IAU Conferences - Utrecht, The Netherlands

Higher Education and Research Addressing Local and Global Needs

IAU 13th General Conference

IAU at UTRECHT

15 - 18 July 2008

Conference highlights

The IAU 13th General Conference, focusing on Higher Education and Research Addressing Local and Global Needs was held in July 2008. Its theme echoed the very reasons that led to the creation of the Association 60 years ago, namely the responsibilities of higher education and research institutions to serve the world around them. The IAU was honoured to be hosted by Utrecht University, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, where the Preparatory Conference that led to the creation of IAU was held in 1948.

Conference participation

The Conference attracted four hundred thirty four participants from more than a hundred countries, a record for IAU General Conferences and a number that reaffirmed IAU’s underlying mission: to bring universities from all over the world together to debate and share ideas on issues of common concern. The final list of participants is available online.

IAU elections for President and Administrative Board

The General Conference is also the IAU Supreme Decision-Making body where Members in good standing are invited to take an active part in defining the future of the Association. Dr Juan Ramon de la Fuente, former Rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, was elected President of the Association for a four year (non renewable) mandate. A new Administrative Board was also elected. The document reporting on the activities of the Association over the past four years along with a presentation of the plans proposed for the future four years of the Association are available online. The Statement on Equitable Access, Success and Quality in Higher Education: a Policy Statement by the International Association of Universities was presented to the participants and was adopted, with only minor changes.

Thematic Conference

The papers and power point presentations presented in Utrecht during the plenary sessions and the various workshops are now available online.

60 years of IAU

The 13th IAU General Conference marked 60 years of the International Association of Universities (IAU)! For this occasion a video presenting the Association was developed. The IAU also launched the creation of an international Music CD and Utrecht University launched a book entitled: “Work with Universities: The 1948 Utrecht Conference and the Birth of the IAU”.

Conference Sponsors

Province of Utrecht	Fondation Karl Hein

Nuffic	City of Utrecht

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science	Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)


Palgrave	L'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie