On Wednesday 19 March, an open Senate meeting was held in the Great Hall of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), where candidates for the position of VMU rector were introduced.
The video of the meeting is available on VMU’s YouTube channel.
„We live in a challenging period for global democracy. The world is full of wars, distrust, unnecessary tensions, and doubts. It is certain that our university will also face significant challenges that we must overcome together. The bar has always been set high for university leaders, and the coming times will be no exception,” said the Senate Chairman, Dean of the VMU Music Academy, Prof. Dr. Saulius Gerulis, as he opened the meeting.
During the session, candidates for the position of VMU rector introduced themselves and answered questions from the university community and the public. The candidates included: Prof. Dr. Ineta Dabašinskienė, Prof. Dr. Julija Kiršienė, Prof. Dr. Ričardas Krikštolaitis, Prof. Dr. Tomas Krilavičius, and Prof. Habil. Dr. Audrius Sigitas Maruška.
„I feel at home at VMU, therefore, I want to strengthen this home. I believe that tomorrow’s VMU will not only be a place for knowledge creation, development, innovation, and high-quality university studies but also an active center for civic society and a hub for public education,” said Prof. Dr. Ineta Dabašinskienė, head of the Intercultural Communication and Multilingualism Research Centre, institutional coordinator of the Transform4Europe Alliance (T4EU), and professor at the Department of Lithuanian Studies.
According to the candidate, a vision can be transformed into decisive action through intellectual courage, empathy, vision, creativity, a foundation of traditions, and the power of innovation.
Prof. Dr. Julija Kiršienė, professor at the VMU Department of Private Law and Vice-Rector for Research, presented her program, emphasizing that VMU’s foundation and DNA are based on liberal arts (artes liberales), which are supported by four pillars: Community, Nexus, Studies, and Science, all under the roof of Institutional Culture.
„Other universities also offer studies, conduct research, and face similar challenges, but the people of VMU have a sense of authenticity, a feeling of freedom, community spirit, and distinctiveness—that is what makes us VMU. That is artes liberales,” the professor stated.
Prof. Ričardas Krikštolaitis, head of the VMU Department of Mathematics and Statistics and former Senate chairman, presented his five-year program, emphasizing the importance of change.
„We are currently in a time and space where trust and vulnerability, silence and activism merge into interwoven perspectives. The only thing separating opportunity from threat in those perspectives is necessity, courage, and the ability to act without fear of risk—to be proactive rather than reactive participants in change,” he said.
The topic of change was also highlighted by Prof. Tomas Krilavičius, Dean of the VMU Faculty of Informatics and professor at the Department of Applied Informatics, who spoke about his vision for a 21st-century university. „We must recognize what is happening around us and act efficiently. Several key components stand out here: the university’s openness to contemporary challenges, the artes liberales freedom while remaining experts in our fields, and leadership in integrating traditions with new forms and methods,” the candidate stated.
The final candidate to introduce himself was academician Prof. Habil. Dr. Audrius Sigitas Maruška, a doctor of physical sciences. „This is truly a celebration—to have so many candidates to choose from; it is a significant event in the life of the university,” the candidate remarked.
Pranešimą paskelbė: Martynas Gedvila, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas
