Magna Charta Universitatum is a declaration containing the basic standards of conduct that universities around the world should follow. It is a commitment to promoting and supporting academic freedom, university autonomy, the relationship between teaching and research, social responsibility and the core values of higher education. It was originally signed by 388 rectors and heads of universities from all over Europe and beyond in 1988 at the world's oldest University in Bologna, and then it was revised in 2020 to reflect changes in the world faced by universities.
MCO Essay Competition 2024
The guiding question for the 2024 MCO Student Essay Competition is, as follows: What would you change about your higher education experience or environment to make it more inclusive for all who have the ability to benefit from it?
There will be 5 prizes for winners to present their essays and participate in discussions with an international audience at the MCO Anniversary 2024. The competition is open to students registered in any university in any country.
The closing date for the submission of essays is 5 July 2024 and the winners will be announced on 27 August 2024. Essays must be uploaded via the Competition's online platform.
Before entering the Competition, please get familiar with:
- formal requirements
- information about the 2024 MCO Student Essay Competition
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the organisers by emailing magnacharta@unibo.it
More information:
Magna Charta Universitatum and UniLodz
Courage, curiosity, commitment, cooperation and respect – these are the values that unite the community of the University of Lodz, which have become the basis for the strategy of our university for 2021-2030. They result from the basic values shared by the entire academic world, such as freedom of research, ethical conduct, social responsibility and concern for sustainable development, tolerance, the right to education, activities for local communities and the promotion of healthy habits and well-being. It is the Magna Charta Observatory, an independent organisation of universities from all over the world, which upholds these values. The values it protects and promotes are close to our hearts and we want to develop with respect for them, which is why the University of Lodz was among the signatories of the MCU as early as 1988 (one of the first signatories was the then Rector of the University of Lodz, Professor Leszek Wojtczak).
UniLodz once again in the group of Magna Charta Universitatum signatories – on 17 June 2021, during an official ceremony, our signature on the MCU declaration was symbolically renewed.
The three-day Magna Charta Observatory conference at the University of Lodz (held on 23-25 October) was one of the most important international events of the academic world in Poland in 2023. The event culminated in the ceremony of signing the Magna Charta Universitatum declaration by the rectors of 36 more universities (Polish and foreign ones). Photo report of the event is available on the UniLodz Flickr website.
Source: Magna Charta Observatory
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz