Future of Higher Education

The 1^st of March is World Futures Day, and this was the eleventh time that the world’s futurists and the general public have come together to engage in a global conversation about the possibilities for our shared future. The round-the-world event, organized by the Millennium Project, the Association of Professional Futurists (APF), Humanity+, the Lifeboat Foundation, the World Academy of Art and Science, and the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF), offered a wide variety of programs, presentations, and discussions. It started at noon in New Zealand (local time) and moved westward hour by hour, ending 24 hours later in Hawaii. The public was invited to drop in anytime to listen, share ideas, and discuss how to create a better tomorrow with futurists, thought leaders, and engaged citizens worldwide.

In parallel, a side event called World Futures Day – Young Voices was co-organized on the same day by Teach The Future in collaboration with The Millennium Project and other partners, to make sure that young people have been also included in a global conversation about our futures. Each session had (at least) one organizer over 25 and one under 25.

Tamás Gáspár, PhD., Associate Professor at the Department of International Economics, Faculty of Foreign Trade, BBU and Leader of the Research Stream of the Centre of Excellence for Future Value Chains, and Ildikó Dén-Nagy, PhD., Research Fellow at the Faculty of Finance and Accounting, BBU, Department of Leadership and Human Resource Development, and member of the Future of Higher Education Research Centre (FHERC), were also involved in a program initiated by the Hungarian hub of Teach the Future, which was launched in 2024. Helga Veigl, WFSF board member, a futurist from Hyperfutures BV, Amsterdam, and Bernadett Szél, PhD., economist and futurist, the other co-founders of the Hungarian hub of Teach The Future also designed and participated in the session. Their program, Playing is not a plaything started with a simulation video, in which the current members of the Hungarian hub raised awareness of the importance of sustainability and the fight against climate change, and then the facilitators welcomed the participants from all over the world with a future-focused warm-up game.  A photographic interactive presentation on the development experiences of future skills in preschool and primary school followed, which was a valuable and inspiring experience for many.  This section was followed by a presentation by Diya Loka, a successful young Indian social entrepreneur, an NGFP Young Voices winner, and WFSF UNESCO panelist, who spoke in a captivating way about how she is working on a better and more sustainable future as a student in her own community. The program ended with a joint discussion on shaping the future orientation of young people and different age groups, and the importance of environmental awareness. This time slot in the virtual auditorium was attended by more than 30 people from all over the world, futurologists, and participants from Malaysia, London, Madrid, Helsinki, Barcelona, Berlin, Dubai, India, Pakistan, and other countries.