32nd UNICA General Assembly and Rectors Seminar

08 Jul 2022

Last month, UCD hosted the 32nd UNICA General Assembly and Rectors’ Seminar. Drawing together Rectors, Vice Rectors, and heads of international offices from universities in capital cities across the European Higher Education Area, this annual event is the most important meeting in the UNICA calendar. As a founding UNICA member, UCD was proud to welcome delegates for this first in-person assembly since 2019.

The theme of this year’s event was ‘Leading Universities in times of Crisis and Change’, responding to the multiple challenges facing higher education right now, including the war in Ukraine, the transition to post-Covid teaching and learning, and the need to build sustainable futures for our institutions, staff, and students. With a broad range of speakers sharing their personal and institutional experiences of these challenges as well as their responses, delegates enjoyed many hours of fruitful discussions. UCD speakers included Acting President, Professor Mark Rogers, Deputy President, Professor Barbara Dooley, and Vice-President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Professor Colin Scott. 

UNICA is an important forum for advancing cooperation between long-standing European partners. Meeting in person after a long hiatus gave colleagues and peers the opportunity to reconnect, revive pre-pandemic plans, and advance new discussions. This year’s assembly also saw 6 new members join UNICA: Moldova State University; “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Bucharest); University of Alcalá (Madrid); Cardiff University; and UCD partners Queen’s University Belfast and Tbilisi State University (Georgia). This expansion represents significant growth for the network, and we look forward to growing our cooperation with all new UNICA members.

With 2022 being the centenary of James Joyce’s Ulysses, delegates were treated to a special tour of Newman House and the Museum of Literature in Ireland by Director Dr Simon O’Connor and his wonderful team, followed by dinner in the historic rooms hosted by Acting President Rogers. You can learn more about the event and view pictures from across the three days here.