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An updated version of the Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU) has been ceremonially signed at the University of Bologna. Our university was one of the signatories of the document.
Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU) was first signed on September 18, 1988, on the 900th anniversary of the founding of the University of Bologna. The act was then signed by 388 university rectors from around the world with Wrocław University of Science and Technology among the signatories.
The signing of the MCU is a declaration and affirmation of the fundamental principles on which the mission of universities should be based.
The act is based on three pillars:
- research and education must be intellectually and morally free from all political influences and economic interests,
- teaching and research should be inseparable, i.e. students should already be involved in the search for knowledge and gaining a deeper understanding of the world around us,
- the university should be a place of free inquiry and debate, distinguished by its openness to dialogue and its rejection of all forms of intolerance.
A new take on the Magna Charta
The updated version of the document, drawn up in 2020, takes into account the challenges of the modern world and the global nature of universities' activities while emphasising their local role. A total of 21 Polish universities, including Wrocław University of Science and Technology, have adopted the new version of the MCU.
On behalf of the Rector, Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs, the document was signed by Prof. Katarzyna Chojnacka, Plenipotentiary for European Cooperation. The values contained in the document have already been adopted by 947 universities from 94 countries around the world.
Compliance with the charter is overseen by the Magna Charta Observatory, an organisation working to respect and protect fundamental academic values founded in 1988 by the University of Bologna and the European University Association.
The ceremony was part of the "Universities engaging with society in turbulent times" conference held at the University of Bologna.
Among other things, the event focused on the opportunities offered to universities by the media, the collaboration between universities and local governments, issues connected with academic freedom, and the role of universities in supporting societies in crises.
