What should a university be in the 21st century? This question - at once philosophical and practical - was at the heart of the International Conference & Expo on Future-Ready Universities, held at the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, on April 25-26, 2025.

We gathered at a time of demographic urgency and technological upheaval. Pakistan, with nearly 64% of its population under the age of 30, has a fleeting window to reap the dividends of its youth bulge. Yet our higher education institutions remain stuck in outdated models - still chasing prestige through infrastructure and image rather than impact, and still measuring success in enrollments and degrees rather than outcomes and innovation. This conference was a strong reminder: we need to take bold and quick action to change our universities for a very different future ahead.

The conference brought together powerful voices from Pakistan and abroad - each offering not just critique, but direction. Professor David Palfreyman of Oxford opened the conversation with a candid appraisal of the competing roles that modern universities juggle. He asked: are we truth-seeking institutions, economic engines or market-driven enterprises? In trying to be everything, he warned, universities risk becoming directionless. For Pakistan, where universities often........

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