Major interest in international conference on universities of the future
Aarhus University is holding a conference called “The Purpose of the Future University” on 6-8 November 2017. 92 scholars representing 17 different nationalities are taking part.
The conference, which has been organised by the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media (CUDiM) and the Centre for Higher Education Futures (CHEF) at Aarhus University, is the first of its kind to use philosophy as the foundation for exploring the role, function, meaning and value of higher education in contemporary society.
“In broader terms, and in addition to its philosophical theme, the conference is an attempt to join forces to explore and discuss the role and value of higher education in contemporary society, with recent years witnessing a blurring of the borderlines between political and economic agendas, the ambitions and goals of educational institutions, and the perceptions of society about the activities of these institutions,” explains Associate Professor Søren Smedegaard Bengtsen, who is Deputy Director of CHEF and is one of the conference organisers.
He is delighted that the Nordic countries as well as Germany and the UK are represented at the conference. And he is particularly pleased that scholars from as far afield as Japan, Australia, India and the US have decided to attend.
“The fact that people are willing to travel so far to take part in such a relatively small and unknown conference indicates that no similar events are available to them any closer at hand. So this is already an important international event, and we should be proud that so many people have come to Denmark to join us,” he says.