Graduate School Opening Days: Invitation to the academic discourse "RESEARCH >> FREEDOM"
2022-10-04
Dear colleagues,
Today and tomorrow we welcome almost 600 new Masters students on campus during the "Graduate School Opening Days". This year, for the first time, we are welcoming the Masters students together with the 60 doctoral students who began their doctorate at Leuphana last academic year.
In addition to getting to know Leuphana and new fellow students, the students and doctoral candidates will gain a first insight into our graduate community by working together academically on a topic.
In 2022, the Opening Days will be held under the motto "RESEARCH >> FREEDOM".
Academic freedom in teaching and research has repeatedly been the subject of international reporting in recent years. Whether it is the closure of the Central European University in Hungary, the accusations of terrorism against Turkish academics who signed a peace petition or the disturbed academic relations between Russia and Germany (EU) since Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine: academic freedom is in danger. That is why it is all the more important that we at universities address the possibilities and limits of academic freedom.
Following the welcoming of the new students by President Prof. (HSG) Dr. Sascha Spoun, we will examine the current controversy on academic freedom from a global and local perspective in a moderated panel discussion starting at 2:30 pm today in Lecture Hall 3. Quo vadis academic freedom? We would like to critically discuss this question together with academics from Leuphana and our partner universities in Glasgow and Barcelona, as well as a representative from Amnesty International Germany.
We would be pleased to welcome you to this event and wish the new Masters and doctoral students a successful start at Leuphana.
With kind regards
Prof. Dr. Simone Abels
Vice President for Graduate School, Scientific Qualification and Teacher Education
Dr. Anja Soltau
Managing Director Graduate School