ALLOCUTION DE MONSIEUR CLAUDE GODBOUT, RECTEUR PAR INTÉRIM DE L'UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL À LA SOIRÉE INAUGURALE DU COLLOQUE : " GLOBALISATION : QUELS ENJEUX POUR LES UNIVERSITÉS? " HÔTEL PALACE ROYAL, QUÉBEC,
le 18 septembre 2002

Monsieur le Président de l'Association internationale des universités,
Messieurs les recteurs, Présidents et Chanceliers,
Monsieur le Directeur du Bureau international de l'Université Laval,
Très distingués participants à ce colloque,
Chers amis, dear friends,

L'Université Laval est extrêmement heureuse d'accueillir ce colloque dont le thème est " Globalisation : quels enjeux pour les universités ? ". Je veux remercier d'une part, le Bureau international de l'Université Laval, son directeur Gilles Breton et tous ses collaborateurs et collaboratrices, de leur travail incessant pour permettre la réalisation de cet événement important à plus d'un titre, et d'autre part l'Association Internationale des Universités, son président le Professeur Hans van Ginkel et sa Secrétaire générale, Madame Eva Egron-Polak qui ont - dès le départ - soutenu le projet en venant tenir leur conseil d'administration sur notre campus les 17 et 18 septembre.

The present meeting is indeed a very important one, and for many reasons. As a matter of fact, globalisation has become a very loaded word, and it is also a complex reality, not well understood. We all know the realities behind the phenomenon called globalisation. These realities are more open frontiers, freer trade, freer movement of people, of goods and services all over the planet, instant communications, and so on. At the same time, we are discovering that globalisation is not a panacea, a magical remedy to inequalities in the world between developed countries like ours, and developing countries.

Too many people, societies and countries feel that they are not part or beneficiaries of this global movement. Many, also, believe that this globalisation movement goes against human values that should be at the real core of the progress of humanity. In consequence, they protest more and more against everything that, in their mind, is linked to globalisation, be it the World Trade Organization meetings or all the summits that have become the norm of conduct in international relations in the last decades.

These protestations are healthy in a democratic society. The phenomenon of globalisation is, relatively speaking, a new one in our world. Its effects are not so obvious that they should be exempted from a critical examination. In this sense, globalisation and its effects must be studied and researched. By getting into this research, intellectuals and academics everywhere are providing a most useful and essential service not only to governments, but to the society as a whole.

However, to make this research and study happen, interested and learned people must meet and talk not only in international forums, but also on university campuses, where academic liberty and freedom of expression are the historic norm and must prevail at all times.

In an address to the American Congress in the early days of 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt said, and I quote: " In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. " End of quotation.

Dans la même veine, les auteurs de la Déclaration de Glion affirmaient en 1998, et je cite : " À l'intention de l'université, nous l'invitons à faire preuve d'audace créatrice et de responsabilité dans la liberté dont elle jouit. " Fin de la citation.

To conclude these few words, I am extremely happy to welcome you all in Québec City and on the Université Laval campus, where we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our university Charter, and the 340th year since the establishment of our institution of origins, the Seminary of Québec. I do hope that the discussions of the next two days will be fruitful, and will help us all better understand the impact of globalisation on our institutions of learning.

Ce travail de réflexion sur un enjeu aussi majeur est nécessaire. Merci à vous tous d'avoir accepté notre invitation à le poursuivre ici, à Québec.

Je vous remercie.