Sunday 31 October 2010

University World News 0144 - 31st October 2010

This week's highlights

In this week's edition ZOFEEN T EBRAHIM interviews the former chairman of Pakistan's Higher Education Commission, Atta-ur-Rahman, about heavy pressures facing the sector and its primary regulator. In Features, BRENDAN O'MALLEY reports on the European Universities Association annual conference in Italy, JAN PETTER MYKLEBUST looks at a pilot study into Europe's multi-dimensional global university ranking exercise, and SHARON DELL writes about a South African initiative to strengthen the social sciences and humanities. In the Commentary section, ALEX USHER contemplates the impacts on higher education diversity of the Bologna process, and KEN STEELE probes how and why universities are diversifying their appeal to students.

NEWS: Our correspondents worldwide report

GLOBAL: Finland top for affordability, accessibility
Ian R Dobson*
Finland has both the most affordable and accessible system of higher education, according to a study of 17 countries undertaken by Canadian research group Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA). Norway is a close runner-up.
Full report on the University World News site:

FRANCE: University ranking by job success causes stir
Jane Marshall
A ranking of French universities according to their graduates' job prospects has been published by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research and welcomed by Minister Valérie Pécresse. But the exercise has been criticised by a spec ialist in graduate employment rates, the body representing university presidents, and by a national students' federation.


Full report on the University World News site:

PAKISTAN: Commissions lock horns over fake degrees
Ameen Amjad Khan
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan have locked horns over the verification of fake university degrees held by members of the federal and provincial assemblies, as the scandal spread to qualifications obtained at high school.
Full report on the University World News site:

INDIA: Central universities agree to credit transfer
Alya Mishra
In a move that could significantly enhance the mobility and choice of students, central universities across India have agreed to create an inter-university credit transfer system.
Full report on the University World News site:

IRAN: Humanities and social sciences growth freeze
Yojana Sharma and Ramin Namvari
Many Iranian students hoping to stay on to study masters degrees in the humanities and social sciences could be prevented from doing so after the Iranian authorities announced a freeze on approvals for new courses in 12 disciplines, seen by experts as a move to curb university growth in these areas.
Full report on the University World News site:

ISLAMIC STATES: Boosting higher education cooperation
Wagdy Sawahel
The 57 member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, have adopted resolutions for promoting a culture of knowledge, scientific research and innovation, according to a declaration made in Kuala Lumpur in October.
Full report on the University World News site:

EGYPT: Universities in fix over police removal
Ashraf Khaled
As advocates of university independence celebrate a landmark court ruling ordering the removal of police guards from campuses in Egypt, leaders of government-run universities are considering the costs of recruiting civilian guards.
Full report on the University World News site:

GREECE: Academia rejects government reforms
Makki Marseilles
Government proposals for wholesale reform of higher education have generated angry opposition among university rectors and students.
Full report on the University World News site:

US: Study abroad continues despite Mexican violence
Sarah King Head
While continued updates to the US State Department's travel advisory were not enough to dissuade American universities and colleges from offering study abroad programmes in Mexico, the tragic death of University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) freshman, Jonathon William Torres Cazares, on 30 September might yet ring their knell.
Full report on the University World News site:

KENYA: Major dispute could lead to lecturer strike
Gilbert Nganga
Kenya's 5,000 lecturers in public universities are locked in a major dispute with the government over the sacking of a union boss by one of the institutions and growing tribalism in employment in state universities. The tussle threatens to erupt into a strike next week, which could paralyse learning in the country's seven public universities.
Full report on the University World News site:

EUROPE: Scientists push for deep sea research
Jan Petter Myklebust
Marine and maritime scientists are calling on the member states of the European Union and the institutions of the EU to recognise that "the seas and the oceans are one of the grand challenges for the 21st century".
Full report on the University World News site:

ZIMBABWE IN THE NEWS

AUSTRALIA: Monash denies Mugabe invitation
Geoff Maslen
Monash University Vice-chancellor Professor Ed Byrne was forced to deny a Melbourne newspaper report last week that one of his senior executives at the university's South African campus had extended an invitation to Zimbabwe's notorious president, Robert Mugabe, to give a lecture to students at Monash's Johannesburg campus.
Full report on the University World News site:

GLOBAL: Mugabe - Man of many degrees
Geoff Maslen
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been awarded a dozen or more honorary degrees from universities around the world, only to have at least three belatedly removed following widespread protests. Doubts have now surfaced whether he received an honorary doctorate last month from a university in Ecuador, or indeed whether it was bestowed by a 'bogus' bishop.
Full report on the University World News site:

ZIMBABWE: Plans for two new private universities
Kudzai Mashininga
Two new private universities are on the cards in Zimbabwe, and the projects have been lauded by the government in a country facing a critical shortage of human capital in various sectors of the economy.
Full report on the University World News site:

ZIMBABWE: Manhunt for 'wanted' student
Kudzai Mashininga
Zimbabwean police have launched a manhunt for a University of Zimbabwe student who faces the death penalty for allegedly plotting a coup against long-time autocratic ruler President Robert Mugabe in 2007. The student was previously released from prison when not tried within the required six months, but a judge has now said he is still a wanted man.
Full report on the University World News site:

NEWSBRIEFS

UK: UCL branch in Qatar to spec ialise in archeology
University College London (UCL) will open a campus in Doha, Qatar, next year which will spec ialise in Arab and Islamic archaeology. The top-ranked university is the first from the UK to open a branch in Qatar.
Full report on the University World News site:

UK: New China centre for Oxford
A new centre for the study of China is to be set up at the University of Oxford thanks to a £10 million (US$16 million) gift from the Hong Kong businessman Dickson Poon.
Full report on the University World News site:

UWN INTERVIEW

PAKISTAN: Lack of higher education vision - Rahman
Pakistan's Higher Education Commission is facing the toughest time in its eight-year history, embroiled in the country's fake degrees scandal, facing major government cutbacks to higher education, and dealing with rampant academic plagiarism. ZOFEEN T EBRAHIM talks to the commission's founding chairman, Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, about the unprecedented pressures.
Full report on the University World News site:

FEATURES

EUROPE: Universities agree to sharpen profiles
Brendan O'Malley
Universities across Europe are trying to sharpen their distinctive profiles in response to an era of reforms and deep cuts in state spending. But the pursuit of diversity is hindered by simplistic rankings and the Bologna process, the European Universities Association annual conference concluded.
Full report on the University World News site:

EUROPE: U-Multirank pilot study underway
Jan Petter Myklebust
While universities were digesting the results of the three major world rankings, the European U-Multirank consortium launched a study into a new multi-dimensional global ranking aimed at comparing similar institutions and programmes in terms of their missions and profiles. This month it announced that 107 institutions from more than 40 countries had joined the study.
Full report on the University World News site:

SOUTH AFRICA: Initiative to strengthen liberal arts
Alison Moodie
The South African government has launched an initiative to revive and strengthen the social sciences and humanities in universities. A charter of recommendations, to be published in mid-2011, will put these oft-neglected areas back on the higher education agenda so that students who want a true liberal arts education can get a good one.
Full report on the University World News site:

COMMENTARY

EUROPE: Bologna doesn't have to kill diversity
Alex Usher
Those who fear that diversity in higher education in Europe is under threat from massification, accountability regimes and globalisation have missed the point. More choice can be on offer, but in most cases universities will have to provide it by operating like hypermarchés rather than niche shops.
Full report on the University World News site:

CANADA: Knowing your undergraduates
With career-oriented students seeking variety in their university experiences, universities are diversifying their appeal. The downsides are often talked about, but this evolution could well help universities in regions of population decline survive, while offering students clearer choices among a broader range of educational options, writes KEN STEELE in the latest edition of the Canadian journal Academic Matters.
Full report on the University World News site:

BUSINESS

UK: Academic-industry engagement on the rise
Debbie Derry
Academics in the United Kingdom are becoming increasingly engaged with industry, with research activity and funding among the leading motivating factors for the growing and more widely spread involvement. These are among the key findings of surveys of more than 6,000 academics. Respondents had been involved in creating nearly 700 companies in recent years.
Full report on the University World News site:

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

INDIA: University book ban sparks free speech fears
Roisin Joyce*
Writers, filmmakers and social commentators have expressed fear for freedom of speech after the withdrawal of an award-winning book from a university syllabus following pressure from hard-line Hindu activists, AFP reported on 20 October.
More Academic Freedom reports on the University World News site:

FACEBOOK

The Facebook group of University World News is the fastest growing in
higher education worldwide. More than 2,400 readers have joined. Sign up to the University World News Facebook group to meet and communicate directly with academics and researchers informed by the world's first truly global higher education publication. Click on the link below to visit and join the group.
Visit the University World News group on Facebook:

