Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is the oldest university on Earth — and it’s still thriving. Why? Because it flipped the script.
Unlike top-down institutions, the University of Bologna was run by students. They hired the professors, set the agenda, and treated education as a mutual contract, not a mandate. It’s a model that’s lasted for nearly a millennium — and it suggests a radical blueprint for modern organizations. That spirit of shared governance still shapes the institution today. Students actively participate in decisions around curriculum, teaching quality, budgeting, and services. There’s a strong culture of dialogue between student groups and university leadership.
The University of Bologna reminds us: if you want to last, design for trust, not control.
