THE EUROPAEUM MEMBER UNIVERSITIES & THEIR RECTORS
Order arranged by length of membership
The University of Oxford
As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. In 1188, the historian Gerald of Wales, gave a public reading to the assembled Oxford dons and in 1190 the arrival of Emo of Friesland, the first known overseas student, set in motion the University’s tradition of international scholarly links.
Professor Louise Richardson
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
Oxford now has its first woman Vice-Chancellor since the post was created nearly 800 years ago in Louise Richardson, who came to Oxford from her post as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. She succeeds Professor Andrew Hamilton who has been a good friend of the Europaeum. “Oxford is one of the world’s great universities. I feel enormously privileged to be given the opportunity to lead this remarkable institution during an exciting time for higher education,” she says.
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Universiteit Leiden
Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. It was founded in February 1575, as a gift from William of Orange to the citizens of Leiden after they had withstood a long siege by the Spanish. It was the first university in the Netherlands to practise freedom of belief and religion, as reflected in the university’s motto, praesidium libertatis, Bastion of Liberty. It was this atmosphere of freedom of speech that provided the right environment for philosophers such as Spinoza and Descartes to develop their ideas.
Professor Carel Stolker
Rector Magnificus Universiteit Leiden
Professor Carel J.J.M. Stolker became Rector Magnificus and President of Leiden University with effect from February 2013. He succeeded Paul F. van der Heijden.
Alma Mater Studiorum – Universitá di Bologna
The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest university in Western Europe. It has a Multicampus structure, with campuses in Bologna and the Romagna region – Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini, and permanent headquarter in Buenos Aires since 1998. The Alma Mater holds first place among Italian Universities in terms of the number of students abroad and the quantity of funding received under Erasmus+ and is among the top 5 universities in Europe in terms of number of exchange students. It ranks among the top universities in Europe for funding for competitive research.
Professor Francesco Ubertini
Rector
After a PhD in Mechanics of Structures at the University of Bologna, a post-doc study grant and a research fellowship, he became university researcher in Construction Sciences at the then-Faculty of Engineering and, from 2001 to 2007, associate professor. In 2007 he became a full professor of Mechanics of Solids and Structures at the University of Bologna.
Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
The name Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne is derived from the Collège de Sorbonne, founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon as one of the first significant colleges of the medieval University of Paris. The university as such predates the college by about a century, and minor colleges had been founded already in the late 12th century. The Collège de Sorbonne was suppressed during the French revolution, reopened by Napoleon in 1808 and finally closed in 1882. This was only one of the many colleges of the University of Paris that existed until the French revolution.
Professor Georges Haddad
Président de l’Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Professor Georges Haddad replaced Philippe Boutry as the next President of the Paris 1 Sorbonne University, 22 years on since he last held this august post. Professor Haddad specialises in Mathematics, starting his academic career at the University of Tours in 1975, before joining Paris I as a lecturer.
Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies is one of the world’s leading centres of teaching and research which focuses on international relations and development issues. The Institute has a long/standing reputation of excellence and shares strong ties with the international and non-governmental organisations in Geneva as well as being home to a diverse and vibrant group of students and faculty from all over the world.
Professor Philippe Burrin
Director of the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI)
Professor Philippe Burrin became director of the Graduate Institute of International Studies (HEI) in 2004. He earned a PhD in International Relations from the HEI.
Univerzita Karlova, Prague
A Czech and Roman king Charles IV founded the Prague university by a deed of foundation on April 7, 1348 as a first university (studium generale) to the north of the Alps and to the east of Paris. The Charles University belongs to old European universities. It followed the example of the Bolognese and the Parisian universities and in a short time became internationally famous.
Professor Tomáš Zima
Rector of Charles University
Professor Tomáš Zima was elected Rector of Charles University in 2013 and began his appointment in February 2014, taking over from Vaclav Hampl. He graduated in medicine from Charles University in 1990, and went on to work in a Nephrology and Dialysis Department in Prague.
