The UC3M adheres to the Magna Charta Universitatum
9/19/18
The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has adhered to the Magna Charta Universitatum, a document created in Bologna thirty years ago that determines the mission and founding values of higher education institutions and that has since been subscribed to by more than 800 universities from 86 countries around the world.
The Magna Charta Universitatum was signed by 388 rectors and heads of universities across Europe on 18 September 1988, coinciding with the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna. In this document the fundamental principles that should underpin the vocation of the university were agreed: academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
The rector of the UC3M, Juan Romo, signed the Magna Charta in a ceremony held yesterday in the main hall of the Universidad de Salamanca on the occasion of the XXX Assembly of the Magna Charta Universitatum. Seventy-five new institutions adhered to the manifesto in the course of this act.
Academic freedom is the basis of independent research and a barrier against undue interference, both by governments and interest groups. In addition, institutional autonomy is a prerequisite for those modern universities that want to act effectively and efficiently. The principles that the Magna Charta defends are oriented towards the preservation and promotion of the critical spirit and the development of the teaching and research activity within a framework of freedom and interaction between different cultures. The document also highlights the achievements in teaching and research by European universities during the last millennium.
The Assembly of the Magna Charta Universitatum, which was attended by the King and Queen of Spain, was held in Salamanca on 17 and 18 September. Representatives of 250 universities from more than fifty countries participated. Under the slogan "University Values in a Changing World", the meeting, which is held annually, addressed aspects related to the adaptation of the university to social changes and the search for formulas to respond to these challenges.