International Association of Universities

E-Bulletin

IAU: For a worldwide higher education community

Sharing information on IAU activities and higher education in the world

Vol. 5, No.2, March 2008

IAU Activities - Other News and Opportunities

13th General Conference of IAU

More than a dozen concurrent Workshops over two days of the 13th IAU General Conference will address a variety of higher education topics linked to the overall theme Higher Education and Research Addressing Local and Global Needs (15-18 July, 2008, Utrecht University). IAU is partnering with the European University Association (EUA); the IMHE programme of OECD; the Institute of International Education (IIE); the Magna Charta Observatory; the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education; and others in the organisation of some of these.

Save Money by Registering Early (before April 30th) and by taking advantage of the Group Fees if you bring at least 3 representatives from the same institution to Utrecht.

IMPORTANT: You have one more month to participate in two initiatives designed to enhance the visibility of IAU Members and help IAU celebrate its 60 years at Utrecht by:

Submitting music for an International Music CD that will be offered to all participants at the IAU General Conference;
Sending a photograph from your university that illustrates the theme of the General Conference and see it displayed in Utrecht and on the IAU Website.

New deadline: March 31, 2008 – Contact: turmaine.iau@unesco.org

Other IAU activities

IAU Representation

American Council on Education (ACE), Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA
Together with ACE and IAUP, IAU co-sponsored an international panel entitled Thriving in a Global Future: New Models of International Partnerships. Yvonne C.M.T. van Rooy, Chair of the Executive Board, Utrecht University and IAU General Conference host, spoke about her university’s international outreach and links in research and student exchanges. The IAU Secretary-General chaired a panel on changing patterns of student mobility entitled Competing for International Students: New Players and New Realities.
The ACE Annual Meeting served once again to consolidate IAU collaboration with ACE – the IAU Secretary-General briefly met the future ACE President, Molly Corbett Broad – and to encourage more US higher education institutions to engage with IAU. Information on the upcoming General Conference was widely distributed to participants. Several IAU Member Institutions also took part in the Annual Meeting.
For more information on ACE Annual Meeting see: http://www.aceannualmeeting.org/home.cfm

Global Initiative for Quality Assurance Capacity (GIQAC), Paris, France
The second meeting of the GIQAC Steering Committee took place at the end of February at UNESCO headquarters. GIQAC is a World Bank-UNESCO partnership to strengthen regional cooperation in quality assurance. The Steering Committee’s mandate includes the review and assessment of proposals for capacity building activities in quality assurance submitted by regional and international networks. Decisions on grants will be made known by the GIQAC Secretariat at UNESCO. A workshop on the work of GIQAC is also planned at the Utrecht General Conference of IAU.

Magna Charta Observatory Meeting, Barcelona, Spain
As the Magna Charta Observatory (MCO) nears its 20th anniversary, to be celebrated in Bologna in September 2008, a small “Support Group” was invited to contribute to the elaboration of the plans for this event. The meeting also provided the IAU Secretary-General and the leadership of the Magna Charta Observatory an opportunity to agree on the focus of the Workshop the MCO will coordinate at the 13th IAU General Conference in Utrecht.
UNESCO Portal on Higher Education Institutions
IAU is an observer in this UNESCO project and as such participated in its 3rd Steering Group Meeting which took place in Paris (France) on February 7, 2008. The project is linked to the UNESCO/OECD initiative on quality provision in cross-border higher education.

Important dates:

March 31, 2008: Deadline for submission of a piece of music and/or photograph.
March 31, 2008: Deadline for submission to the IAU/Palgrave Prize
April 30, 2008: End of Early Bird Registration to 13th IAU General Conference.
July 15-18, 2008: 13th IAU General Conference marking 60 years of the Association. The GC theme is: Higher Education and Research Addressing Local and Global Needs, Utrecht University (The Netherlands).

