The rector of Unicamp, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, had an article published in the special edition of the magazine IAU Horizons, published by the International Association of Universities (IAU). The theme of the publication was the relevance of universities to society and was launched during the 16th General Conference of the Association, which took place last October in Dublin, Ireland.
As a representative of Unicamp, which is associated with the IAU, Meirelles addressed in the article the consequences of the intense process of specialization that higher education has been going through in Brazil and in the world, suggesting that, in order to deal with the complexity of the problems currently faced by society, it is necessary that these institutions recover their more universal character.
According to the dean, one of the most viable alternatives in this regard is the alignment of universities with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), since these have the potential to catalyze cooperation efforts between specialists from different disciplines. As examples, he cites the transition to the use of renewable energies and the demand for a more inclusive society.
“In the specific case of Brazil, academia's adherence to the SDGs would create conditions for permanently connecting topics such as innovation and sustainability to society's most urgent demands. Such approximation would create a virtuous circle that would benefit the entire population, either by speaking directly to its various strata or through the formulation of public policies”, argues Meirelles in his article.
