What if universities were not just places where people acquire knowledge and prepare for careers, but powerful catalysts for transforming society and shaping a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world? How can universities adjust to the new times, move beyond traditional approaches to learning and become more powerful forces for social transformation?
In this new episode of the Earth Charter Podcast, Earth Charter International Executive Director Mirian Vilela speaks with Francisco Marmolejo about the changing landscape of higher education. The conversation explores the internationalization of higher education, the role of universities as drivers of social transformation, and the knowledge, skills, and values that students should develop throughout their higher education experience. It also examines the role of artificial intelligence in how we learn and how the Earth Charter principles might inform the purpose, culture, and practices of higher education.
“I truly believe that what the universities can do is to develop the curiosity of the students, to continue learning for the rest of their life, and also to develop in their students the level of consciousness about the world in which they will live, and that they are stewards of the world in which we are going to be living in the future.” Francisco Marmolejo
Francisco Marmolejo is an internationally recognized leader in higher education who has worked extensively on international cooperation, higher education policy, and institutional development in diverse contexts. Since 2020, he has served as President of Higher Education at Qatar Foundation, where he leads, supports, and coordinates activities across a unique ecosystem of eight prestigious universities offering more than 70 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to students from 60 countries. These universities are located in Qatar Foundation’s Education City in Doha, Qatar, one of the world’s leading hubs for higher education.
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