For detailed information on these activities, contact us at: iau@unesco.org

Other News and Opportunities

UNESCO

UNESCO: Role of UNESCO Chairs in International Development
The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Chair in Political Economy of Education at the University of Nottingham, UK, co-hosted the Colloquium Higher Education and International Development: The contribution of UNESCO Chairs, January 17-18, 2008.
http://www.unesco.org.uk/UserFiles/File/UNESCO%20Chair/Colloquium%20Delegates%20Pack.pdf

UNESCO: Data Collection on ESD
In the framework of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) and in order to widely disseminate information on existing learning materials on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), UNESCO is seeking to identify available teaching and learning materials related to ESD such as: teaching approaches, teacher guidelines, teaching kits, toolkits, textbooks, CDRoms; etc. and any other teaching aids. A questionnaire is available to contribute to this information gathering.
http://www.unesco.org/iau/sd/index.html

UNESCO-Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA): Comparative Study on Distance Learning in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa
UNESCO-BREDA has published a comparative study on distance learning in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa entitled Formation à distance en Afrique sub-saharienne francophone – Etudes comparées. It presents past and current ICT training initiatives and open and distance education approaches and includes workshop and seminar outcomes, case studies and articles from various sources (UNESCO, World Bank, Association for the Development of Education in Africa, etc.).
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001567/156795f.pdf (in French)

UNESCO: New Open Distance Learning Website
UNESCO has launched an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) website for teachers in Latin Alerica and the Caribbean that aims at enhancing teacher training at global level through the provision of online tools to evaluate and improve pedagogical programmes. The site also contains resources, a glossary, a “News and Events” section, and links to other ODL project websites, and to the main page of UNESCO’s Higher Education Open and Distance Learning Knowledge Base.
http://www.unesco.cl/aad (in Spanish)

Other international initiatives

BBVA Foundation: Call for Participation – Scientific Research and Artistic Creation Awards
BBVA, a multinational financial services group, has launched a call for participation to its newly- created annual Frontiers of Knowledge Awards. Proposals are invited in the following eight categories: basic sciences; biomedicine; ecology and conservation biology; information and communication technologies; economics, finances and management; arts; climate change; development cooperation. Deadline: June 30, 2008.
https://w3.grupobbva.com/TLFU/premios/fronteras/en/index.html

International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU): Universities in the Middle Ages
IFCU has published the proceedings of its 4th and last Symposium held in the framework of the project University, Church, Culture on the history of the Catholic University. The meeting, whose theme was The Catholic University in the Middle Ages (L’Université Catholique au Moyen-Age), discussed the university as a place of knowledge elaboration and transmission; a place of power confrontation; a meeting point of different cultures; and as a Church institution.
http://www.fiuc.org/cms/LIVREALL/hurtubise%204bis.pdf (in French)

International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE): Strategic Plan 2008-2013
Following an overview of INQAAHE’s background, purpose, mission and values, the document describes the four dimensions of the strategy of the organisation for the period 2008-2013. The political dimension focuses on relating to governments; world bodies and regional bodies; the theoretical aspect focuses on using global intelligence to extend knowledge on external quality assurance; the developmental aspect focuses on using intelligence to support practice development; and the informational aspect focuses on global information dissemination and exchange.
http://www.inqaahe.org/docs/INQAAHE%20strategic%20plan%202008-2012%20final.doc

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education (IMHE): Vacancy
IMHE is looking for an editor for its journal Higher Education Management and Policy. Please contact IMHE@oecd.org.

United Nations University (UNU): Open Courseware Portal
The United Nations University has launched its Open Courseware Portal where some of its courses in software technology; water, environment and health; and innovation and technology are already available. Additional material will be added throughout the year.
http://www.ocw.unu.edu

World Bank: Higher Education Reform in East and South Asian Countries
The Regional Higher Education Conference, co-organized in December 2007 by the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia and the World Bank, focused on Strategic Choices for Higher Education Reform. The presentations and country briefs on the higher education systems of the participating countries are available.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,contentMDK:21528372~isCURL:Y~menu
PK:282391~pagePK:64020865~piPK:51164185~theSitePK:282386,00.html