WORLD ROUND-UP

MEXICO: Universities face bankruptcy over pension crisis
Nearly two-thirds of Mexico's 33 public universities could face bankruptcy because of a combined $35-billion shortfall in their pension plans, according to a government study obtained by the newspaper El Universal, writes Marion Lloyd for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
More on the University World News site:

CANADA: Universities bowed to pressure from private donor
It was a clash at the intersection of private money and public education, with a big-name cast of characters: BlackBerry titan Jim Basillie, Governor General David Johnston and Dr Ramesh Thakur, a former United Nations diplomat renowned as one of the world's leading scholars on peace and security studies, writes Michael Valpy for The Globe and Mail.
More on the University World News site:

SCOTLAND: University chiefs push for graduate fee
A policy paper published last week by Universities Scotland, which represents university principals, calls on the Scottish government to take urgent legislative action to introduce a graduate contribution scheme by 2012-13, writes Andrew Denholm for The Herald Scotland.
More on the University World News site:

IRELAND: Moves to identify cheating scientists
Ireland must protect against the "corruption of the scientific literature" caused by researchers who might cheat when delivering their results. Failure to do so could put people at risk and also damage the country's reputation abroad for high quality scientific work, reports Dick Ahlstrom for The Irish Times.
More on the University World News site:

ETHIOPIA: Ministry lifts ban on distance education
Ethiopia's Federal Ministry of Education has lifted its ban on distance education, after a one-and-a-half month long negotiation with private institutions ended last week in agreement, reports Daily Ethiopia.
More on the University World News site:

MALAYSIA: Public universities to have more PhDs
The Malaysian government will increase the number of academic staff with doctoral qualifications in public institutions of higher learning to enable easier recognition abroad, reports New Straits Times.
More on the University World News site:

MALAYSIA: Indian provider to set up global university
India's Manipal Education will invest about RM650 million (US$209 million) over the next five years to establish the Manipal International University (MIU) in Kuala Lumpur, reports Malaysia's official news agency Bernama.
More on the University World News site:

CANADA: Large group of university chiefs to visit India
The largest delegation of Canadian university presidents ever to travel abroad - and the largest delegation of university presidents ever welcomed by India - will undertake a seven-day mission in India in November, writes Paul Davidson for The Vancouver Sun.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: Urgent need to deregulate higher education
India's National Knowledge Commission chairman Sam Pitroda last week stressed the need to deregulate education, calling it the need of the hour, reports India Edunews.
More on the University World News site:

UK: LSE raises spectre of private universities
Some of Britain's leading universities could consider going private if the government decides to retain a cap on tuition fees - potentially pricing students out of the market, writes Richard Garner for The Independent.
More on the University World News site:

UK: Record rush to beat fees rise
An unprecedented 74,234 candidates had completed applications for courses beginning in the autumn of 2011, more than ever before at such an early stage, writes Tim Ross for The Telegraph. Up to 220,000 candidates could be left without places next summer if the 4.2% year-on-year rise in applications continues, topping the record 210,000 students who missed places this year.
More on the University World News site:

AUSTRALIA: Elite universities warn of threat to quality
The academic integrity and international competitiveness of Australia's universities face being seriously compromised, writes Julie Hare for The Australian. This would occur if the government goes ahead with plans to approve thousands of additional student places without a corresponding boost to the sector's funding.
More on the University World News site:

EAST AFRICA: Low quality universities hinder growth
The poor quality of university education in the East African Community (EAC) is eating away the region's skills base, adding a fresh layer of challenge to the bloc's quest for faster growth and the dream of integration, writes Mwaura Kimani for Business Daily.
More on the University World News site:

SOUTH AFRICA: Student body calls for free tuition in 2011
All school-leavers should have free university education from 2011, the South African Students Congress (Sasco) said last week, reports Sapa. "There must be no students that will be excluded on the basis that they cannot afford or they owe fees," Sasco president Mbulelo Mandlana told reporters in Johannesburg.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: University mulls centre for Pakistan studies
The Panjab University (PU) in north India is considering setting up a centre for Pakistan studies for the systematic study of India's relations with its neighbour.
More on the University World News site:

Sunday 24 October 2010

University World News 0144 - 24th October 2010

This week's highlights

In Commentary, LUCY JAMES argues that universities must support students to challenge extreme Islamist ideologies on campus in order to protect freedom of speech; WIN MIN says if the Burmese election on November is rigged, there will be no protests this time because the student movement has been elaborately silenced; and JOEL DUFFY says cash-strapped universities should not be using public money to pay private lobbyists to put their case to government. In Features, KENCHO WANGDI, tracks the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan's attempts to become a higher education hub. And in Business, GEOFF MASLEN reports on the pitfalls for negotiators of misunderstanding cultural differences in body language.

