Professor Benediktas Juodka has been elected as Rector of Vilnius University in 2002. He is member of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences as well as member of European Academy of arts, science and humanities. Prof. Juodka has been twice awarded the Lithuanian State awards in Science as well as many other local and international awards.

Prof. Juodka was born on January 13, 1943 in Utena, Lithuania. In 1963 he graduated from Vilnius University, Lithuania. He defended his Doctoral thesis in 1968, and subsequently, in 1981, qualified for Doctor Habilitatus from Moscow State University, Russia, in the area of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Biology specializing in Chemistry and Biochemistry of Nucleic acids and Nucleic acids – Proteins complexes. From 1968-1971 he was teaching at Vilnius University and from 1971-2002 held the position of Head of Biochemistry and Biophysics Department at the same university. From 1991 to 2001 he was Prorector for Research at Vilnius University and at the same time held the post of the President of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (1992-2002). He has been visiting scholar at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences (Prague, Czechoslovakia), Northwestern University and University of Illinois (USA), Debrecen University (Hungary), University of Frankfurt on Main (Germany) and Germany Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg.

Email: rector@vu.lt  

“It is a great pleasure and honour to contribute to the conference dedicated to the anniversary celebrations of the closest neighbour, rival, partner and friend of Vilnius University. For 90 years since the establishment of University of Latvia both University of Latvia and its “elder brother”, University of Vilnius, have struggled to open wide their doors to staff and students allowing them to get wider view of the world. The memory of a University is much longer than that of the people working in it. The ideas, common projects and friendly support shared by the two universities on the Baltic Sea coast will leave an impact for many future generations to come.

The University of Vilnius and its academic community wishes the University of Latvia prosperity and all the best in the future endeavors and would like to preserve the special place of a friend it has managed to maintain during the years of the long-standing cooperation.”

UNIVERSITIES IN LITHUANIA: QUA VADIS?

The University of Latvia is not the only one in the Baltic States that celebrates its anniversary this year. 430 years ago Stephan Bathory, the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland has signed the privilege which transformed the college of Vilnius into the University of Vilnius. The University of Vilnius became the university furthest in the East. Despite some breaks in its activities the University of Vilnius have played a very important role in the life and culture of Lithuania and Eastern European region for 430 years. So, a modest role of the state university depended on historical period, mission of the University, its standing, and the needs of the state. Even during the Soviet times the only university that played a significant role in the occupied state was Vilnius University. As centuries before, it retained its importance not only as the sanctuary for culture and science but also as an island of liberty in the Sea of Soviet Empire. This island has preserved its right to teach in Lithuanian language, it has nurtured and sustained the free spirit. A lot of intellectuals of my country maintain that aura of rebirth of Lithuania could already be felt in 1979 when Vilnius university has celebrated its 400 anniversary.

What does the University of Today mean in a small state, city, region? In general, it spells the concentration of youth, energy, light, and culture of young and energetic people. We speak so much of Europe of knowledge and society of knowledge. Would they be possible without the universities that create and spread knowledge? Of course, not! Therefore, the process of globalization cannot affect the national universities and obstruct their role as the intellectual centres of a nation. Globalization in the intellectual domain means sharing “brains” and experience. Instead of base competition, globalization should also mean tight coordination of activities and cooperation. To my regret the greater danger than globalization is the lack of clear science and study policy in Lithuania. The cumbersome system of science and studies: 50 institutions of higher education and 35 research institutes seem to be an excess. My presentation will deal with possibilities to optimize this system.