"University Network of the European Capitals of Culture" by Bill Chambers

William Chambers - Vice President of UNEECC and Dean of the Liverpool Hope

University

The University Network of European Capitals of Culture
(UNECC)

(Please note that this paper was delivered in October 2007. All facts were as known at that time.)

The aim of this paper is to describe the University Network of European Capitals of Culture (UNECC www.uneecc.org) and the activities already undertaken and those planned by Stavanger and the Liverpool Universities for 2008.

The University Network of European Capitals of Culture (UNECC) is a group of Universities and Higher Education Institutions in cities which have been, are, or have been appointed to be European Capitals of Culture.

Aims and Activities

UNECC has three major aims:

to ensure the recognition of the role and contribution of universities to the success of the cities conferred the title ‘European Capital of Culture’
to provide the member universities with a possibility of a continuous and full participation in the European Capitals of Culture movement enhanced by ‘Universities of the Year’
to foster inter-university cooperation to develop and reshape the universities’ regional position to create new activities for city and university collaboration

It is planned to achieve these aims by engaging in the following activities:

promotion of cooperation in the organization of conferences and festivals
the furthering of cultural, higher educational and community research
encouraging a mobility network for students and staff.
the preparation of common educational programs (e.g. joint degree projects, summer universities, internships, placements)
the development of cultural identities for “Cities of Culture and Education” through cooperation between universities, cities and regions
coordination of the ideas and actions of its members through regular exchange of information on issues of common interest

History

UNEECC was formed in 2006 at its Founding Assembly in Pecs, Hungary. At this event the Board was elected and in February 2007 the first Board Meeting was held in Antwerp. This was followed by a mini-conference in Krakow and then in October 2007 the first major conference was held in Sibiu, Romania.

Table 1: Key dates

Date	City, Country	Activity
2006 December 1-2	Pecs, Hungary	Founding Assembly
2007 January 28-30	Antwerp, Belgium	Board Meeting
2007 June 20-22	Krakow, Poland	Mini-conference ‘Benefits of Being the European Capital of Culture’
2007 October 25-26	Sibiu, Romania	Conference ‘Town & Gown’

Organisation and Membership

The Secretariat is located in the University of Pecs, Hungary and the Presidency, since the formation of UNECC in 2006, has been at the Lessius Hogeschool in Antwerp, Belgium.

There are 41 member Institutions from 27 cities in 20 countries from north, south, east and west Europe, with representatives from the old, new and candidate countries to the European Union, from the oldest and newest and from traditional and technical universities.

Table 2: Membership of UNECC in 2007

City / Town	Institution	Country
Antwerp	Lessius Hogeschool	Belgium
Antwerp	Universiteit Antwerpen	Belgium
Athens	University of Athens	Greece
Avignon	University of Avignon	France
Bologna	University degli Studi Bologna	Italy
Bruges	College of Europe	Belgium
Brussels	ICHEC Brussels Management School	Belgium
Cork	Cork Institute of Technology	Ireland
Cork	University College Cork	Ireland
Genoa	University degli Studi Genova	Italy
Glasgow	Glasgow Caledonian University	Scotland
Graz	FH Joanneum - University of Applied Sciences	Austria
Helsinki	Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences	Finland
Istanbul	Bahcesehir University	Turkey
Istanbul	Istanbul Technical University	Turkey
Istanbul	Istanbul Bilgi University	Turkey
Istanbul	Fatih University	Turkey
Istanbul	Isik University	Turkey
Krakow	The Pontifical Academy of Theology	Poland
Krakow	Cracow University of Economics	Poland
Krakow	Agricultural University of Krakow	Poland
Lille	University of Lille 1, Science and Technology	France
Lille	Lille 2 Université du Droit et de la Santé	France
Lille	Lille Catholic University	France
Linz	Kunstuniversität Linz,	Austria
Linz	Johannes Kepler Universität	Austria
Liverpool	Liverpool Hope University	England
Liverpool	The University of Liverpool	England
Luxembourg	Université du Luxembourg	Luxembourg
Madrid	Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio	Spain
Madrid	Universidad Complutense Madrid	Spain
Patras	University of Patras	Greece
Pécs	University of Pécs	Hungary
Porto	University Fernando Pessoa	Portugal
Rotterdam	Erasmus University Rotterdam	Netherlands
Salamanca	Universidad de Salamanca	Spain
Sibiu	‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu	Romania
Stavanger	University of Stavanger	Norway
Vilnius	Vilnius Gediminas Technical University	Lithuania
Vilnius	Mykolas Romeris University	Lithuania
Warsaw	College of Europe	Poland

