Alma Mater Europaea from Maribor is bringing a clear message to Graz: the future of European universities lies in cooperation, not in borders. At the Medical University of Graz, Rector of Alma Mater Europaea Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barbara Toplak Perović, Dean of the ECM Faculty, contributed to the substantive dialogue within the framework of European University Bridges. On this occasion, the connection between Maribor and Graz also gained a lasting symbol – a sculpture dedicated to women in the European public sphere.
The European University Bridges initiative connects universities, cities, and people through science, culture, and art. At its core is the idea of the university as an open space of knowledge and dialogue that transcends national and disciplinary boundaries and takes an active role in shaping a shared European space.
Europe needs university bridges
In his address, the rector of Alma Mater Europaea, Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak, emphasized that connecting universities today goes beyond academic cooperation and is becoming an important part of a broader responsibility toward European society.
»The European University Bridges project strives to build bridges between universities, cities, nations, and states. These are exactly the kinds of bridges Central Europe needs today—bridges founded on peace, mutual respect, prosperity, responsibility for our shared future, and sustainable development,« emphasized Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak.
Maribor and Graz are natural spaces of connection in this regard. The proximity of the two cities is measured not only in kilometers, but also in the historical, cultural, and academic ties that offer numerous opportunities for further cooperation.
Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak therefore also highlighted the importance of closer cooperation between Alma Mater Europaea and the Medical University of Graz, especially in linking medicine and the humanities, science and culture, and tradition and innovation.
Women who transformed the European academic space
An important thematic focus of the meeting was devoted to the role of women in science, academia, and wider society.
Graz holds a special place in the history of including women in medicine. In 1900, women were admitted for the first time as regular medical students in Graz, and five years later Dr. Oktavia Aigner-Rollet became the first woman to practice medicine in Styria.
A special connection between European cities and university environments is represented by the life path of Dr. Klara Kukovec. She was born in Ukraine, educated in Switzerland, earned her doctorate in Graz, worked professionally in Trieste, and later settled in Maribor.
Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak highlighted her extraordinary life journey as a symbol of the European university bridge—a bridge that transcends national borders, languages, and cultures and shows how knowledge, education, and individuals have long connected the European space.
It is not enough to open the door
The rector of the Medical University of Graz, Prof. Dr. Andrea Kurz, also spoke about the position of women in the contemporary academic environment. She emphasized that equality in science does not merely mean ensuring women access to academia and leadership positions. It is also crucial to create an environment of trust, support, and encouragement in which women can fully develop their knowledge and abilities and actively help shape the future of science.
This responsibility is closely linked to the mission of modern universities. As spaces of knowledge, research, and critical thinking, they play an important role in creating an academic environment in which different perspectives and experiences contribute to scientific progress. The question of the position of women in science is therefore not only a question of representation, but also of the quality, openness, and future development of the academic space.
The fact that the work of art dedicated to women in the European public space found its place at a university led by a woman for the first time in its history also carries special symbolism.
Art as a lasting symbol of connection
The idea of European University Bridges also took on a visible, lasting form in Graz. On the campus of the Medical University of Graz, the sculpture Rheinnymphen by Slovenian sculptor Andrej Gaberi, dedicated to women in the European public space, was ceremonially unveiled.
At the ceremonial unveiling, those gathered were also addressed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barbara Toplak Perović, Dean of the ECM Faculty of Alma Mater Europaea, who emphasized the important role of women in science and academia. Their contribution is important not only from the perspective of equal representation, but above all because of the knowledge, research work, new perspectives, and ideas with which they help shape the development of universities and society at large.
In this context, the sculpture transcends its artistic dimension. It becomes a symbol of an academic space in which women actively help shape science, take on responsible and leadership roles, and contribute with their knowledge to the development of future generations.
The sculpture was ceremonially unveiled by Prof. Dr. Andrea Kurz and Andrej Gaberi.
The artwork is part of a broader network that connects European university cities and brings the idea of cooperation into their public space as well. On this occasion, Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak expressed the wish that the sculpture would become a lasting symbol of the bridge between Graz and Maribor, between Austria and Slovenia, and between the universities of Central Europe.
Bridges that connect people
Connecting universities, cities, and countries gains its true meaning when it places people at the center. It is precisely here that the idea of European University Bridges meets the mission of Alma Mater Europaea and its guiding principle »It's About People«.
For Alma Mater, international academic cooperation is not merely about connecting institutions, but above all about connecting people, knowledge, and ideas. Universities create a space in which different disciplines, cultures, and generations meet and together seek answers to the challenges of contemporary society.
Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak also emphasized that amid the rapid development of medicine, science, education, and technology, people must always remain at the center.
The meeting in Graz was therefore not merely a symbolic connection between two university cities. It highlighted the broader academic vision advocated by Alma Mater Europaea: knowledge that transcends borders, cooperation that connects, and a university that understands its role as a responsibility toward people and a shared European future.
As the rector of Alma Mater Europaea, Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak, concluded in Graz:
»Let today’s event be a bridge between two universities, two cities, between people and generations. A bridge that brings knowledge, friendship, and mutual respect into our shared European future.«
