The General Assembly convened on 21 November following the anniversary festivities. In addition to the re-election, the main focus of the meeting was the further development of the Open Campus, through which Circle U. coordinates joint European teaching initiatives. Other topics included the development of the Academic Chair Programme and the planned Joint Master’s in Public Governance, offered by HU, UCLouvain and the Università di Pisa. The members also reaffirmed their intention to strengthen the alliance beyond the current funding period.
In her anniversary address, von Blumenthal said: “Circle U. is not just a project, it is our commitment to collaboration. I am personally deeply convinced that collaboration is the key to a fruitful and successful development of academia.”
The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of Circle U. It is composed of the presidents, rectors or vice-chancellors of the member universities, as well as two representatives of the Circle U. Student Union. The President chairs the Assembly and represents the alliance externally; the annual mandate may be renewed once.