World Bank / International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): Education Reforms Required in Middle East and Africa (MENA)
The World Bank has released the MENA Development Report The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and Africa, which analyses investments in education, reforms and new challenges from primary to higher education.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/MENAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21617643~
pagePK:146736~piPK:226340~theSitePK:256299,00.html

Regional initiatives

Africa
Association des Producteurs de Coton Africains (APROCA): University of Cotton
Aproca has signed an agreement with the University of Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso to establish a University of Cotton. The aim of the University is to improve the results of the cotton industry. This initiative is part of the professionalization process of the University of Bobo Dioulasso.
http://www.aproca.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=130&Itemid=59&lang=fr (in French)

Observatoire des Systèmes d’Informations, des Réseaux et des Inforoutes au Sénégal (OSIRIS): New Programme of the African Virtual University (UVA)
The Rector of the AVU presented the Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP) in an interview to OSIRIS. The programme will provide both academic and practical training in the field of distance learning to universities. The first two training sessions (one in English, the other in French) were held in Dakar, Senegal, in February 2008.
http://www.osiris.sn/article3470.html (in French)

Americas
Cuba/Mexico: Meeting of University Rectors
The 11th session of the Meeting of Cuban and Mexican University Rectors took place in February in Cuba. It examined themes such as research, academic development and exchanges between both countries. A presentation was also made on ‘La educación superior universitaria en México en el marco de la cooperación bilateral’ (Higher education in Mexico and bilateral cooperation)
http://www.mes.edu.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=1 (in Spanish)

Arab States
e-TQM College, UAE: E-Learning in the Middle East Conference
The Forum proceedings, the Dubai e-Learning Declaration and all presentations of the e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East Forum: Define. Design. Deliver, Dubai, UAE, January 2008, are now available.
http://elexforum.etqm.ae/2009/downloads.html

Asia
Azerbaijan/Korea: MOU for Educational Cooperation
The Ministries of Education of Korea and Azerbaijan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Educational Cooperation in January 2008, to develop academic and student mobility, encourage joint research initiatives, and accelerate mutual recognition of diplomas and qualifications.
http://english.moe.go.kr/main.jsp?idx=070101&brd_no=30&cp=1&pageSize=10&srchSel=&srchVal=&brd_mainno=682&mode=v

SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED): Higher Education Statistics in South East Asia
SEAMEO RIHED has released a fact sheet on higher education in South-East Asia Countries containing figures on universities, enrolment and demography for 2007.
http://www.rihed.seameo.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=47

Europe
Council of Europe: The University between Humanism and Market
The presentations and conclusions of the launching conference of the Steering Committee for Higher Education and Research project on The University between Humanism and Market: Redefining its Values and Functions for the 21st Century, held in November 2007 in Strasbourg, and entitled New Challenges to European Higher Education – Managing the Complexities of a Globalized Society are available. The project will continue until 2010.
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/highereducation/UnivHumanismMarket/Default_EN.asp#TopOfPage

European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU):
The proceedings and the Message of the EADTU Conference International courses and services online: Virtual Erasmus and a new generation of Open Educational Resources for a European and global outreach held in Lisbon in November 2007 for its 20th Anniversary are available.
http://www.eadtu.nl/conference-2007/files/EADTU%20conference%202007%20proceedings.pdf

European Commission: Education, Youth Affairs and Culture Council
At its meeting in Brussels in February, the Education, Youth Affairs and Culture Council discussed the progress report on the Education and Training 2010 work programme and adopted key messages for the Spring European Council in the field of education and training.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/88&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr
European Commission: Green Paper on the European Research Area
The written contributions in response to the Green Paper The European Research Area: New Perspectives include responses from public authorities, replies to the online questionnaire, contributions; and opinion papers.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/progress-on-debate/written-contributions_en.html
European Commission: European Knowledge Society
The Expert Group on Science and Government, made up of academics from the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) has published its report Taking the European Knowledge Society Seriously where the European public unease with science; the EU commitment to improve the involvement of civil society in European science and governance; and urgent policy scientific challenges such as climate change are addressed.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.topic&id=119
European Commission: Erasmus Programme
The group of high level experts on mobility met in January to extend the activities of the Erasmus programme, increase exchanges of young people, improve support for mobility in vocational training or adult learning, and raising the degree of movement by young artists, entrepreneurs, and volunteers.
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/85&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr

