The contemporary role of the university is to provide knowledge, broaden horizons and give an academic foundation — but it is also about networking, people and the best time of one’s life. Despite the rise of self-education, the speaker doesn’t expect the role to change much: universities build skills like public speaking, teamwork and time management, and provide an environment where lasting friendships (and even partners) are formed, projects joined, and internships obtained. As an institution around for roughly a thousand years, the university is a cornerstone of life and a 'school of life’, and will preserve its role and competence.