Welcome to the U21 online AGM in partnership with the University of Zurich on the theme of 'Sustainable Universities; Sustainable University Networks'. We are delighted to bring you interesting and innovative resources in our online AGM offering.
There is much to see on this page so be sure to scroll right to the bottom and please feel free to use #U21AGM if you want to join us on social media.
A Welcome from Professor Sir David Eastwood, Chair of Universitas 21
Welcome to this new U21 site, with hopes that you are all keeping safe and well in these very difficult times. It has been a great disappointment that U21 Presidents and Senior Leaders cannot come together as planned at the University of Zurich for U21’s Annual Network Meetings and AGM, in May 2020. However I am very pleased that we are able to provide many aspects of these events for you on this site.
A key part of our annual events is the U21 Presidential Symposium, organised by the hosting university; the 2020 Symposium topic is ‘Sustainable Universities; Sustainable University Networks'. President ad interim of the University of Zurich, Prof. Dr. Gabriele Siegert and her team in Zurich have done a really excellent job in skilfully adapting the Symposium to a fully online event. You can use this site at any time to hear the Symposium’s keynote papers and discussions. An innovation this year has been the inclusion of a poster session, showcasing sustainability project and initiatives across the network. These posters are now also available for viewing on this site.
Sincere thanks to the University of Zurich and U21 team for their agility and ingenuity in transforming our annual events to this new platform, while also retaining their quality and relevance for the network.
A Welcome from Prof. Dr. Gabriele Siegert, President ad interim of the University of Zurich
The inspiring examples of interesting initiatives and research collated for the Presidential Symposium from across the U21 network illustrate how U21 universities are tackling the topic of sustainability – in their research, on their campuses – by analysing global challenges in all their dimensions, providing answers to complex problems, and by stimulating change in the communities they are active in. This online platform features numerous contributions: We are able to highlight over 30 remarkable examples of innovative sustainability practice from U21 universities – as video recordings or digital posters. Moreover, we are delighted that our keynote speaker and climate expert, Professor Thomas Stocker, former IPCC Chair, delivered his keynote online and engaged in an exclusive expert discussion with Professor Michael Schaepman, Vice President of Research of the University of Zurich. While we will all miss the active debate of a live event, I am confident that also this digital format will create a sense of collective accountability and leave all visitors inspired. I hope that anybody who wishes to make their own institution contributing more meaningfully to the UN Sustainable Development Goals feels encouraged and empowered by the wealth of ideas presented here.
