The courage to lead: how universities can truly lead toward the future
Recently, UN Secretary-General António Guterres raised an alarm
about the global increase in the abuse of power, noting
a tendency toward societies ruled by force rather than law.
Today, our society risks assimilating the
characteristics of a quaquaraquà, where
good intentions are rarely followed by action. While
sustainability is heavily promoted across social networks and
political functions, a gap continues to emerge between
propaganda and reality whenever these words are undermined by
selfish interests. People are increasingly realizing this.
Institutions
should protect democracy, but that is not always the case. In
this space, a new "market" is emerging: the interest
of people in those who truly challenge difficulties and dare to
speak up for the common good. Francesca Albanese's story is
a primary example today.
But speaking up takes
courage. In academia, this is particularly difficult. In a
system based on international reputation, speaking up is often
uncomfortable—yet it is what leaders do. To have a leading
university, one projected toward a better future, we must find
that courage. We must speak up to maintain our democratic system
and protect our values of justice and equality. Following my
recent reports about two cases of power abuse in the research
sector, it is this new, emerging space that I am exploring as
part of my professional evolution.
The democratic importance of considering evidence in review processes
On 3/2/2026, I submitted allegations describing a hostile
research environment at the University of Music and Performing
Arts Graz (KUG) and requested the initiation of an investigation
to clarify the issue.
Specifically, my investigation
has highlighted that, despite the initiation of administrative
reviews in response to previous whistleblowing actions, crucial
evidence was never accounted for. This resulted in
administrative decisions being primarily based on personal
characterizations of the facts, resulting, I argue, in a failure
to guarantee that the interests of an employee on research
promotion be protected under the principle of Duty of Care (Fürsorgepflicht) of public institutions in Austria, and leaving the employee
at risk of forms of retaliation.
I consider it
fundamental to receive a response from KUG regarding these
allegations, to ensure that academic personnel are judged based
on evidence and that review processes are fairly implemented.
Accounting for evidence is a guarantee of democratic processes;
the failure to do so risks undermining this pillar of our
society, leaving students and citizens unprotected.
The
full allegations are available on this
Zenodo
repository.
The global rise of negative emotions:
a failure of our
culture?
For a few months now, I have been reflecting: if we see
objective signs of improvement over time in medicine and
technology, what should we expect from cultural research?
Gallup
reports that negative emotions have been rising globally more
than positive ones since 2007. This raises the question of
whether we are slowly creating a research and economic
environment that works against humanity itself.
The
time will eventually come when we must face a critical question:
is our cultural research built upon correct assumptions, or are
we maintaining a system that does not work? Perhaps we need to
rethink the foundations of cultural research entirely.
Find
out more in this
video.
The role of the university and research sector
to combat
power abuse
Today, I formally submitted a
request for investigation to the
European Parliament, the European Commission, the EACEA, and the
European Ombudsman regarding Case 1.
This case provides an opportunity to reflect on the
pivotal role the university and research sectors play in shaping
the society of the future. The university is the primary
architect of the minds, ethics, and beliefs that will lead the
world in the coming decades. It is a critical question whether
the increasing levels of academic misconduct observed since the
1970s—as highlighted in my Essay—have
contributed to a global mindset where power abuse is
increasingly legitimized as a tool for resolving problems. We
see the ripples of this mindset across the globe today, from
administrative corridors to international conflicts.
While
a simple, univocal answer may not exist, we must remind
ourselves of our responsibility. As educators and researchers,
our role is not merely to produce knowledge, but to model the
ethics that prevent power abuse. We must fight against the
legitimization of these behaviors by choosing action over
silence.