Student Advocacy Days: International Cooperation for Academic Freedom

MCI students get involved in academic freedom at the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Advocacy Days in Dundee and Edinburgh

his year, the NGO Scholars at Risk (SAR) held its Student Advocacy Days in Dundee and Edinburgh, providing an important platform for international exchange to promote academic freedom.

The event brought together students from eight European universities, including the International College Dundee (UK), Linköping University (Sweden), the University of Agder (Norway), the University of Oslo (Norway), the MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, and several Italian universities (Padua, Pisa, Trento). In addition to the academic exchange, a visit to the Scottish Parliament, which provided an opportunity to talk to members of parliament and former First Minister Humza Yousaf, was a particular highlight. The focus was on international dialogue and commitment to protecting academic freedom in times of increasing democratic challenges.

The MCI Department of Social Work was represented by the head of the study program Belachew Gebrewold, accompanied by Lena Rolvering, who participated as a representative of the student group. Last semester, this student group had dealt intensively with the case of the imprisoned Uyghur scientist Prof. Rahile Dawut and developed an advocacy campaign with the support of Belachew Gebrewold. Their commitment is part of an ongoing initiative to defend academic values, which has already been successfully implemented in previous student projects.

In light of current democratic challenges, international dialogue on the protection of academic freedom is more relevant than ever. The Student Advocacy Days underscore the importance of student engagement in this area and demonstrate how crucial strong, global networking is in supporting scholars whose freedom is under threat.

We are delighted that next year's Student Advocacy Days will take place at MCI and that we will be hosting them in collaboration with the MCI Center for Responsible Management & Social Impact.