“Semper reformanda …” This principle of reform having to be constant, most commonly applied to the church, can also be applied to other institutions, not least universities. This is especially true when understood as a call for ongoing self-reflection and renewal. Even when interpreted more narrowly in the sense of concrete university reforms, the concept remains highly relevant to the field of university history.

University reforms, including those that failed, offer valuable insights into the history of universities. The volume of sources generated in the context of such reforms tends to be substantial, and those sources are often particularly revealing. Rarely has there been such intense and contentious debate over bodies of knowledge and how they are taught as there has been in the context of university reforms. A diachronic view of university reforms in the Middle Ages and the early modern period can be illuminating with regard to both cross-epochal patterns and period-specific concepts of university education. For precisely that reason, it also provides a valuable backdrop for reflecting on contemporary discussions.

With all this in mind, the conference examines the preconditions, implementation, and impact of university reforms over the longue durée. It explicitly includes failed reforms and reform projects that were never implemented, as engaging with these can yield significant insights.