Rector Juozas Augutis: “Tomorrow’s VMU is a Common Concern for Us All”

In his programme for 2020–2025, academician Juozas Augutis, who was re-elected for the second term as the rector of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), emphasised that one of the most important goals during this term would be a focus shift towards the community and the enabling of its members to achieve their goals in studies, science and social as well as intellectual life.

Before the start of the interview, the rector notes that the first term was a difficult and unpredictable period, which was marked by hasty decisions of the Government regarding the optimisation of the network of Lithuanian state universities and the real threat to the further existence of VMU.

“This was a stage in the development of VMU,” the rector says. During this term, VMU became the most widely covering and one of the strongest universities in Lithuania, operating in Kaunas and Vilnius. Today it ranks the second in terms of student numbers as a number of students, despite demographic challenges, are rising two years in a row, the results of international rankings are improving, the infrastructure of science, studies and dormitories is being developed – about 10 projects are currently underway.

Nevertheless, Augutis is concerned that the active development of the university induced by external events has had an impact on the community. “|As the geography of the university has expanded and the organisational structure has changed, there has been a need for a new university strategy that brings the community together to achieve its goals, opens up opportunities for the adoption of new perspectives in research and interdisciplinary studies, and allows for greater coherence between self-government and responsibility. In this term of office, I have a goal to make everyone who works and creates here listened.”

The Rector states that in the coming years the focus will be on mobilising the university community, fostering values and democratic principles, balancing personal and institutional responsibility, increasing self-government and cooperation of units as well as the balanced policy of science, studies and communication with business, active participation in Lithuanian and European educational and cultural life along with multipartite communication with society.

A community that feels empowered

“The university is, first and foremost, a space for creation and studies, where the truth is sought, debated and dominated by ideas, attitudes and intercultural diversity. The community here should cherish freedom, tolerance, high academic culture, actively engage in the discussion of state and society issues,” believes Professor Juozas Augutis. He adds that these values and attitudes should be relevant not only for teaching staff, students and researchers, non-academic staff but also for the entire much wider university community.

According to the Rector, as the community grows and in order to achieve these goals, it is especially important to ensure that, regardless of the size and diversity of the community, all its members feel respected, have the opportunity to improve and are valued. “I will be honest. I feel that there is anxiety in the community about the future, there is still a big external and sometimes internal bureaucracy and there is a lack of concentration and communication. In the coming years, I will, therefore, seek to create the conditions for VMU to continue to grow as the university where everyone feels empowered to pursue both personal and broader goals and diversity would be appreciated.”

To achieve this, Prof Juozas Augutis, together with the university community, would like to implement a sustainable development strategy based on the following principles: academic ethics, equal opportunities, and social responsibility.

Firstly, the range of activities of the VMU Commission of Ethics should be expanded: from the analysis of cases of violation of the Code of Ethics to preventive, explanatory work, which is equally important to ensure academic integrity, impartiality and transparency, protection of intellectual property.

Also, even greater attention will be paid to ensuring that every member of the VMU community, regardless of their gender, race, nationality, citizenship, language, social status, religion, beliefs or views, has the same opportunities for realisation and self-expression. Currently, VMU is developing the Gender Equality Plan, the disability affairs coordinator is already being looked for and the board will be appointed. In the near future, a position of an alumni relations coordinator will be announced open, the remuneration policy is being reviewed, a team of psychologists and sociologists is being mobilised to ensure a variety of expectations and dignified study and working conditions at the university: from improving the psychological and emotional environment to flexible working and study conditions for families nurturing young children. The Rector also mentions ideas such as the implementation of an effective survey system and ensuring the provision of feedback or the creation of a space for representatives of different denominations.

Thirdly, it will be aimed at contributing even more actively to the goals of sustainable development of the State, to become more involved in the intellectual and cultural life of Lithuania and Europe. “The university has the potential to open up even more to the city, the country and the region, not only by reviving historical but also by creating new traditions, as well as giving the society, business, government, non-governmental or cultural organisations a sense of what a university is as a space of science, learning and ideas, where not only the issues of modern society and the State are considered but also solutions are sought.”

According to him, government, business and cultural structures have hitherto made too little use of the opportunities offered by the university, the self-perception and capacity of academia in issues of self-government, policy-making, public criticism and urban as well as regional governance. It is, therefore, crucial to shape the perception of the university as an open, necessary institution. By presenting the latest research, intellectual content and art created at the university, it will be easier to involve other city and higher education institutions of the country in discussions, in order to jointly discuss the challenges of universities’ identity and their role in Kaunas and Lithuanian public life addressing the global challenges in the coming decades.

The aim will also be to use the scientific potential of the university by introducing energy-efficient measures, reducing waste, promoting healthy lifestyles and sustainable consumption, and contributing to biodiversity conservation. “VMU Botanical Garden, Education and Agriculture academies, Faculties of Natural Sciences, Informatics and others are active in different areas – each of these departments carries out both scientific and educational activities. Members of their communities are also actively involved in policy-making discussions in Lithuania and the European Union, advising government and business representatives. Naturally, we could also use all available opportunities by deploying renewable resources, the latest technologies and learning platforms within the university,” the Rector tells about the path towards the sustainable university.

Vision – international scientific university applying Artes Liberales principles in studies

When introducing the candidate programme, Prof Juozas Augutis also hinted at reforms in the coming years in order to shape the identity of Vytautas Magnus University in the context of the international science university and applying Artes Liberales principles in studies and community life.

“Today one of the biggest issues of higher education in Lithuania is the low funding of education. If the EU countries spend on average about 2.5% of their GDP on science, whereas in Lithuania this indicator is less than 0.9%. The second issue is the declining funding that is reaching universities unevenly: the announced competitions of scientific projects are small and short-term, while the rivalry is intense. This does not guarantee the possibility of creating more stable groups of researchers that can also compete in international projects,” observes the Rector. He hopes that it will be possible to unite the communities of the universities in order to increase the funding of higher education from the State budget.

In addition, the changes in the drawing up of the university budget and part of the new formations are planned: scientists and artists will pool the more stable groups, namely, VMU research institutes will be created and consolidated, the science foundation will be established, conditions will be created for researchers to labour for the highest level of science and art, technologies or products, providing support to organisers, the attractiveness of doctoral studies and internships at Vytautas Magnus University will be increased, international researchers will be invited and so on.

In agreement with the community, a number of changes will also be pursued by further broadening the range of interdisciplinary and international studies in the fields of studies and study process. “As in the first term, I will devote my efforts not only on strengthening the realisation of the principles of Artes Liberales in the study process but also on implementing an admissions system that complies with the principles of Artes Liberales,” says the Rector. The need for lifelong learning, the ability to combine knowledge in several disciplines to address current and future issues, innovation and emotional intelligence development have been talked about for years. However, the Professor points out, the entire educational ecosystem – from curriculum to admission to universities – is of the 20th century and does not meet the expectations of young people. “The red tape is powerful, but if we do not show effort and initiative to change it, nothing will change. To tell the truth, we are tired of filling in reports, self-assessment reports, but if we give up and do not take our position, what kind of example we will provide for the young people we teach.”

Rector Augutis mentions only a few ideas and stresses that changes in the university must be discussed and agreed upon by the whole community – decisions cannot be imposed. Therefore, before accelerating the transformations, he wants to invite all members of the community – students, academia and non-academic staff – to actively participate in the discussions on the future of Vytautas Magnus University, the centre of which is a person. “A new strategy of the university is currently being developed. It has been sent to all departments. I hope to hear the opinion of each of you. It will depend on what activities we choose for the coming years”.