The 5th International Rectors’ Summit ‘Universia’ gathered 700 rectors representing universities associating 14 million students from Europe, the United States and Latin America. From Poland, the event was attended by representatives of 30 universities, including Prof. Ewa Jarosz – Vice-Rector for Staff Development at the University of Silesia in Katowice.
Delegation of Polish rectors in Valencia. Among the participants Prof. Ewa Jarosz – Vice-Rector of the University of Silesia | Photo by Santander Group
The meeting, attended by representatives of 14 countries, was a forum for debate under the slogan ‘University and society’. The event was opened by Pedro Sánchez – Prime Minister of Spain and Ana Botín – Chair of the Santander Group. Representatives from the world of science, politics and business took part in the discussion, including: Tim Berners-Lee – creator of the assumptions of the modern Internet – the World Wide Web, Larry Summers – former US Treasury Secretary in the administration of President Bill Clinton and chief economist of the World Bank, Ignacio Cirac – Spanish physicist and winner of the Prince of Asturias Award in 2006, Pilar Manchón – chief director of engineering and research on artificial intelligence at Google.
Participants of the meeting discussed how universities can operate more effectively in regards to:
- lifelong learning,
- entrepreneurship and innovation,
- creating networks and relationships between universities from around the world.
The meeting also included workshops for the Polish delegation. Rectors, together with representatives of Santander Bank Polska, discussed the challenges and opportunities for Poland in connection with sustainable development and digital transformation.
Santander will invest an additional EUR 400 million in education
At the opening ceremony, Ana Botín confirmed Santander Group’s continued support for universities, pledging to “invest an additional EUR 400 million between 2023 and 2026 in education, employability and entrepreneurship”. She also added that “there is no better social investment than education. That is why, 26 years ago, Santander decided to focus its efforts on supporting universities”.
As part of its commitment to universities, Santander has already invested more than EUR 2.2 billion in higher education, funding scholarships, lifelong learning projects and helping more than a million students through contracts with over 1,500 institutions in 25 countries.
The 5th International Rectors’ Summit | Photo by Santander Group
Declaration of Valencia
The commitments developed during the 5th International Rectors’ Summit were written down in the ‘Declaration of Valencia’, which is available at: www.santander.pl (pdf document). It reflects the commitment of rectors and the academic world to the development of society.
Previous editions of the meeting took place in Salamanca (2018), Río de Janeiro (2014), Guadalajara (2010) and Seville (2005). The meeting was organised by the Santander Group.
Video material from the summit
Description of the visual layer of the video (text alternative): various shots from the stay of university representatives in Valencia and participation in the 5th International Rectors’ Summit. Between the shots, boards with captions: 1,200 people attended, 700 rectors and academic leaders from 14 countries, more than 4,500 students and entrepreneurs from all over the world connected, summit logo.
The 5th International Rectors’ Summit | Photo by Santander Group