Globalization versus the Universal Role of the University

The history of the Salzburg Seminar is evoked, particularly its tradition of accommodating scholars from diverse backgrounds and of enabling them to interact fruitfully together. Next, the perceived disruptiveness of globalization is cited but with the suggestion that the universalism implied in it dovetails nicely with the traditional universalism of the university. In fact, the university is situated to contribute to the humanization of globalization while profiting greatly from its many positive aspects, particularly the major role to be played by the information technologies. The latter combined with skilled academic governance and the universal role of the university will give rise to a ''win‐win'' situation.