European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN): Higher Education, ICTs and Lifelong Learning
EDEN will be collaborating in the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme until 2010, through various projects which include the HEXTLEARN project – Higher Education Exploring ICT use for Lifelong Learning - which aims at a greater involvement of higher education in the topic.
http://www.eden-online.org/eden.php?menuId=87&contentId=654

European University Association (EUA): Doctoral Education
EUA has launched the Council for Doctoral Education whose aims are to enhance the quality of doctoral education in Europe; encourage the development of institutional policies and strategies; strengthen the international dimension of doctoral programmes and research training and identify emerging trends inside and outside Europe.
http://www.eua.be/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Press/cdepressreleasedef.pdf
European University Association (EUA): Financial Sustainability of HEIs
An EUA Experts Conference on Towards Financially Sustainable Higher Education Institutions was held in Brussels in February. It analysed such issues as Autonomy, funding and accountability; Drivers, benefits and barriers of change; and Accounting, comparisons and assessing performance.
http://www.eua.be/index.php?id=556

Inter-Regional Cooperation
China/Africa: African Students in China
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Education of China, more and more African students are coming to China. They are mostly undergraduate or doctorate students and more than two-thirds of them benefit from a Chinese grant.
http://www.chine-informations.com/actualite/les-etudiants-africains-sinteressent-de-plus-en-plus-a-la-chine_8450.html (in French)

Europe/Africa: ICT Partnerships
Connecting the European Union and sub-Saharan Africa for ICT partnerships, which is part of the EuroAfriCa-ICT project, was launched on January 1, 2008. It aims at identifying, promoting and supporting ICT initiatives between European and African organisations with a special focus on South Africa and the Caribbean.
http://www.euroafrica-ict.org/news.html (see under January 1, 2008)

Europe/Palestine: New Website on the Interuniversity Network
The website of the Programme for Palestinian European Academic Cooperation in Education (PEACE) has been revamped. It is now divided into the following sections: about PEACE (basic documents); Activities (scholarship and academic programmes); General Assembly; Conference and Workshops; Latest News; Higher Education in Palestine; and Contact. Comments are welcome.
http://www.peace-programme.org/

Mediterranean Basin: Call for Participation – Euro-Arab Chairs
The Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies has launched a call for participation in three Euro-Arab Chairs: Arts and Culture (deadline: March 15, 2008); Environment and Sustainable Development; and Social Science and Governance (deadline: May 15, 2008).
http://www.fundea.net/Visual/principal.asp (see under Ultimas Noticias)

United Kingdom/Africa: Calls for Proposals – Use of Research Results
As from March 2008, Research Into Use (RIU) will launch three calls for proposals for the assessment and greater use of research results related to renewable natural resources in Africa.
http://www.researchintouse.com/downloads/Update_on_Africa_and_RIU.doc
United Kingdom/India: Partnership in Higher Education
The India-UK annual Summit held in Delhi on January 21 2008 ended with a joint statement reflecting both countries’ intention to consolidate and extend their partnership relations in education and the signature of a MoU on an India-UK Higher Education Leadership Development Programme.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=34816&kwd=
United Kingdom/Iraq: Conference on Higher Education in Iraq
The final report of the International Conference on Higher Education in Iraq, which took place in Erbil, Iraq, in December 2007, is available.
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/iraq%2Dhe/

United States of America/Africa: Editorial Series on African Higher Education
The International Network for Higher Education in Africa (INHEA) has launched a new service on its website: an Editorial series to share the views of scholars and policy makers on higher education in Africa. It starts with an article by Damtew Teferra, Director, INHEA and Director for Africa and the Middle East, Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/editorial.htm

