Debate: “Future of (for) a university, and the challenges of the changing world” („Przyszłość (dla) uniwersytetu a wyzwania zmieniającego się świata”)
Conducted by dr hab. Mateusz Błaszczyk, prof. UWr of the Institute of Sociology of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wrocław
We live in the times of various crises which all pose a threat at the same time. Climate crisis, health crisis, military conflicts, social crises, economic crises – democracy and civilization crises are just some of them. These crises impact each other and lead to new problems, which require us to take new measures, and to come up with new lines of thought. They create new challenges not only for the society, politics or economy, but also for a university. These challenges and the resulting role of a university are the topics of the debate with Edwin Bendyk. He is a journalist, lecturer, and science popularizer, who has been analyzing contemporary social and cultural phenomena for years.
- What are the main threats and opportunities for a university in the 21th century?
- In what way should a university adjust to the changes brought by the spreading military conflicts, climate change, digital transformation, risk of energy crisis, risk of pandemic, increasing market instability, mass migrations on the international scale, and many more?
- Should a university become a place of shaping answers for the problems and challenges caused by the polycrisis?
- How can a university be a place of dialogue, critical thinking, and social responsibility in the face of increasing tensions and conflicts in the world?
- How can a university work together with other sectors and institutions to form and spread knowledge which can serve the common good, and to help solve global problems?
Translated by Mateusz Czerwiński (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
