EUA suspends membership of 14 Russian universities

 

Following a Russian Union of Rectors (RUR)’s statement which supports the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the European University Association (EUA) Board has taken the decision to suspend the membership of those universities whose leaders have signed this statement.

This, as EUA reports, as it is “diametrically opposed to the European values that they committed to when joining EUA. These 12 universities will remain suspended from EUA until such time as they are once again compliant with European values”.

As set out in its recent Statement on Ukraine, EUA condemns the aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. It advises member universities to ensure on a case-by-case basis that the continuation of education and research collaborations with Russian academics remains appropriate at this time, using national and European-level policy guidance to assess this – recognising that many partnerships are based on peer-to-peer relationships and that many Russian academics have spoken out against this invasion, at significant personal risk.

The leaders of two other Russian universities from EUA’s membership have indicated their support for the Russian Union of Rectors’ statement. The EUA Board suspended their membership on 22 March, bringing the total number of suspended EUA members in the Russian Federation to 14.

Will this provision affect the yearly intake of Russian students by Italian HEIs? The Russian Federation is the 12th global sender of tertiary education students to Italy, with 378 freshers matriculated in A.Y. 2019/2020. Though it is yet early to see if there will be any trouble with the intake, sure some Italian HEIs are already starting to diversify their options.

 

Photo credits: Times Higher Education