National and institutional initiatives

Australia: Position Paper to Government for Universities
Universities Australia has released the position paper Solutions to build human capital through Australia’s Universities, which highlights the crucial role of higher education for the country’s future, the necessity of an “education revolution” and the need for governmental action basically to further implement pre-election promises regarding higher education and additional investment in teaching and core research - through a number of propositions and recommendations.
http://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/documents/publications/discussion/Building-Human-Capital-through-Unis.pdf

Brazil: Federal University for Latin American Integration
The Ministry of Education of Brazil has set up a commission composed of Latin American professors and specialists with the aim of creating the Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana - UNILA (Federal University for Latin American Integration), which plans to integrate 50 % of academic staff and students from countries outside Brazil.
http://200.130.24.13/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=477&Itemid=28&lang=br (in Portuguese)

Canada: Internet Copyright and the Education Community
The academic community has asked for an amendment to the Education Act concerning the educational use of material found on the Internet, copyright protection being automatic in Canada, in the Copyright Bulletin n.1 entitled Changes to the Copyright Law Must Include an Amendment to Address Educational Use of the Internet.
http://www.cmec.ca/copyright/bulletins2008/note-01.en.pdf
Canada: Universities Addressing Canada’s Challenges
The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) has published a brochure Universities: Addressing Canada’s Challenges which provides a concise analysis of how universities in Canada respond to three issues they saw as being critical for Canada’s continued prosperity. These are: highly educated labour; international competitiveness and demography.
http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/publications/univ_challenges_2008_e.pdf
Canada: The impact of Globalization on Higher Education Financing in Quebec
The report Analyse des impacts de la mondialisation sur l'éducation au Québec: Rapport 5 - Mondialisation et financement des universités: un environnement imprévisible, des impacts insoupçonnés (Analysis of the impact of globalisation on education in Quebec: 5th report: Globalisation and university funding), prepared by the Ecole nationale d’Administration publique (ENAP), analyses the effects of globalisation on higher education, and more specifically on research funding.
http://www.leppm.enap.ca/LEPPM/docs/Rapports_education/Rapport_5_education.pdf (in French)
Canada: Control of Registration Fees at Quebec Universities
The Ministry of Education of Quebec has set up a framework for compulsory institutional fees,
http://www.meq.gouv.qc.ca/ministere/info/index.asp?page=communiques&id=193 (in French)
which could affect the quality of student services according to the Conférence des Recteurs et des Principaux des Universités du Québec (Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities) - CREPUQ
http://www.crepuq.qc.ca/spip.php?article1006&lang=en (in French)
Canada: Magazine of International Education
e-MAGINED, the Canadian e-Magazine of International Education, published by York University, is a new magazine on policies and practices of internationalisation in Canada.
http://emagined.apps01.yorku.ca/

China: Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008
This year, the Academic Ranking of World Universities published by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, is broken up in the following fields of study: natural sciences and mathematics; engineering/technology and computer sciences; life and agriculture sciences; clinical medicine and pharmacy; social sciences.
http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ARWU-FIELD2008.htm

Colombia: Funding of Higher Education
The Ministry of Education of Colombia, in its effort to improve its higher education funding system, has invited an expert from Australia on a working mission. Meetings with representatives of higher education institutions and organisations were convened and culminated with a forum on Financiamiento y gestión de la educación superior (Funding and management of higher education).
http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/1621/article-152533.html (in Spanish)

Ecuador: Higher Education: State and Way Forward
The President of Ecuador discussed the state of higher education in the country concentrating on ways to improve it with members of the government; heads of higher education institutions and organisation leaders.
http://www.conesup.net/anoticias_afondo.php?id=5351 (in Spanish)

Fiji: Accreditation Body
In line with the efforts made to further regulate higher education, the Fijian Government has appointed a Higher Education Advisory Board and Secretariat in charge of all accreditation and approval processes to cope with the boom in institution creations. A higher education bill is also being drafted.
http://www.fiji.gov.fj/publish/page_11214.shtml