Websites of Members

Lessius Hogeschool, Antwerpen http://www.lessius-ho.be/
Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpenhttp://www.ua.ac.be
University of Athens, Athen http://www.uoa.gr
University of Avignon, Avignon http://www.univ-avignon.fr
University degli Studi Bologna, Bologna http://www.unibo.it
College of Europe, Bruges and Warsaw http://www.coleurop.be
ICHEC Brussels Management School, Bruxelles http://www.ichec.be
Cork Institute of Technology, Cork http://www.cit.ie
University College Cork, Cork http://www.ucc.ie
University degli Studi Genova, Genovahttp://www.unige.it
Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgowhttp://www.caledonian.ac.uk
FH Joanneum - University of Applied Sciences, Graz http://www.fh-joanneum.at
Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki http://www.haaga-helia.fi/en
Bahcesehir University, Istanbul http://www.bahcesehir.edu.tr
Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul http://www.itu.edu.tr
Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul http://www.bilgi.edu.tr/
Isik University, Istanbu http://www.isikun.edu.tr
Fatih University, Istanbul http://www.fatih.edu.tr
Agricultural University of Krakow, Krakow http://www.ar.krakow.pl
Cracow University of Economics, Krakow http://janek.ae.krakow.pl
The Pontifical Academy of Theology in Krakow http://www.pat.krakow.pl
Lille 2 Université du Droit et de la Santé, Lille http://www.univ-lille2.fr
Lille Catholic University, Lille http://www.univ-catholille.fr
University of Lille 1, Science and Technology, Lille http://www.univ-lille1.fr
Kunstuniversität Linz, Linz http://www.khs-linz.ac.at
Johannes Kepler Universität, Linz http://www.jku.at
Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool http://www.hope.ac.uk
The University of Liverpool, Liverpool http://www.liv.ac.uk
Université du Luxembourg, Luxembourg http://www.uni.lu
Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio, Madrid http://www.uax.es
Universidad Complutense Madrid, Madrid http://www.ucm.es
University of Patras, Patras http://www.upatras.gr
University of Pécs, Pécs http://www.pte.hu
University Fernando Pessoa, Porto http://www.ufp.pt
Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam http://www.eur.nl
Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca http://www.usal.es
"Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu, Sibiu http://www.ulbsibiu.ro
University of Stavanger, Stavanger http://www.uis.no
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius http://www.vgtu.lt
Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius http://www.mruni.lt

Activities

2007

The First Conference was held in Sibiu, Romania in October 2007. The title of the conference was ‘Town and Gown’ and comprised a welcome, business, administrative and social day followed by a scientific day with 23 presentations delivered in two parallel sessions by representatives from 15 member organisations. There were 4 key strands examining: the meaning of cultural politics (5 presentations); the relationship between local traditions and European culture (9); the importance of the European Capital of Culture movement (5); and the geography of European Capitals of Culture. The latter strand was organised in conjunction with the HERODOT European Geography Network (4).

2008

The second Annual UNECC Conference will take place in Stavanger, Norway in 2008. At present a programme with 4 main activities is being considered. A major focus will be joint research carried out by the International Research Institute of Stavanger and the University of Stavanger examining three facets:

the involvement of inhabitants in the Capital of Culture events
the effect of Capital of Culture participation on attitudes towards cultural life
the effect of the Capital of Culture events, vision and values on the beliefs and attitudes of the population

A second focus is planned to be a Nobel Peace Summit on 10-12 September with inputs invited from Kofi Annan, Bob Geldof, Mikhael Gorbachev and Archbishop Desmond Tutu examining:

Free Media in international and local conflicts and peace processes.
Cultural dialogue and free media
Limited energy resources as a source of conflicts
Media and youth, students and children in conflict and reconciliation.

A third focus will be a Youth Summit running between the 1^st and 14^th of September. This will be the culmination of a year of discussion and reflection on the role of the media and youth, students and children in conflict and reconciliation. It is envisaged that national groups of 25-30 youths from across Europe will meet from autumn 2007 to September 2008 and that 2-4 representatives from each country’s discussion groups will be sent as representatives to the Youth Summit in Stavanger. Following the Summit they will then report back to their national groups.

The final element of the Stavanger Year will comprise a ‘Songs Across Borders’ large scale concert filling Stavanger harbour with national and international musicians performing music that will ’change our thinking.’

In addition to the Stavanger Events in 2008, the three Universities in Liverpool, England are proposing to contribute to Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture in a variety of ways.

Liverpool Hope University, the only ecumenical university in Europe, is organising a The Big Hope: World Youth Congress. This will celebrate both the Capital of Culture and the European Parliament’s Year of Intercultural Dialogue. It is planned to attract 1000 18-35 year olds (250 from the UK; 250 from Europe; and 500 from the rest of the world) with leadership potential and faith to a one week congress where the following themes will be considered:

Integrity and Public Life
Developing a Humane Global Society
The Role of Individuals

This will be achieved through a consideration of

Arts, Sport & Culture
Business
Education
Environment
Human Rights & Reconciliation.

