International Meeting of Rectors with the participation of the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology
700 rectors from 14 countries, representing 14 million students from Europe, the United States and Latin America, took part in the 5th International Meeting of Rectors “Universia” in Valencia. There were 30 representatives of universities from Poland, including the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, prof. Arkadiusz Mężyk.
The meeting was a unique forum for a debate under the slogan "University and society". The event was officially opened by Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and Ana Botin - President of the Santander Group. The discussion was attended by personalities from the world of science, politics and business, including Tim Berners-Lee - inventor of the World Wide Web, Larry Summers - former US Treasury Secretary in the administration of President Bill Clinton and Chief Economist of the World Bank, Ignacio Cirac - Spanish physicist and Prince of Asturias prize winner in 2006, Pilar Manchón - Chief Director of Engineering and Research on Artificial Intelligence at Google.
Participants of the meeting discussed how universities can operate even more effectively in three areas:
- lifelong learning,
- entrepreneurship and innovation,
- creating networks and relations between universities from all over the world.
At the opening ceremony, Ana Botín confirmed Santander Group's continued support for universities, committing to invest an additional €400 million in education, employability and entrepreneurship in 2023-2026. She also added that “there is no better social investment than education. That is why 26 years ago Santander decided to focus its efforts on supporting universities.
As part of its commitment to universities, Santander has already invested more than €2.2 billion in higher education, funding scholarships, lifelong learning projects and helping more than a million students through contracts with more than 1,500 institutions in 25 countries.
- When we support universities, the entire community - more than a billion people in the countries where Santander operates - benefits from it. When universities develop, society follows suit,' said Ana Botín. “A society that invests in education develops sustainably, is more open and diverse, creates opportunities for everyone and can face the conflicts and challenges of the future,” explained the president of the Santander Group and Universia.
The meeting also included workshops for the Polish delegation. Rectors, together with representatives of Santander Bank Polska, discussed the challenges and opportunities for Poland in connection with sustainable development and digital transformation.
The commitments developed during the 5th International Meeting of Rectors were written down in the "Declaration of Valencia", which is available here . It reflects the commitment of rectors and the academic world to the development of society.
For more information, please visit https://www.santander.com/en/press-room/specials/encuentro-internacional-rectores-universia/2023-valencia . The coverage of the event can be watched at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU6RfQaAXpU.
