From Campuses to Communities: 73 University Alliances, Including ENGAGE.EU, Discussed Their Future in Europe

In early June, Strasbourg hosted the FOREU4ALL workshop – a union of all participants in the “European Universities” initiative. The forum, entitled From Campuses to Communities: Enhancing Engagement and Sense of Belonging in European Universities, brought together representatives from 73 alliances at the European Parliament. The meeting was focused on building stronger university communities, increasing the engagement and a sense of belonging, as well as the role of communications teams in this process.

Building a community around the ten partner universities of ENGAGE.EU is also one of the main themes of the current Presidency of the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov on the ENGAGE.EU Board of Rectors. His term has been marked by a number of initiatives aimed at building a community and more actively involving students, academic community and administrative staff in the Alliance’s joint activities. Our university was represented at the Forum by Chief Assist. Dr. Ivan Valchanov, Coordinator of the Alliance’s Dissemination Office, lecturer at the Media and Public Communications Department - UNESCO Chair in Media and Information Literacy and Cultural Policies for Sustainable Development. The other representative of the ENGAGE.EU Alliance was Riana Stryker from Tilburg University, Manager of the ENGAGE.EU Research Community Platform.

Among the Bulgarian participants were Prof. Elena Trencheva, Vice Rector of the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts, representing FilmEU, Lyudmila Gribneva from the International Division of the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, representing BAUHAUS4EU, as well as Bulgarian student volunteers studying in Strasbourg. Their presence outlined the active role of Bulgarian higher education institutions in building stronger and more sustainable European academic communities.

The event provided a platform for representatives of various European university alliances to exchange experiences and ideas with a focus on the best practices for deepening the cooperation, promoting inclusion, increasing the student engagement and strengthening the relations between the universities and their communities. The programme included plenary discussions, joint workshops, a poster session, etc. The Forum brought together over 140 participants who discussed how the European universities can move beyond the scope of projects and become communities with a long-term impact on the students, lecturers, researchers and society.

The event was organized and hosted by the EPICUR alliance and the forum itself reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening the European university cooperation, social impact and innovation in higher education. The topics were focused on fostering a sense of belonging, promoting the brand and organized initiatives, overcoming barriers to mobility, adding value for participants, and building sustainable connections between student communities.