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Higher Education and Research Addressing Local and Global Needs 

IAU 13th General Conference


IAU at UTRECHT 

15 - 18 July 2008

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Conference Programme

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

ARRIVAL Conference Participants
14:00 – 17:30
REGISTRATION
18:00 – 20:00
Inaugural Ceremony and Welcome Reception
Dom Church
- Goolam Mohamedbhai, President, International Association of Universities
- Hans Stoof, Rector, Utrecht University
- Nick Burnett, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO
Aleid Wolfsen, Mayor of Utrecht, the Netherlands

Introduction

- Hans van Ginkel, Former Rector Utrecht University, United Nations Universities

Inaugural Speech

- Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General, United Nations *
Evening   
Free
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
08:00 – 10:30
REGISTRATION
08:30 – 10:00
IAU BUSINESS SESSION I
Discussion and adoption of rules of procedures, rules of elections, IAU constitution amendments and proposed new policy statement on access to higher education
10:00 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:00   
Welcome Presentation

- Ronald H.A. Plasterk, Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science
11:00 – 13:00 Opening Dialogue
University as Local and Global Actor

Bringing together heads of HEIs and major intergovernmental agencies whose policies affect higher education around the world, this Dialogue will introduce the themes of the General Conference.  In an informal Q and A style, participants will be invited to share their views about the expected and real roles and responsibilities of higher education institutions, their capacities and constraints to fulfil them. How international organizations, such as UNESCO, World Bank, and OECD may help to create the policy environment in which strong and responsible universities can work to address local and global needs will also be examined.

Moderator:
Paul Schnabel, Director, Social Cultural Planning Office (SCP), Netherlands Institute for Social Research/

Participants
:
- Nick Burnett, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO
- Aart de Geus, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD
- Joy Phumaphi, Vice President, World Bank
- Yvonne van Rooy, President, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- Akilagpa Sawyerr, Secretary-General, Association of African Universities
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:00 Thematic Plenary I
HIGHER EDUCATION – SERVING AND SHAPING SOCIETY

Are HEIs adequately and effectively responding to the most important challenges of human and social development today? How can higher education contribute to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are met? How must the three traditional missions of higher education – teaching and learning, research, and community service, be balanced to anchor HEIs locally, while serving humanity more globally? These and other questions are at the core of this Plenary session. It will explore such topics as the evolving civic role of HEIs, how to educate for intercultural understanding, for global and local sustainability. Recognizing that higher education is part of a whole educational system, the Plenary will link the issues of equitable access and successful learning, to the need for building a seamless education system that offers all learners varied and interconnected learning pathways for entry and exit.

Chair:
- Juan Ramon de la Fuente, Former Rector, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico

Speakers:    
- Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor, the Open University, UK
- Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia *
16:30 – 18:00 Parallel Workshops – Series A 
Evening Dinner & Cultural Programme in the Museum Quarter
Thursday, July 17, 2008
09:00 – 10:30 Thematic Plenary II
HIGHER EDUCATION AND INNOVATION – THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNKNOWN

For most, innovation represents the key to progress, the sine qua non of development and a solution to all problems.  Indeed, innovation is embedded in most products and services around us.  Through their role in research, universities and other higher education institutions hold the key to innovation.  Are they as involved in measuring and understanding the full impact of innovation and scientific discoveries on the daily life of citizens?  As institutions at the forefront of knowledge creation, are HEIs also fulfilling their ethical responsibilities to assess, monitor and explain the results of their scientific research? How and under what conditions does research translate into innovation? What constitutes an innovative HEI?  

Chair:
- Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, President, Qatar University, Qatar

Speakers:
- Wayne C. Johnson, Vice President, University Relations Worldwide at Hewlett-Packard
- Wei Yang, President of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Yitzhak Apeloig, President, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israël
11:00 – 12:30 Parallel Workshops – Series B
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch and information session on IAU
14:00 – 15:30 Thematic Plenary III
INSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN HIGHER EDUCATION TO MEET NEW GOALS

Expanding opportunities for all students, improving the match between societal demands and what higher education offers; diversifying and improving the quality of programmes; strengthening research; improving leadership, governance, and management; coping with the diminishing public funds and pressures to find new resources are just some of the pressures experienced by higher education institutions worldwide.  The imperative to adapt and change is felt in nearly every context, and alternative approaches are being explored and tested everywhere-- within institutions, at national level, as well as through international networks, partnerships, and specialized projects.  This Plenary will bring together both institutional and governmental perspectives on the reforms that are needed or taking place to meet the multiple goals of higher education.

Chair:
- Abdul Razak Dzulkifli, Vice Chancellor, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

Speakers:

- Atta-Ur-Rahman, Federal Minister/Chairman, Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan
-
António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Rector, University of Lisbon, Portugal
- Saleem Badat, Vice-Chancellor, Rhodes University, South Africa
16:00 – 18:00 IAU BUSINESS SESSION II
IAU 2004-2008 - activities and financial report; mapping future strategies for IAU; report by election committee; voting
19:30-22:30 Conference Dinner, Academie Building, Utrecht University

IAU in Utrecht in 1948
- Leen Dorsman, Professor of History, Utrecht University

Academic Stories and Fairytales
-
Sijbolt Noorda, Association of Universities (VSNU), the Netherlands
Friday, July 18, 2008
09:00 – 10:30 Special Forum

COMPARING, CLASSIFYING AND RANKING HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The increasing number of HEIs and the need to differentiate between them, coupled with fast growing competition has contributed to the recent boom in comparisons, rankings and classifications of HEIs.  Higher education stakeholders (heads of HEIs, academic and administrative staff, students, decision-makers and the public) are closely monitoring these initiatives. Institutional leaders are contesting their value, questioning their methodology, while at the same time using results when they are positive.   

This Special Forum will address areas such as the rationale and need for comparisons, rankings and classifications and the differences between these approaches, the players involved, criteria and methodologies used.  It will also examine the impact of such different approaches on institutions, on public understanding of HE and question the limitations and risks involved, including for students. 

Chair
To be announced

Speakers
- Ellen Hazelkorn, Director and Dean, Faculty of Applied Arts, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland
- Frans van Vught, Honorary Professor of Comparative Higher Education Policy Studies, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
- Richard Yelland, Division Head, OECD/EDU/IMHE
- Ying Cheng, Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
11:00 – 12:00 IAU BUSINESS SESSION III
IAU Election results – Administrative Board and President
Presentation by incoming President   
12:00 – 13:00 Closing Plenary

Chair:
- Goolam Mohamedbhai, IAU President, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Mauritius  Reflections on the Conference Theme     
- Hans van Ginkel, Former President, International Association of Universities, Former Rector, UNU and Utrecht University Concluding Remarks
- Hans Stoof, Rector, Utrecht University
13:00 – 14:00 Farewell Lunch

Special Events
  • Launch of the new IAU Handbook
  • IAU Palgrave Prize on UN Millennium Development Goals
  • Launch of the book “IAU in Utrecht in 1948”

* To be confirmed

 



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