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) is a public research university located in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world (founded in 1499 by Cardenal Cisneros, as Universitas Complutensis). It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of Pozuelo de Alarcón.
Professor Joaquín Goyache Goñi
Rector of the Complutense University of Madrid
Professor Goyache was appointed as rector of Complutense University of Madrid in 2019. He is Professor of Animal Health, and he previously held positions at UCM as Vice-Dean of Students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dean of the same Faculty, Director of the Summer Courses, Vice-Rector of Organization and Vice-rector of Postgraduate and Continuing Education.
Helsingin Yliopisto
As the University of Helsinki was founded in 1640 by Queen Christina of Sweden (1626–1689) in Turku, as the Royal Academy of Turku, the senior part of the school formed the core of the new university, while the junior year courses formed a grammar school. It was the third university founded in the Swedish Empire, following Uppsala University and the Academia Gustaviana in Dorpat (predecessor to the University of Tartu in Estonia).
Professor Jari Niemelä
Rector of the University of Helsinki
Professor Niemelä was appointment as rector at Helsinki University in 2018. Previously he was director of the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science HELSUS.
Uniwersytet Jagiellonski
Founded in 1364 by Casimir the Great, the Jagiellonian is oldest university in Poland and the second oldest in Central Europe. It continuously ranks among the top universities in Emerging Europe and Central Asia, and has been home to many notable figures including Copernicus. The original manuscript of his De Revolutionibus is still kept in the Jagiellonian library. The university is divided into 15 faculties and is academic home to over 50,000 students, more than half of which are women.
Professor Wojciech Nowak
Rector of the Jagiellonian University
Professor Wojciech Nowak was elected Rector of the Jagiellonian University, Kraków in September 2012. He received his doctorate from the Academy of Medicine, Kraków in 1982, and has authored, or co-authored, over 133 publications and three monographs.
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) is a modern public university, established in 1990 and located in three neighbouring campuses in the city centre of Barcelona. UPF was founded to develop a new university model in Catalonia and Spain, noted for quality teaching, proximity to the students, a high level of internationalisation and emphasis on research and innovation. All its indicators have made it a benchmark for the Spanish university system.
Professor Jaume Casals
Rector of the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) Barcelona
Jaume Casals is Professor of Philosophy at the Humanities Department of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and a senior fellow of the Institute for Catalan Studies (Institut d’Estudis Catalans). He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy (UAB, 1984).
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
The University was founded in 1472 in Ingolstadt, and has moved cities twice since then. Today, LMU Munich has matured into one of the world’s leading international universities. The university in Ingolstadt began with four faculties: the Faculty of Arts, the completion of which qualified a student for the other three faculties: medicine, jurisprudence, or theology.
Professor Dr. Bernd Huber
President of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München
Professor Dr. Bernd Huber has been the President of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München since 2002, and he is Professor of Public Finance. He holds a degree in economics from the University of Gießen (1984) and received his doctoral degree in politics from the University of Würzburg (1988) and his habilitation in Würzburg in 1994. He was then appointed Chair in Public Finance at LMU München, then Dean of the Faculty, before being elected President.
University of St Andrews
Founded around 1413 by a group of Augustinian clergy, St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is also ranked the top university in Scotland, and third behind Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, in recent leading league tables. A member of the association of leading European universities since June 2017, it is one of the newer partners within the Europaeum, signaling St Andrew’s commitment to remaining a highly connected global university.
Professor Sally Mapstone
Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
Professor Sally Mapstone is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. She was previously Professor of Older Scots Literature at Oxford, where she also served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Personnel (2009-11) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education (2011-16).
University of Luxembourg
Founded in 2003, the University of Luxembourg is the only public university of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Multilingual, international and research-oriented, it is also a modern institution with a personal atmosphere, close to European institutions, innovative companies and the financial centre. It consists of three faculties, three interdisciplinary centres and is spread out over three physical sites.
