Launch of the 5th GUNi World Report, 14th October’2014, Barcelona, Spain

The Fifth book in the GUNi World Report Series on “Knowledge, Engagement and Higher Education: Contributing to Social Change”, was launched in Barcelona on the 14th of October’2014. The main speakers at the launch included Dr Rajesh Tandon & Dr Budd Hall, Co-chairs, UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, Dr Paul Manners, Director, National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and Ms. Cristina Escrigas, Executive Director, GUNi. Guest edited by Dr Rajesh Tandon and Dr Budd Hall, The world report contains contributions from 76 authors from around the world. The report aims to provide a vision for a new, more socially responsible relationship between universities and the communities they serve by suggesting ways in which higher education can help build a more equitable society. It also charts the progress of the movement for greater civic engagement by universities over the past 10 to 15 years. For Cristina Escrigas, executive director of GUNI, one of the most significant things about the report is the fact that it calls for a profound rethink of the way universities sees their mission.