This week, as spring breathes life into Paris, the city sets the stage for a pivotal series of meetings for EELISA. Strategic and advisory bodies converge to assess progress, plan future actions, and reaffirm their commitment to transforming European higher education.
The EELISA Governing Board meetings commence tomorrow with a working dinner during which EELISA President Dale Martin will transfer, in a symbolic way, the Governing Board chairship to the new co-chairing and hosting institutions: École nationale des ponts et chaussées (ENPC) and Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL). This ceremonial transition will also serve as an opportunity to welcome newly appointed Rectors, Presidents, and Directors: Óscar García Suárez (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM), Nicola Vitiello (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, SSSA), Regula Jöhl (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, ZHAW), El Mouhoub Mouhoud (Université PSL), and the recently elected Director of Scuola Normale Superiore, Alessandro Schiesaro.
The main Governing Board session, scheduled for the 14th of May, will revisit the commitments established in Pisa and highlight the progress made since. The session’s goals include showcasing institutional achievements, reinforcing internal support, and cementing the next steps of the Alliance’s evolution. Project evaluations, success stories from the past 18 months of EELISA 2.0, and strategic reflections will be facilitated by Project Coordinator and Vice Rector for International Affairst at UPM Luis Salgado and Executive Director Sofia D’Aguiar.
Another relevant moment in this meeting will be the high-level roundtable, “Shaping the Future with European Universities – Opportunities, Challenges, and Perspectives,” which will feature the interventions of Ioana Dewandeler, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture; David Itier, Head of Unit for European Strategies in Higher Education and Research at the French Ministry of Research and Higher Education; and Antoine Mercier, from the French Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.
Another key moment for the leaders of EELISA will be the signing of a Joint Statement on European Joint Degrees, led by the Board chairs and co-signed by all members. This act signals a collective pledge to shape a harmonized and forward-looking European higher education space.
The Governing Board meetings are preceded by sessions of the EELISA Academic and Scientific Board, Student Council, and Executive Board, starting today. All sessions will conclude on a cultural note with the public screening of A Mirror of the Cosmos, which won the EELISA Special Mention at the 2024 Film and Sustainable Progress Festival of Madrid. The screening will take place on 14 May at 5 PM at the Amphithéâtre des Loges 2, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris (PSL). This special presentation will be open to meeting attendees and the general public. A post-screening discussion, moderated by the EELISA Student Council, will include the film’s director, Isabelle Carbonell; philosopher and researcher Roberto Casati (CNRS Paris); and environmental scientist Rachid Dris (Leesu, Paris).
These intensive working sessions in Paris mark an important moment for EELISA as they reinforce the Alliance’s role within the European higher education ecosystem. By bringing together institutional leaders, students, and academics, the Alliance aims to actively shape its next chapter at a time when global challenges demand collective solutions. EELISA’s vision of impactul, mission-driven, and inclusive education remains more relevant than ever.
READ THE FULL NOTE HERE