International Forum to Mark 35th VMU Re-Establishment Anniversary

“We live in the era of constant change: technologies are changing, the public is changing, and the idea of the university itself is changing as well. Even though we live under unpredictable conditions and constantly experience crises that require interdisciplinarity and broad education to be solved, there is a prevailing belief that prosperity or at least economic security is ensured only by narrow studies in one field. What should universities do: merely follow the immediate societal needs or transcend them by being a guide to a full-fledged and far-sighted advancement?”, asks the Rector of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), Prof. Juozas Augutis, introducing the international academic forum “The Idea of University in the Era of Transformations: What Role Is There for Liberal Arts Education?”, which will be held on 26 April.

The forum is organised on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of VMU’s re-establishment: on 26–28 April 1989, the implementation of the idea of the university’s re-establishment was initiated. The re-established VMU became the first university in Lithuania which implemented the concept of studies based on Harvard University’s model and the principles of liberal arts (artes liberales): it emphasises the students’ freedom to choose, make their own schedule, and acquire a broad education without restricting themselves to only the subjects of their chosen specialization. On the day before the forum, 25 April, a concert will be held by the joint symphonic orchestra of the VMU Chamber Orchestra and the Music Academy’s students as well as the VMU academic choir Vivere Cantus.

At the international forum, academic partners, social stakeholders, and policymakers from the USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries will discuss how the idea of university is being altered in various aspects, including the collision between liberal arts and bureaucracy as well as how the development in AI aligns with the nurturing of natural human creativity and entrepreneurial potential.

According to the organisers, in today’s society, people with expert knowledge of multiple fields must play an increasingly important role. As we face huge flows of information, it seems like the only way to control them is through conscious surrender and detachment leading back to narrow specialization. However, the latter is historically associated with the Industrial Revolution; today, we live in completely different times. Flexible education and studies that nurture personalities are not just marketing slogans: it is a mission which concerns everyone.

Forum’s speakers include internationally recognised artists, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, VMU visiting professors Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas. At the forum, they will talk about pragmatic fictions: ever-changing infrastructures that support collaborative experiments in design, pedagogy, science, and artistic intelligence for learning and adapting to imminent unknowns.

During the forum’s first plenary discussion, the diversity and transformations of higher education study modules will be discussed. “Representatives of VMU and partner universities will scrutinise the liberal arts and other higher education study models dwelling upon their modifications and adjustments vis-a-vis with the current societal transformations aroused by the progress and influence of AI or the urgent needs inflicted by geopolitical and natural challenges”, VMU Vice-Rector for Communication, Assoc. Prof. Vilma Bijeikienė explained, presenting the discussion’s topic.

The discussion’s participants will include Vice-President of Lingnan University Shalendra Sharma (Hong Kong), Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Joddy Murray (USA), President of the National Chengchi University Tsai-Yen Li (Taiwan) and others.

In the second plenary discussion, VMU alumni and stakeholders will delve into how Liberal Arts education contributes both to the development of expertise and professionalism: they will focus on the university studies and competencies in reflection of current realities of social, corporate and cultural world. Discussants will include Member of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania Simonas Krėpšta, Co-Founder of Rubeda and Member of the Board at MedIT Cluster Linas Vaitulevičius, EU Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Rasa Ostrauskaitė, Medical Biotechnologist at Medicina Practica laboratory Miglė Razgūnaitė and others.

The forum will conclude with a networking session between VMU, other Lithuanian and international academic community, stakeholders and partners.

The program of the forum

Registration

Please note that the event may be filmed and/or photographed and you may be visible in the event’s photos or video recordings that may be published in various media outlets.