Luc E. Weber and Bert van der Zwaan (eds)
Glion Colloquium series, Vol. 12, Geneva, 2020
This twelfth volume of Glion Colloquiums provides a striking kaleidoscopic perspec tive of the fast-changing environment of University activities and its consequences for their role and responsibilities. The diversity of the remarkable contributions provided here by some of the most eminent leaders of Research Universities around the globe comprise indispensable advice on guiding the Universities’ future.
Innovation and rapid technological advances, many of them initiated by universities and their graduates, have produced prosperity and improved living standards for billions of people. But the world is nonetheless increasingly polarized between the “haves” and “have nots”, and is facing a looming environmental disaster. Political and business lead ership worldwide are in a growing state of disarray, unable to deal with these challenges. Thus, Universities are more than ever at the crossroads of these paradoxical devel opments: not only do they contribute to the development of societies through teaching and research, but they must also help ensure a sustainable future.
More than 20 leaders of renowned universities gathered in Glion-above-Montreux in Switzerland for three days in June 2019 to exchange and examine openly the new chal lenges facing universities and how they should respond. Their unique and remarkable contributions are now made available in this volume to students and researchers, to the worldwide academic comrnunity, to governrnents and to the general public.
Leszek BORYSIEWICZ Chairrnan Cancer Research UK and Vice-Chancellor Emer itus University of Cambridge, Shiyi CHEN President SUSTech Shenzhen, Nicholas DIRKS Chancellor Emeritus UC Berkeley, Yves FLÜCKJGER Rector University of Geneva with Stéphane BERTHET, Alice P. GAST President Imperia! College London, Meric GERTLER President University of Toronto, Michael HENGARTNER Pres ident University of Zurich with Anna DAEPPEN, Tim KJLLEEN President Univer sity of Illinois System, Sabine KUNST President Humboldt University Berlin, David LEEBRON President of Rice University, Joël MESOT President Swiss Federal lnsti tute ofTechnology Zurich, Michael M0LLER Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Pratab Bhanu MEHTA Vice-Chancellor Ashoka University, Andrea SCHENKER-WICKJ Rector University of Base!, Atsushi SEIKE President Emeri tus KEIO University, Michael SPENCE Vice Chancellor and Principal University of Sydney, Subra SURESH President Nanyang Technological University Singapore, Eog Chye TAN President National University of Singapore, Martin VETTERLI President Swiss Federal lnstitute of Technology Lausanne with Gérard ESHER, Jaebo YEOM President Emeritus ofKorea University, Bert van der ZWAAN Rector Emeritus Univer sity of Utrecht, Past President LERU.