Professor Stéphane Pallage
President
Professor Pallage grew up in Malmedy, Belgium, and holds Belgian and Canadian citizenship. Having embarked on his academic career at the University of Liège, he earned a Master’s degree in Industrial Administration (Finance) and a Ph.D. in economic sciences from Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh, USA.
Catholic University of Portugal
As a leading research university, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) contributes to the strengthening of society by producing life-changing science, educated citizens and forward-looking entrepreneurs. Over the past 50 years Universidade Católica Portuguesa has drawn on the great tradition of Catholic universities to develop an internationally minded transformational education and research model. UCP boast amongst their alumni a Nobel Prizer winner, several of the world’s top CEO’s and political leaders, renowned scientists, Church leaders and social entrepreneurs. They are world leaders representing the quality our education and inspired by their alma mater’s determination in the pursuit of ethically driven, creative and innovative solutions .
Isabel Capeloa Gil
Rector
Professor Gil is a full professor of Culture Studies, and holds a PhD in German Language and Culture. She was a founder of The Lisbon Consortium network and leads the International Doctoral Degree Program in Culture Studies. She is also a senior researcher and founder of the Research Centre for Communication and Culture.
Freie Universität Berlin
Founded in the year 1948 in what was then West-Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin (FUB) today is one of the biggest and most renowned research institutions in Germany with more than 32,000 students and 4,000 doctoral students. Its already strong academic reputation and excellence has been further expanded since 2007: within the German Excellence Initiative, FUB was one of the select few institutions awarded for both its research clusters and its strategic concept as the “International Network University”. Freie Universität Berlin has established a global network of liaison offices in seven countries and works intensively with strong academic partners across the globe. With over a third of its doctoral students coming from abroad and more than 600 international visiting scholars per year, Freie Universität is one of the most internationally recognized German research institutions.
Univ.-Prof. Dr Günter M. Ziegler
President
Dr Ziegler became president of FU Berlin in 2018 after holding a position in maths at the Technical University Berlin and at FU Berlin for many years. In 2006 he was involved in founding a graduate school for maths, connecting the three Berlin Universities
KU Leuven
KU Leuven will celebrate its 600th anniversary in 2025, making it one of Europe’s oldest universities. A little over a century after it was founded, the University accommodated about 2,000 students, of whom more than 200 came from abroad, and Desiderius Erasmus is one of their famous alumni. Today, KU Leuven accommodates 50,000 students, spread across the various campuses in Leuven and elsewhere in Flanders. The University and University Hospitals Leuven each employ almost 10,000 people. For research, KU Leuven ranks among the world’s finest. KU Leuven has become a cosmopolitan institution in a rapidly changing urban environment. Its unique profile reconciles cutting-edge science with quality of life and openness to talent.
Professor Luc Sels
Rector
Professor Sels is an alumnus of KU Leuven where he received his doctorate degree in Sociology in 1995. He is a representative of the Federal Ministry of Employment and is Director of the Policy Research Centre for Work and Social Economy, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Research Institute for Work and Society (HIVA)
University of Copenhagen
Founded in 1479 by the Danish king Christian 1, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) is not only Denmark’s oldest university, but also one of the oldest in Northern Europe. Today UCPH is a
leading European university that is distinguished for its diversity in academic environment and scientific approaches. With its 5,000 researchers and 39,000 students, the University boasts an international research and study environment and is highly ranked on the leading ranking lists of the world’s best universities. Nine Nobel Prizes have been awarded to researchers at the University.
Professor Dr Henrik Caspar Wegener
Rector
Henrik C. Wegener has been rector at the University of Copenhagen since March 2017. He is an expert on food safety, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and emerging infectious diseases. He has served as advisor to national and international authorities and governments, international organizations and private companies, and universities and research foundations, and he has served, and is presently serving, on several national and international committees and boards on food safety, veterinary public health, and research policy.
Central European University, Budapest
In solidarity with the difficulties the Central European University (Budapest) is currently facing, we are listing this institution on a short term basis, not as a member, but to show our support through a special relationship.