IAU) Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė participated in the IAU Annual Conference in Doha (Qatar) on 25-27 November, which focused on the theme of "Higher Education with Impact: The Importance of Intercultural Learning and Dialogue".
The conference brought together world leaders in education to explore how universities promote intercultural learning and dialogue, how geopolitics influences this, and what implications this has for society, contributing to human rights, democracy, the rule of law and peace building.
The Rector of MRU, Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė, chaired the plenary session "Moving Beyond Mobility". The Rector invited the participants to discuss how to improve the still dominant model of educational internationalism based on attracting talent for economic gain.
"In an era of global challenges and technological progress, this neoliberal model is neither fair nor sustainable. In this context, it is high time to promote the principles of the humanist socio-cultural paradigm, to return to a fundamental understanding of education as a universal public good and a fundamental human right. Such an understanding creates preconditions for initiating certain changes in the thinking of our states and governments about the development of higher education, its relevance and importance for society", - said Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė.
Prof. Keiko Ikeda, Director of the JV - Campus Project at Tsukuba University (Japan), Associate Prof. Dr. Ryosuke Ohniwa of the Faculty of Medicine, and Mr. Francisco Marmolejo, President of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
Summing up the presentations and discussions, the Rector of MRU, Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė, stressed that the decisions taken today will undoubtedly shape the future of our academic communities, and invited the IAU partners to jointly develop new models of internationalisation reflecting the needs of society.
On 28-29 November, MRU Rector, IAU Vice - President Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė will participate in the IAU Board of Directors meetings in Doha. Almost 600 universities from 120 countries around the world participate in IAU activities.
