Agreement Signed to Give Life to the Academy of Civilizations

The University cannot be self-referential, rather it must become a real and virtual place capable of putting together the experiences of the different cultures of the world: this is the spirit with which a cooperation agreement was signed on languages for a new communication: towards the Academy of civilizations. The institutions involved are: the Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO, the Pontifical University Antonianum, ICDE (International Council for Open and Distance Education) and EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities). The signing of the memorandum was made during an 2016 International EADTU Conference, organized together with the Uninettuno University on the occasion of its 10th anniversary and held in Rome at the Auditorium Antonianum. There were many university chancellors present, including some from the Arab world, including Mansoor Al Awar, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University of Dubai. To kick off the work was the Minister for Education, University and Research, Stefania Giannini: “the role of universities”-she said- “is not to simply create and transmit knowledge. The University has what I call a “third mission,” that is, to be open to the requests and needs of society. Distance education,” she added, “is one of the main opportunities available to us and it should be a new and challenging framework for sharing knowledge and experiences, so that education will have no borders.” One of the initiators and signatories of the agreement is the Pontifical University Antonianum, the Rector Mary Melone stated: “the agreement with Uninettuno and other distance University” -she said - allows us use of computing platforms which are for us a formational proposal that really has no boundaries.” In closing, the general Minister of the Order of Friars Minor and Grand Chancellor of the University Antonianum, Br. Michael Perry insisted on the concept of a “cultural ecology,” also used by Pope in his Encyclical “Laudato Si’,” because, he explained: “we must maintain a balance between strongly globalized and world-ready dimensions of knowledge” and what anthropologists call “local knowledge.” So, just make sure that “knowledge is not only in the hands of the elite, but be extended to ever larger contexts.” One must have respect for local cultures. The complete text in Italian: [LINK]