Mazes and labyrinths hold a special fascination for everyone: first of all there is that fear of getting lost and disorientated, but this feeling is sooner or later replaced by excitement and the desire to find a new way.
Studying, one of the core tasks of any university, is in some respects also a labyrinth, or an academic maze. This is deliberately so. The freedom to learn, an aspect of academic freedom, protects the rights of students to independently shape their own studies within curriculum and examination regulations. The freedom to learn means that students are not simply objects of teaching but rather equal partners in the process. Through the course of their studies, students should be encouraged to think, judge and work critically in order to achieve new scientific findings, achievements that should not be suppressed by the teacher’s position of authority. Good teaching should therefore not be seen as a streamlined transfer of knowledge but rather the imparting of methods, with the help of which – just like Ariadne’s thread – the academic labyrinth can be successfully manoeuvred. It is in this sense, and in the spirit of discovery that I hope that you are able to navigate your way through the academic maze of your subject of study to the end of the semester.
I am also treading my way with joy and enthusiasm through the university maze. Just under three months ago I took office as the Vice Rector for Teaching and International Relations. Although I have been at the University of Lucerne for some time, this new role gives me a whole new insight into the organisation of our university. I am learning and discovering new things on a daily basis – and this is a lot of fun.

I wish you all the very best for your upcoming exams and a relaxing and lecture-free summer.

Prof. Dr. Martina Caroni, Vice Rector for Teaching and International Relations