Are Universities Transformative Social Actors?

For the eighth episode of the Transform4Europe podcast “Reach Out” series, Nina Tsvetkova, professor from the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, and Viktoria Lekova, PhD candidate, explore universities’ soft power in the modern world.

Titled “The University: the transformative social actor?”, the episodes focus on the soft power and transformational impact of universities.

“Because we do believe that universities and education alone can transform people’s lives and transform the social reality”, not just through education, but also ideas and critical thinking, highlights Viktoria Lekova.

Also, according to the guest-speaker, Nina Tsvetkova, universities “should be seen as an important driver of change”.

To give concrete examples of this modern academic diplomacy, the speakers present various Transform4Europe activities that bring together staff, researchers, academics and students, such as T4EU weeks, Bootcamps, or T4EU Labs.

This episode aims to remind the audience that in spite of the prevailing perception that the universities are first and foremost educational centres, they also have social responsibility and social purpose.

The universities influence both the society and the individuals in an invisible way, therefore they are a soft power instrument, is the message conveyed by the discussants.