The University of Liverpool has already contributed significantly to the planning and governance of Liverpool’s Year as European Capital of Culture. The Vice Chancellor has been a member of the Capital of Culture Board. The historian Professor John Belchem, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University, edited Liverpool 800 a scholarly treatise on the History of Liverpool produced in 2007 on the occasion of the 800^th Anniversary of the City of Liverpool and as a precursor to the Year as Capital of Culture.

The University is also opening a new Victoria Gallery & Museum in one of the original refurbished redbrick buildings of the University and is hosting the annual British Association for the Arts & Sciences conference in 2008.

Probably of most academic and lasting significance however will be the University of Liverpool’s joint study of the economic impact of the Year as Capital of Culture. Named Impact08 the study is being undertaken in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University and funded by Liverpool City Council.

Liverpool John Moores University is also contributing through an expansion of its public lecture programme, the Roscoe Capital of Culture Lecture Series, a series of public art commissions and the construction of a new £24million Art & Design Academy.

Conclusions

The University Network of European Capitals of Culture is an exciting and ambitious organisation. It has the potential to enrich the Capital of Culture events through the mobilisation of the intellectual and physical resources and capital of the higher education institutions in the Capitals of Culture. From the Universities’ perspective it provides them with a pan-European showcase for their resources and expertise.

UNEECC is a member-funded organisation and is dependent on the commitment, energy and enthusiasm of its honorary officers and paid secretariat. The benefits of the Network already achieved include a greater involvement of Universities in the Capital of Culture organisation at the local level; the provision of a focus for research through conferences specifically focussing on issues pertaining to the Capital of Culture movement and increased staff mobility. As yet there is little curriculum development nor large scale recognition or funding of the Network from Brussels however it is to be hoped that the invitation to UNECC to contribute to this conference reflects the growing importance and potential of UNECC to enhance the academic study and contribution of the Universities to the Capital of Culture movement.

However a number of challenges remain. Firstly it is vital that UNECC facilitates the production of high quality academic description, analysis and evaluation. It must develop beyond an organisation for like-minded Europhiles who enjoy visiting beautiful, energetic and ambitious cities, sharing generous hospitality, engaging in good conversation and eating fine food. It must remain loyal to its aims and look continuously to improve the interaction between town and gown to their mutual benefit.

Websites:

Impacts08 www.impacts08.net

Lessius Hogeschool www.lessius.eu

Liverpool Hope University www.hope.ac.uk

Liverpool John Moores University www.ljmu.ac.uk

Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu www.ulbsibiu.ro

University Network of European Capitals of Culture www.uneecc.com

University of Liverpool www.liv.ac.uk

University of Pecs www.pte.hu

University of Stavanger www.uis.no

Impacts08 www.impacts08.net

Lessius Hogeschool www.lessius.eu

Liverpool Hope University www.hope.ac.uk

Liverpool John Moores University www.ljmu.ac.uk

Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu www.ulbsibiu.ro

University Network of European Capitals of Culture www.uneecc.com

University of Liverpool www.liv.ac.uk

University of Pecs www.pte.hu

University of Stavanger www.uis.no

References

Belchem, J. (Editor) 2006 Liverpool 800: Character, Culture, History: Culture, Character and History. University of Liverpool Press.

Professor Bill Chambers

Pro Vice-Chancellor External Relations and Widening Participation

Liverpool Hope University

Following the presentation a few words spoken by the chairperson

Ingo Weber

Thank you very much, Bill. What you said I am convinced that you will be able to continue. This is a very challenging and also most rewarding task which you have put to yourself with the universities. As we all can say when we talk about Europe and other initiatives, we are talking about the future and we are talking about future conditions of life and that means we are addressing our work to the young generation and what else if not the academic youth. They are in the universities and the cities play and must play an important role in this cultural initiative of capital of Europe or elsewhere in the world, and when I see as it was mentioned concerning Sibiu with how many 25 000 and 30 000 students? Yes, you see. I remember the same figures somehow with Pecs, quite a small town with 160 000 inhabitants and similar to Sibiu and also hosting 35 000 students. This is most important that this academic world, being the students or the teaching side, get involved stronger in those activities and therefore I believe it is most important this network. We are looking forward to your hopefully and for sure successful meeting in Sibiu next weekend. We had been invited on behalf of the ECCM. Unfortunately we will not be able to participate but please take the best wishes and best regards from this assembly to your meeting in Sibiu and we wish all the best for your development. And we hope and we look forward to good cooperation. We can talk about this in the later part of this afternoon when we talk about the technique of network of networks.

^ Top

« "Projects and Impact of Culture in Central Europe" by Max Aufischer | "Network of Cultural Capitals of Arabic countries" by Kacem Abdelaziz »

Productivity of Culture

Navigation