Six European universities create an "academic alliance with a Europeanist vocation" | Society
Lyon in France, Padua in Italy, Leipzig in Germany, Graz in Austria, Vilnius in Lithuania and Granada in Spain. These six European universities, all located in medium-sized cities and with several centuries of history in their rectorships, have created ARQUS European University Alliance, which is defined as "an academic, research, cultural activity and citizen engagement alliance that should forge a truly European higher education, capable of developing joint projects in all areas of university activity as well as shared international initiatives". The leadership of this new educational and research consortium corresponds to the University of Granada (UGR).
The six universities that make up ARQUS bring together 290,000 students, 22,000 teachers and 15,000 members of administration and services, a large university community that has proven that "multilateralism, networks and firm pro-European conviction" is the only way to keep up in these times, he explains Dorothy Kelly, project coordinator and vice-rector for Internationalization of the University of Granada.
This alliance, Kelly continues, has its origin in an idea launched by French President Emmanuel Macron in October 2017. Macron then spoke of the need to create "European universities". This idea, Kelly continues, was shaped by the European Commission and last spring, "at the UGR we decided to bet on it, and we began the search for reliable partners with the characteristics we wanted for this project, which we are looking for long-haul and with a vocation for stability and permanence. " This Tuesday in Brussels, ARQUS has become a reality in an act to which representatives of the six institutions have come to sign their constitution.
The partners of this new consortium of higher education are convinced that, jointly, the six institutions have "the potential to progress more quickly and more firmly than unilaterally," as the alliance affirmed in a statement. In addition, it will not mean losing the individual identity of each member, but the sum of their potential in search of benefits that, says Vice-Chancellor Kelly, "will provide more opportunities for mobility, more diversification and greater offer of joint programs to students and teachers. "ARQUS will serve to push more if possible the strong pull of mobility experienced by the University of Granada, which as commented by Pilar Aranda, rector of the UGR," overcomes for years the threshold set by the European Union of 20% of students who at the end of their studies must have had significant international experience. "
The choice of the different universities has followed very specific criteria. All are located in medium-sized European cities, none is the country's capital, and all six, says Dorothy Kelly, "have a clear and deep commitment to local and regional development." Therefore, this new university alliance - or the new one european university in Macron's words, it will have advantages beyond the university community. The Rector of the UGR explains that "ARQUS will bring benefits to teachers, students and administration and services staff but also, and this is very relevant, to the social and regional environment in which each of its members is located". The vice-rector of Internationalization of the UGR adds that, from the institutional point of view, "the alliance will allow to implement joint policies in regard to inclusion and university, incorporating more diverse groups of students, academics and professionals to our institutions" .
Well-established and well-established institutions in Shanghai
The universities that make up ARQUS have experience in joint projects and know each other well. On the other hand, they all have centuries of experience and they are well located in the ranking of Shanghai, the one used today to classify universities. The oldest is the best located: the University of Padua was created in 1220 and is on the 151-200 fringe of the ranking. It is followed by that of Leipzig, created in 1409 and in the 201-300 band. In the same position is Lyon and then Granada, which turns 500 years old in 2031 and is placed in the 301-400 position (this classification measures one by one until the 100th place). From there, it creates 50 or 100 stripes. positions, without exactly determining the position). The furthest in the ranking is the Lithuanian, Vilnius, born in 1579 and in the 601-700 position.
