The University Foundation organizes lots of activities for the members of the Club. Below you can see short reviews of some past activities. A more complete list can be seen on the French or Dutch web pages.
The members of th Club of the University Foundation were invited to the New Year's reception on Thursday 25 January 2024.
On this occasiob professor em. Marc Boone (UGent) annd professor Catherine Lanneau (ULiège) gave a talk on th painting hanging in the Foundation near the entrance of the restaurant.
As in previous years the University Foundation participated in the activities of the "Heritage Days" of the Brussels-Capital Region. For this year's Heritage Days, the Brussels-Capital Region reached out to all citizens and institutions wishing to share the wealth and cultural diversity of the city’s spectacular heritage. The central theme was "Meeting Points". The premises of the University Foundation could be visited, as well as 140 other locations. For more information visit the website heritagedays.urban.brussels..
The members of the Club van de University Foundation were cordially invited to the New Years Cocktail on Thursday January 30, 2020, at 5.30 pm.
During the reception Prof. Barabara Baert, professor KU Leuven and laureate of the Francqui Prize 2016 gave a short talk on "The interval of the time. Kairos and the force of the ocaasion."
The book "The Global Village" with the essays resulting from the debates organized to honour the former Executive Directot, Prof. Louis Baeck, was presented by Prof. Dirk Heremans.
Lunch-debate with prof. Dr. Steven Van Hecke (KU Leuven) and prof. Dr. Mario Télo (ULB).
Introductory talks in English, discussion E/F/N.
Moderator prof. Laurent Van Depoele.
Debate on
GLOBAL FINANCE
(part of the lecture cycle "Traveling with Prof. Louis Baeck in the global village",
organized in cooperation with Prof. Dirk Heremans.)
Thursday November 15, 2018 at 4.30 pm
(related to the publication by L.Baeck: "De financiële systeemcrisis in geopolitiek perspectief", 2009).
moderator: Dirk Heremans
keynote speaker:Peter Praet : “Monetary Policy and Financial Stability”
panel members: Paul De Grauwe and Cynthia Van Hulle
Debate followed by a walking cocktail.
In view of the international character of the topic and possible participants the debate is organized in English.
Sketch of the topic:
Global Finance
What future for banks and sustainable global finance?
The debate will focus on financial crises, bank reform and the future of global finance;
- Is sustainable financial stability within reach or are we sleepwalking to the next financial crisis?
- Can actual inflation (and business cycle) oriented monetary policy by the ECB be better geared to financial stability?
- And can worldwide monetary arrangements (on exchange rate stability) avoid currency wars and destabilizing capital flows?
- Do we return to the crisis-prone “exuberant financialisation “ of the economy or stop the dominance of this Anglo-Saxon financial capitalism (Wall street, City London)?
- Are Fin-Tech innovations in the digital age to become game changers presenting new opportunities or new instability for bank business models.?
Debate on
Migration, population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and development cooperation
(part of the lecture cycle "Traveling with Prof. Louis Baeck in the global village",
organized in cooperation with Prof. Dirk Heremans.)
The debate focusses on migration from Sub-Saharan Africa to Western Europe and on its demographic and economic background. How can we explain this background and what are the (alarming) prospects for the future? Would sustainable economic growth contribute to a slow-down of emigration? And can development aid contribute to the acceleration of economic growth? Does immigration apart from costs also result in benefits for Western Europe? And in how far can emigration contribute to the development of Sub-Saharan Africa?
Keynote speaker: Mustapha Nabli, professor emeritus Development Economics, CEO North Africa Bureau of Economic Studies International, former Director World Bank, former Minister of Economic Development and Governor Central Bank of Tunisia, former Presidential Candidate Tunisia
Chair: Lode Berlage, professor emeritus development economics, KU Leuven
Panel:
Jean-Philippe Platteau, professor emeritus development economics, Université de Namur, author of «Islam Instrumentalized » (2017)
Stephan Parmentier, professor of sociology of crime, law and human rights, KU Leuven
Marijke Verpoorten, professor Development Economics, University of Antwerp.
Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2018, 4:30 – 6.30 PM.
Belgium, a utopia for our times ?
University Foundation, Thursday 21 June 2018, 2-6pm
16th public event of the Re-Bel initiative
coordinated by Paul DE GRAUWE
A critical discussion of
Belgium. Une utopie pour notre temps (L’ Académie en Poche, Bruxelles, juin 2018),
Belgium. Een utopie voor onze tijd (Polis, Antwerpen, juni 2018),
by Philippe VAN PARIJS.
Part I: Selective presentation of the various chapters
Bea CANTILLON (UA)
Estelle CANTILLON (ULB)
Paul DE GRAUWE (LSE)
Bruno DE WEVER (UGent)
François MANIQUET (UCLouvain)
Erik SCHOKKAERT (KU Leuven)
members of Re-Bel’s core group
Part II: Critical comments
Edouard DELRUELLE (ULg)
Jean-Benoit PILET (ULB)
Herman VAN GOETHEM (UA)
Els WITTE (VUB)
Response
Philippe VAN PARIJS (UCLouvain & KU Leuven)
Wedenesday 21 March 2018 at 12.30 pm.: Lunch debate "Thirty years student mobility in Europe, thanks to ERASMUS" ( in English) with Mrs Sophia Eriksson,director for Youth, Education and Erasmus+ at the European Commission,and Professor Dr. Jan De Groof, professor College of Europe and Tiburg University.
The key element of the lunch debate concerns the higher education policy in the EU. A dynamic mobilisation of education is required to build a more united, inclusive, prosperous and democratic Europe. Which role can the EU play ? Will the necessary financial means be allocated to this policy ?
Erasmus (since 1987) has contributed, through student exchange programs, to a better understanding of the European Union, its history and diversity and to a raising awareness on the rights granted by European citizenship. Can Erasmus, as part of the higher education policy in the EU, become a homogenizing system in an ethnically and culturally diversified student population ?
These questions are equally important in the context of the ongoing financial discussions on the multi-annual budget 2021-2027 as well as in the Brexit negotiations.
Lunch-debate on November 9, 2016, with an indroductory talk by M. Jonatahan Faull, Director-General of the European Commission's Task Force for Strategic Issues related to the UK Referendum.
The speaker:
Jonathan Faull joined the European Commission in 1978, becoming Director for Competition Policy at the Directorate-General for Competition in 1995, Deputy Director-General in 1995 and Spokesman and Director-General of Press and Communication in 1999. After that he has held positions as Director-General of Justice and Home Affairs (later Justice, Freedom and Security) and Director-General of Internal Market and Services (later Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union). September 2015, he was appointed Director-General in the Secretariat-General entrusted with the special mission, on behalf of President Juncker, to chair the "Task Force for Strategic Issues related to the UK Referendum. Jonathan Fault studied law at the University of Sussex and has an MA from the College of Europe in Bruges.
The debate was introduced by Paul DUJARDIN, General Director of Bozar (in Dutch).
Bozar has shown a remarkable growth as a culture house. It now employs about 400 staff members. It continues ambitious investment plans. Its activities are much broader than pure fine arts. Despite its vicinity to the Brussel Grand Place, Bozar does not contribute to its liveliness, nor to that of the Sablon. Other city quarters organize related projects. Paul Dujrdin is aware of the challenges which Bozar faces and presented his viesw on the place of Bozar in Brussels and Belgium of tomorrow.