European embeddedness and the founding of Luxembourg’s 21st century research university

Abstract

At the heart of Western Europe and culturally embedded in the 'Greater Region,' Luxembourg for centuries sent its youth abroad for tertiary education, without its own national university. Evolving provisions of postsecondary education after 1945 followed construction of several teaching and research institutes that did not offer full-fledged tertiary education certification. With global higher education expansion and European developments providing a window of opportunity, the founding of the national flagship University of Luxembourg (uni.lu) in 2003 was a critical juncture, since leading to an extraordinary case of university institutionalization. Traditions were explicitly maintained, but reshaped, in the new university, with student mobility continuing to bolster the national elite's pan-European networks and internationalization. Reflecting its hyper-diversity and multilingual culture as well as porous national borders, Luxembourg's investments in higher education capacity-building, via a twentyfirst century research university, have been thoroughly European. Today, Luxembourg has the highest proportion of workers with tertiary attainment and of internationally mobile students, testament to its expanded higher education provision and national policy change facilitated by global models and European norms.

Mechanisms for Implementing Universities’ Social Responsibility in the Conditions of University Autonomy: The European Experience

“…Незважаючи на молодість, університет має фундаментальне значення для розвиненої економіки Люксембургу, заснованої на знаннях, і різноманітного, багатомовного і високоосвіченого суспільства країни, а також швидко завоював міжнародну репутацію як дослідницький університет, в якому наукові дослідження є важливою частиною місії (Braband & Powell, 2021). Про це свідчать результати порівняння наукової продуктивності університетів декількох європейських країн, яке здійснили J. J. W. Powell & J. Dusdal (2017).…”

“…І хоча G. Braband & J. J. W. Powell (2021) 2020), мають 3 переважаючі характеристики: орієнтація на підприємницьку діяльність науковців та викладачів (варто додати -і студентів); внесок, який університет робить у соціальне середовище; удосконалення стратегії створення підприємств та зміни організаційної структури. Діяльність підприємницького університету, заснована на інноваціях, застосуванні нових технологій, сприяє розвитку економіки, спричиняє економічний вплив у регіональному, національному чи місцевому масштабі (Klein, & Pereira, 2020).…”

Evaluating universal student mobility: contrasting policy discourse and student narratives in Luxembourg

“…Despite the long-standing tradition of study abroad, some voiced their support for a national university already in the 19th century; yet only in the context of advancing Europeanization of HE (Bologna process; Lisbon strategy) was this call ultimately acted upon (see Braband & Powell, 2021). Older arguments against, such as cost and challenges of institutionalization, had lost their salience as Luxembourg's wealth increased and many other small European countries had founded their own national universities (Braband & Powell, 2021). In 2002, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Luxembourg's first HE minister, presented plans for a national research university (Braband, 2015).…”

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“…Included in the document was the creation of a unified system of evaluation and promotion of graduates, as well as a common system of undergraduate and graduate education. The rectors' aspiration was for cooperation among the nations of Europe and the belief that member states would begin to recognize universities as exhibitors of an internationalist society (Magna Charta Univeristatum Principles, 1988) An important document, with regard to mobility, was the Lisbon Convention, signed on April 11, 1997, which was a convention of UNESCO and the Council of Europe, in which the process of recognition of qualifications related to higher education in Europe was regulated (Braband, Powell, 2021).…”