Titled ‘What are universities for? Higher education principles, values and responsibilities in a fragmented world’, this significant event will convene university leaders, scholars, policymakers, and students from around the globe to reflect upon and reaffirm the core values that underpin higher education: academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the university's responsibility to society.
The event will take place on King’s campus from 11-13 November. Over three days, participants will engage in keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions exploring the evolving role of universities amidst global challenges.
Attendees can expect keynotes from notable speakers such as Patrick Deane, President of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory and Vice-Chancellor of the Queen’s University, Canada, Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor of King’s College London and David Willet, Former UK Minister of State for Higher Education and Science.
The programme will culminate in a formal ceremony for the signature of the Magna Charta Universitatum, on 13 November, where new signatories, including King’s will endorse the MCU 2020, joining a global network of more than 900 universities worldwide committed to upholding these fundamental principles. This will take place in the College Chapel.
Professor Kapur added: “King’s looks forward to becoming a signatory to the revised Magna Charta Universitatum 2020, and to welcoming university leaders, academics, policymakers and students from all around the world to reaffirm the fundamental values that underpin higher education today.”
The event, co-hosted and organised by the Magna Charta Observatory, is set to be one of the largest gatherings of university leaders to date.
Registration for the event is now open.
