EMU is being represented in Salamanca, Spain, where the university will be signing the Observatory Magna Charta Universitatum on the 17th and 18th of September 2018. The international document has been signed by 816 universities from 86 countries. The document that adopts the principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy was formerly signed by 33 universities from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Turkey. At the meeting which corresponds with the University of Salamanca’s 800th and Observatory Magna Charta Universitatum’s 30th anniversary, EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Necdet Osam will be singing the document at ceremony that will take place before Felipe VI, the King of Spain and Letizia, the Queen of Spain. The said ceremony will also be attended by EMU Board of Trustees’ President Boysan Boyra.
The Ceremony Has Commenced
As part of the program, earlier today at 09:00 a.m at the University of Salamanca Paraninfo Historical Building, Rector of the University of Salamanca. Dr. Ricardo Rivero Ortega and Magna Charta Observatory President Sijbolt Noorda delivered the opening speeches. Then the annual report of the Magna Charta Observatory was presented to the participants. The event will continue with various workshops in the afternoon. On the second day of the event, a reception will be given by the Mayor of Salamanca Alfonso Fernandez Manueco. Then, the participating universities will participate in a march in the city and the 31st Anniversary Celebrations will begin. The event will end at 7:00 p.m. with the RTVE Choir and the guitar concerts of Amancio Prada. Last year, EMU participated in a meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and initiated the process to be included in the agreement.
What is Magna Charta Universitatum?
Magna Carta Universitatum is a document that was signed on the 18th of September 1988 at the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna. It was signed by 388 rectors in Europe and beyond. It contains principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy as a guideline for good governance and self-understanding of universities in the future. To this day, the document has been signed by 816 universities from 86 different countries. The universities that sign the document accept that universities play an important role in the development of societies and aim to adjust their vision and strategies accordingly.
