November 27-28, 2025. San Servolo Island
Human history has always alternated between slow, steady progress and sudden leaps that have redefined entire civilizations. Wars, epidemics, discoveries, and innovations have sparked rapid transformations in culture, knowledge, and society.
Today, transitions are no longer rare: they occur with increasing speed and complexity, shaping multiple stages of our lives and creating a new condition of constant change. Their unpredictability challenges our capacity to guide them toward positive outcomes, making it more urgent than ever to study, understand, and actively shape the transitions of our time.
VIU’s international conference, Guiding Transitions, opens a forum for reflection and case-based analysis, exploring how Higher Education Institutions can equip students with the skills and competencies to navigate these changes.
The Conference is open to scholars working on these topics, higher education experts and practitioners, both from member institutions of Venice International University, and beyond, encouraging a collaborative exploration of today’s most pressing transitions.
Conference Program
Thursday, November 27
13.30 Registration
Inauguration of the 30th Anniversary Celebrations
14.00 Institutional Greetings and Introductory Remarks
Ambassador Vattani, President of Venice International University
Prof. Avv. Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research (tbc)
Former Deans of VIU: Prof. Paolo Costa, Prof. Ignazio Musu, Prof. Stefano Micelli, Prof. Agar Brugiavini, Prof. Carlo Giupponi.
1
14.30 | Introduction to the Conference by the Steering Committee:
Carmelo Marabello, Dean, Venice International University
Eileen Sweeney, Boston College
Alessio Cotugno, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Mario Martina, IUSS Pavia
Cem Guneri, Sabancı University
Laurent Servant, University of Bordeaux
Maji Rhee, Waseda University
15.00-16.15 | Session 1
Transition in Higher Education and Artificial Intelligence
Chair: Riccardo Pietrabissa, IUSS Pavia
Keynote:
AI and Society - The Dilemmas of AI in Higher Education - Luc Steels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Emeritus)
AI Frontiers - Navigating the AI Horizon: Promises, Perils, and the Power of Collaboration - Ece Kamar, Sabanci University
Open Discussion
16.15 Coffee Break
16.45-17.30 | Session 2
Structural Inequalities Within and Across Societies
Chair: Marina Calloni, University of Milano Bicocca
Keynote:
Children’s Rights - Manfred Nowak, Global Campus of Human Rights
Social Justice - C. Shawn McGuffey, Boston College
Open Discussion
19.30 30th Anniversary Alumni & Friends of VIU Dinner
with music performed by UNIPD Big Band, the Jazz Orchestra of the University of Padova
Tickets are complimentary for conference attendees.
Friday, November 28
9.15-10.45 | Session 3
Ecology and the Environment
Chair: Shuming Liu, Tsinghua University
Keynote:
Environmental and Energy Transition - Environmental Transition in the European Union - Simone Borghesi, University of Siena
Sustainability Transition - A Relational Agenda for Just Social-Ecological Transitions - Rika Preiser, Stellenbosch University
Open Discussion
10.30 Coffee Break
11.00-13.00 | Session 4
Cities in Transition
Chair: Laurent Servant, University of Bordeaux
Keynote:
Urban Transition and Resilience – Nicola Tollin, UNESCO Chair on Urban Resilience, University of Southern Denmark
Rising Seas, Fading Plans? Rethinking Transition in Coastal Cities – Francesco Musco, Università Iuav di Venezia and CORILA
Open Discussion
Conference Closing Remarks
Antonio Marcomini, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Bernd Huber, LMU Munich
Caroline Levander, Rice University
Riccardo Pietrabissa, IUSS Pavia
Giovanni Zanalda, Duke University
Lucia Visconti Parisio, University of Milano Bicocca
Norimasa Morita, Waseda University
Moderated by Riccardo Pietrabissa, IUSS Pavia
13:00 Lunch
14.30-15.30
Conversation on Energy, Environment and the Sea
Moderated by Amb. Umberto Vattani, VIU President
Prof. Dott. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italian Minister for the Environment and Energy Security
Prof. David Burigana, University of Padua
Sen. Nello Musumeci, Italian Minister for Civil Protection and Marine Policies
Prof. Andrea Rinaldo, President, Veneto Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts
Prof. Fabrizio Marrella, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Moderated by Ambassador Umberto Vattani, VIU President