France: Education for Sustainable Development
The Groupe de Travail interministériel sur l’Education au développement durable (Inter-ministerial Working Group on Education for Sustainable Development) has published a report which focuses on all education levels and identifies two fields of action: pedagogy and teacher training.
http://media.education.gouv.fr/file/2008/27/0/Strategie_pour_l_EDD_23270.pdf (in French)
France: Higher Education in the Report on the Liberation of French Economic Growth
The Conférence des Présidents d’Université (French Rectors’ Conference) has reacted to the proposals for higher education and research of the Rapport de la Commission pour la libération de la croissance française, the Attali Report for the liberation of French economic growth.
http://www.cpu.fr/Actualites.240.0.html?&no_cache=1&actu_id=58 (in French)
http://lesrapports.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/BRP/084000041/0000.pdf (Attali Report)

Germany: Excellence Initiative for Teaching
The Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Science and the Humanities has launched the Excellence Initiative for Teaching to promote the development of quality management and of a culture of teaching within universities.
http://www.hrk.de/95_2112.php

India: Recommendations for Higher Education
The National Knowledge Commission of India has issued a Compilation of Recommendations on Education, featuring a chapter on Higher Education. Topics addressed include expansion, excellence and access, with a focus on reforms in the governance structures, through - for instance – the proposed setting up of a new independent body to regulate higher education.
http://knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/documents/NKC_Education.pdf
India: Higher Education Statistics
The Department of Higher Education of India has released online Selected Educational Statistics 2004-2005 offering data and figures on several aspects (number of institutions, attendance, expenditures) and levels of education, including higher education.
http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2008/feb/r20080200711-1.pdf
India: Quality Assurance
The Press Information Bureau of the Government of India has published the article Assessment for Quality Assurance that focuses on the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), how it has been perceived since its creation in 1994; its relations with higher education institutions; achievements and improvements to be undertaken regarding tools and assessors’ training.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=35046&kwd=

Ireland: University Governance
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Irish Universities Association (IUA) have published a report, Governance of Irish Universities, A Governance Code of Legislation, Principles, Best Practice and Guidelines. It comprises sections on university legislation and related legislative frameworks; universities code: principles and best practices; and governance guidelines.
http://www.hea.ie/uploads/pdf/1207hea_Gov4.pdf
Ireland: Strategic Innovation Fund
In the framework of the higher education reform process, 31 universities and institutes of technology will receive funding from the Strategic Innovation Fund for proposals that seek to enhance systems of teaching and learning; to extend research capacity; in lifelong learning; in institutional restructuring; and in access for under-represented groups.
http://www.hea.ie/index.cfm/page/news/category/134/section/details/id/364

New Zealand: Student Allowance Scheme
Education Counts has released Changes in Student Allowances in 2006 that reports on measures adopted in order to further widen access to the Student Allowance Scheme and its evolution over the last decade.
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/17691/Changes_in_Student_Allowances_in_2006.pdf

Qatar: Higher Education, Student Demand and the Labor Market
The RAND Corporation, a non-profit institution, has prepared a study entitled Post-Secondary Education in Qatar: Employer Demand, Student Choice, and Options for Policy for the Supreme Education Council. It analyses how current higher education structures meet Qatar’s social and economic goals and proposes several recommendations to improve Qatar’s higher education system.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG644/

South Africa: Higher Education Impact on the Economy
Higher Education South Africa (HESA) has released Higher Education Impact: Universities in the South African Economy. It provides information on the sources of income; the items of expenditure; employment and remuneration patterns and reports the results of three simulation models that analyse the impact of higher education on the economy.
http://www.hesa.org.za/resources/0000000101/0000000188/0000000199/HE%20IMPACT%20final%20for%20WEB.pdf

Spain: University Cooperation for Development
The Conferencia de Rectores de Universidades Españolas (CRUE) – the Spanish Rectors’ Conference - has launched the Observatory of University Cooperation for Development. It will help to integrate this theme in the Spanish cooperation system through a deeper knowledge of university cooperation activities.
http://www.crue.org/BOLETINES/BOLETIN_N22/Boletin22.htm#titulaciones (in Spanish)

