Everyone here at the University Pompeu Fabra is very excited for the upcoming Higher Education Summit Horizons 2019 to be held in Paris! It has been nearly a year since we hosted the first summit in Europe last October and we still cherish the valuable insights gleaned from all of the panelists, the useful lessons we learned from other universities, and –of course– the many friends we made!
Being chosen as the host university was both a great challenge and achievement for us. As a small and young university who was taking the first steps in what is now a deep organizational and technological transformation, we were confronted with numerous doubts and fears. But as a university strongly committed to innovation and collective learning, we were simultaneously extremely thrilled to be given this exciting opportunity to share our experience.
The University Pompeu Fabra is a public, internationally-oriented, and research-intensive university that has earned a place among the best universities in Europe in a record-setting 25 years. We cannot easily hide our deep satisfaction because we see this as recognition of the commitment, hard work, and passion of the entire UPF community. However, as a university that aspires to offer the best education possible to all students and the highest-quality research to the entire society, we also take these results as a reminder of the need for continuous improvement and transformation.
Our capacity to achieve this goal primarily relies on two key factors. First, our capacity to create a strong network among all university participants – faculty, administrative staff, students, the broader city, and the society we are embedded in. Second, our ability to understand and engage with students in a constructive and transformative manner. Clearly, the future of our universities is not alien to the success and future of our students – our future graduates.
In addition, we truly believe that the best (and probably the only) way to effectively induce change is through horizontal, open, and honest collaboration. This is why we decided from the very beginning not to travel alone and, instead, have Salesforce be a part of this transformative journey with us. And what an amazing journey this has been so far!
Hosting the first Higher Education Summit Horizons in EMEA provided us with the rush of adrenaline we needed to increase our traveling speed. Moreover, it helped us bring onboard new members of the staff – in less than a year we have expanded the team of promoters, and the project is now entering a new phase!
We strongly encourage everyone to participate in Horizons 2019. It is a wonderful opportunity to discover the success stories from other universities. Importantly, it is the perfect gathering to hear and learn from each others’ challenges and to be part of a larger, very generous community. Don’t miss this chance to empower your staff and your institution, as well as discover first-hand solutions that will help you face the many challenges confronting the future of higher education.
Universities cannot continue doing this the old way. The HE Summit is the perfect opportunity to get to know and create lasting relationships with all those institutions that face challenges like yours in an increasingly globalized environment.
One last thing: attending the next summit in Paris will help you know Astro and all of Astro’s friends even better. They sure will make your journey much easier (and fun)!
Anais Tarrago, deputy general director at University Pompeu Fabra
Pablo Pareja-Alcaraz, vice-rector at University Pompeu Fabra
