How the changing demands of the labour market are transforming higher education institutions in the Mediterranean
- The future of knowledge institutions was debated at the Annual Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), held on the occasion of its 10th Anniversary, in Piran (Slovenia). The EMUNI University was created in 2008 as a key initiative of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
- Experts discussed the increase of internationalisation of higher education institutions, the opportunities offered by the information and communication technologies, the development of new distance-learning and private universities as well as the need to shape multidisciplinary profiles to reply to emerging global challenges.
21-22 June 2018, Piran. In the eve of its 10th anniversary, the EMUNI University held on 21-22 June in Piran (Slovenia) its Annual Conference under the title “The Future of Knowledge Institutions in the Mediterranean”. The event was organised in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and brought together experts from across the region to discuss the current transformation of the higher education sector in the Mediterranean.
The Senior Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Jorge Borrego, delivered an opening speech at EMUNI’s 10th Anniversary Ceremony. “The EMUNI University was created in 2008 as a key initiative of the UfM to contribute to the understanding among people and encourage cooperation in higher education and research. After ten years of fruitful work, we are glad to see that EMUNI has consolidated as a relevant player to foster regional integration by promoting intercultural exchange and student mobility across the region, thus forging a new generation of young people with a unique Euro-Mediterranean vision”, he said.
The President of the EMUNI University, Prof. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, stated: “As we celebrate 10 years of EMUNI, we are celebrating a decade of stronger cooperation in the region. We are also reflecting on the power, but also a fast changing nature, of knowledge in contribution to economic, social and political change.”
During the ceremony, 15 students from 5 different nationalities who have completed the EMUNI Master in Intercultural Business Communication and the Euro-Mediterranean Entrepreneurship Diploma were graduated. Both study programmes, together with the EMUNI-OGS Summer School on Blue Growth, which is taking place from 18 to 27 June 2018 in Piran and Trieste, are supported by the UfM.
At the margins of the Annual Conference, some other activities took place to commemorate EMUNI’s 10th anniversary, namely the Euro-Mediterranean Festival of Science and Culture, the photo exhibition Only in the Mediterranean and the presentation of the book The Mediterranean: A Shared Heritage by its author, Mohammed Elrazazz, Professor of Art, Culture and Mediterranean Heritage who also works for the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean. Likewise, a selection of international personalities from across the region were awarded by EMUNI in recognition of their contribution to Euro-Mediterranean diplomatic relations, scientific progress, cultural cooperation and support to the development and consolidation of the University.
Among the high-level speakers who participated in the event are Karl Erjavec and Maja Makovec Brenčič, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Education of the Republic of Slovenia, respectively; Peter Bossman, Mayor of the Municipality of Piran and Giuseppe Giliberti, Chairman of the EMUNI University’s Management Board.
Back to back with the EMUNI Annual Conference and the series of activities related to the 10th Anniversary, the EMUNI University held the meetings of its governance bodies (Management Board, Senate and General Assembly) where the UfM Secretariat was also present.