Tunisia: Higher Education, Research and Innovation Indicators
Data on students, courses; faculty; higher education institutions; budget; partnerships; private higher education; student services; e-pedagogy; lifelong learning; research and development; innovation for 2007 are available in Les indicateurs de l’enseignement supérieur, de la R&D et de l’innovation en Tunisie (Higher Education, Research and Innovation Indicators in Tunisia) published by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Technology.
http://www.mes.tn/indicateurs/indicteur_fr/indicateur_fr.htm (in French)

United Kingdom: Ethnicity, Gender and Degree Attainment
The Ethnicity, Gender and Degree Attainment Project – Final Report outlines the outcomes of the Ethnicity and Gender Degree Attainment project which was undertaken by the Higher Education Academy and Equality Challenge Unit between 2007 and 2008. The project focused on an analysis of understandings and perceptions of degree attainment variation across institutions and among academics and students; ways in which current Race Equality Policies and Gender Equality Schemes helped higher education institutions to address issues of attainment variation; relevant teaching, learning and assessment activities and issues.
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/detail/Ethnicity_Degree_Attainment_project
United Kingdom: Science Studies
The Royal Society has published its policy document A Higher Degree of Concern. It focuses on science; technology; engineering and mathematics. Amongst its key recommendations are that courses in core subjects need to be sustained at all levels; the UK should allow (and properly fund) a norm of eight years from starting as an undergraduate to finishing with a PhD. Within this framework, there should be flexibility of timescales and mode of study to suit students and the subject matter; and the conviction that the UK should be defended as a destination of choice for higher education studies.
http://royalsociety.org/displaypagedoc.asp?id=28988
United Kingdom: Sustainable Development in Higher Education in England
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has published a report, HEFCE strategic review of sustainable development in higher education in England. It measures sustainable development activity in higher education and proposes recommendations on how to increase it.
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2008/rd03_08/

United States of America: College Opportunity and Affordability Act
The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 (H.R.4137) which amend the Higher Education Law of 1965 was voted by the House of Representatives on February 7, 2008.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h4137/show
United States of America: Student Retention
Engaging Faculty and Staff: An Imperative for Fostering Retention, Advising, and Smart Borrowing Model, published by Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TG) and the Educational Policy Institute (EPI), proposes strategies to improve student retention, persistence and success.
http://www.educationalpolicy.org/PR/PR_080214_TG.html (Press Release)
http://www.educationalpolicy.org/pub/pubpdf/EngagingFaculty.pdf (Document)
United States of America: Sustainable Student Loans
Financially Sustainable Student Loan Programs: The Management of Risk in the Quest for Private Capital, published by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) analyses how to increase participation in higher education and how to shift some costs on students through greater private capital participation in loans.
http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/a-f/Financially_Sustainable_Student_Loan_Programs_Issue_Brief.pdf
United States of America: New Leadership for Student Learning and Accountability
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) released New Leadership for Student Learning and Accountability: A Statement of Principles, Commitments to Action at its annual Conference. Developed jointly by CHEA, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and representatives of national associations, it proposes six principles and eight action steps for the transparency and accountability of higher education institutions.
http://www.chea.org/pdf/2008.01.30_New_Leadership_Statement.pdf
United States of America: Student Learning Outcomes
The new paper of the Culture of Evidence series, A Culture of Evidence: an Evidence-Centered Approach to Accountability for Student Learning Outcomes, prepared by Educational Testing Service (ETS), provides faculty and institutional leaders with a framework to help them assess student learning outcomes.
http://www.ets.org/Media/Education_Topics/pdf/COEIII_report.pdf
United States of America: Branch Campus Enrolments
The extract from Open Doors 2007: Report on International Education Exchange presents the results of a survey on U.S. branch campuses abroad conducted by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in the autumn of 2007.
http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=BranchCampuses

Venezuela: Access to Higher Education
The Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Educación Superior (MPPES) (Ministry of Higher Education) has presented the new Sistema Nacional de Ingreso Estudiantil a la Educación Universitaria (national university entrance system) to the Rectors of national (public) universities. It will replace the current Prueba de Aptitud Académica (university entrance examination).
http://www.mes.gov.ve/informa/noticias.php?id=1315 (in Spanish)

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