UofG hosts CIVIS staff and students
During the last week of March, the University of Glasgow hosted staff and students from our CIVIS partner universities for a week of seminars and workshops on the subject of student-led projects.
The objective was for staff and students to co-create recommendations for a pan-European framework for student-led projects.
CIVIS – Europe's civic university alliance
The University of Glasgow is an active member of CIVIS, an alliance of 11 European research-led institutions that was created in the context of the European Universities Initiative launched by President Macron in 2017.
The CIVIS alliance focuses on collaboratively addressing major societal challenges that are linked to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and aims to actively reach out to civil society and create participatory and inclusive spaces in which academic communities and civil society can meet.
"Alliances such as CIVIS represent a new collaborative and international approach to Higher Education", said Rachel Sandison, Deputy Vice Chancellor, External Engagement and Vice Principal, External Relations.
"In a post-Brexit world, our membership in CIVIS ensures that we can continue to make meaningful and transformative contributions to the European educational sector that also directly benefit the communities that we serve, with CIVIS providing incredible opportunities for students, staff and our wider community across research, learning and teaching, and mobility."
Civic Reception at Glasgow’s City Chambers
As part of the week, the City of Glasgow hosted our guests for an evening at Glasgow’s beautiful City Chambers where we were delighted to be joined by the Scottish Minister for Higher and Further Education, Graeme Dey, and Glasgow City Council’s Bailie Roza Salih. The reception not only recognised the University’s strong civic links to the City of Glasgow and the communities it serves but also the benefits of the University’s international outlook and connectivity.
We were honoured to host this week-long European partnership event with around 60 staff and students coming together on our Gilmorehill Campus from all 11 European partners represented in CIVIS.
The week was a great opportunity to showcase Glasgow as a multicultural and vibrant city that welcomes our European partners and friends, as well as the impact of the Scottish Education Exchange Programme pilot, through which we have been able to focus our efforts on maintaining and developing meaningful European collaborations.