Future Universities as Activating Resonance Spaces. New Roles in Society—Innovative Approaches

This paper draws on more than five years of intensive debates and explorations with a large number of active and engaged citizens and scholars, teachers, students, staff and university leaders. It will sketch emerging pictures and patterns of the new role of universities as an Activating Resonance Space addressing future societal challenges—beyond teaching and research focused on an industrialized and business-driven world. Based on more than 15 years of engagement in community service learning as a participative and empowering approach of Project-Based Learning and teaching, the paper proposes important steps toward an institutionalization of transformative learning and teaching, which will address current and future societal challenges.