NEWS: Our correspondents worldwide report

UK: Massive cuts raise spectre of student outflux
Diane Spencer and Brendan O'Malley
The coalition government is cutting the higher education budget by 40%. The budget will be reduced from £7.1 billion to £4.2 billion (US$11.2 billion to US$6.6 billion) by 2014-15. The scale of the cuts, and the possibility of tuition fees being driven up to compensate if the fee cap for UK students is raised, have left some European university leaders rubbing their hands with glee at the heightened prospect of enticing UK students abroad.
Full report on the University World News site:

GREECE: Reforms may usher in privatisation
Makki Marseilles
Universities are facing radical reforms with the emphasis on attracting private funds and reducing the state's financial commitment to higher education in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the liberation of the country from the Ottoman Empire in 1821.
Full report on the University World News site:

EUROPE: Universities agree PhD reform principles
Brendan O'Malley and Cayley Dobie
Higher education institutions must develop a critical mass and diversity of research to offer high-quality doctoral education. University structures dedicated to doctoral education should be developing ways that strengthen the research environment rather than simply creating more taught courses for doctoral candidates, the European Association of Universities (EUA) warned this week.
Full report on the University World News site:

LATIN AMERICA: Micro-loans widen students' options
Eileen Travers
Students in Latin America and the Middle East discovered a new way to help pay tuition fees last month, as an innovative micro-loan organisation launched a one-year pilot programme in Bolivia, Lebanon, and Paraguay to make it easier for them to pursue a university education.
Full report on the University World News site:

EUROPE: EU patent plan could boost research
Jan Petter Myklebust
The EU presidency is seeking to resolve the sensitive question of what languages should be used to write European patents, which could have a knock-on effect of encouraging more research innovation in European universities.
Full report on the University World News site:

ZIMBABWE: Premier vows to tackle student concerns
Kudzai Mashininga
Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has asked for a grace period to address student grievances, in a move that ended a countrywide class boycott following protests that saw eight student union members arrested last week.
Full report on the University World News site:

IRELAND: Universities woo maths students
John Walshe
Irish universities have bowed to political and business pressures and agreed to give additional 'weighting' to higher level mathematics in the secondary schools' Leaving Certificate examination - but they are not convinced it will do much to boost the numbers taking maths at the higher level.
Full report on University World News site:

VIETNAM-AFRICA: Promoting research, consultancy links
Mike Ives
As China builds on five decades of humanitarian projects in Africa, Vietnam is following suit by promoting new research and consulting partnerships with African allies. Officials recently announced that they were sending educational, medical and agricultural consultants to Africa and encouraging African students and researchers to visit Vietnam.
Full report on the University World News site:

INDIA: History research shines in bleak humanities landscape
Alya Mishra
Universities in India have been unable to produce high quality research in the arts, humanities and social sciences, according to the 'Arts and Humanities Research Mapping, India' report. However some world class research is being carried out in autonomous research centres, often funded by philanthropic bodies and India has pockets of research strength such as in history where "the exploration of new fields of research and of new historical sources", have bourne fruit.
Full report on the University World News site:

FRANCE: HEC Paris ties knot with Asian arts museum
Jane Marshall
Two prestigious French institutions have formed an unusual partnership to promote understanding of Asia. Leading business school HEC Paris and the Guimet Museum of Asian Arts have signed a three-year agreement, under which museum experts will teach courses centred on the museum's collections.
Full report on the University World News site:

NEWSBRIEFS

AFRICA: Most countries miss gender in universities MDG
Most African nations are likely to miss the Millennium Development Goal of achieving gender parity in tertiary education by 2015, a new report has said. But it noted that in three of nine African countries reviewed, more women now access university education than their male counterparts.
Full report on University World News site:

EU: Commission pushes for more translators
MJ Deschamps
The European Commission is encouraging universities to join its European Masters in Translation (EMT) university network as part of its new aim to encourage more European universities to offer high-quality courses for students who want to work as translators. The move is in response to a growing shortage of properly qualified translators in the job market.
Full report on the University World News site:

FEATURES

BHUTAN: Future higher education hub of Asia?
Kencho Wangdi
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is renowned for its untouched mountainous beauty. It is also known for its political innovation: its tobacco sales ban and its use of 'gross national happiness country' as a yardstick for development, for example. But could it soon become known as a higher education hub of Asia?
Full report on the University World News site:

COMMENTARY

GLOBAL: Islamist extremism must be challenged
The propagation of extreme Islamist ideologies at universities can push students towards terrorism and have a damaging effect on cohesion on campuses, so universities must support students who challenge them, says LUCY JAMES, author of a new study on the threat of radicalisation.
Full report on the University World News site:

BURMA Elections: The students have been silenced
The 1988 student protests in Rangoon led to a mass uprising and the emergence of Aung San Suu Kyi as Opposition leader. Burmese students also initiated the 2007 demonstrations — and monks took their place when they were arrested. But, former student activist Win Min argues, the military will take any measures necessary to avoid losing the election on 7 November.
Full report on the University World News site:

CANADA: Keep public funds away from the lobbyists
Joel Duff*
Evidence of public college and university administrations using taxpayers' money to hire private lobbyists surfaced earlier this month in Canada's largest province, Ontario. The controversy fuelled a heated debate that began weeks before when similar evidence implicated public hospitals, leading the Ontario government to pledge to legislate a ban on public institutions hiring private lobbyists.
Full report on the University World News site:

SCIENCE SCENE

AUSTRALIA: Saving cancer patients from starvation
Geoff Maslen
It is like watching someone starve to death: sometimes slowly, sometimes so quickly as to be shocking in its suddenness but always dreadfully painful to the sufferers and their relatives. Half the people dying with cancer lose weight and their muscles waste away until a significant proportion of their body mass has gone. This is the impact of a condition called cancer cachexia, from the Greek meaning 'bad condition'.
Full report on the University World News site:

SWEDEN: A richer, greener, smaller alpine world
Alpine plant life is proliferating, biodiversity is on the rise and the mountain world appears more productive and inviting than ever, says Swedish biologist Leif Kullman in a paper published in A Journal of the Human Environment*.
Full report on the University World News site:

GERMANY: A solution to the kilogram headache
The kilogram is a massive headache for scientists, writes Geoff Brumfiel in a news item in the latest issue of Nature,com. It is officially defined as the mass of a 122-year-old cylinder of platinum and iridium, kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris. But the cylinder's mass seems to be changing as it ages, prompting several groups of scientists to seek a replacement.
Full report on the University World News site:

BUSINESS

GLOBAL: Beat the body language barrier
Geoff Maslen
Clear cultural differences have been detected between the body language used by Western and Asian negotiators. Understanding them will prevent negotiators from inadvertently sending the wrong signals to their opponents, according to research by Wendi L Adair, an associate professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Full report on the University World News site:

FACEBOOK

The Facebook group of University World News is the fastest growing in
higher education worldwide. More than 2,400 readers have joined. Sign up to the University World News Facebook group to meet and communicate directly with academics and researchers informed by the world's first truly global higher education publication. Click on the link below to visit and join the group.
Visit the University World News group on Facebook:

WORLD ROUND-UP

NEW ZEALAND: Plan to raise entrance bar
New proposals have been made to lift the bar for university entrance as universities clamp down on domestic enrolments, with government funding caps keeping growth down, writes Antonio Bradley for The Dominion Post.
More on the University World News site:

UAE: Academic City turns down 25 universities
Dubai International Academic City has turned down 25 applications from international universities to set up their branch campuses in the Tecom Investment's Education Cluster because they failed to meet best practices and international standards, reports Muaz Shabandri for Khaleej Times.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: LSE to help set up top universities
The London School of Economics will collaborate with the Reliance Foundation, run by the promoters of India's largest corporate house, in setting up world-class universities in the South Asian nation, reports the Economic Times.
More on the University World News site:

CANADA: Panel says name and shame fakers
A blue-ribbon panel says Canadian academics found to have faked data, plagiarised and engaged in serious misconduct should be named publicly, reports Margaret Munro for Postmedia News. In a report slated for release last week, the panel said action was needed to fill serious gaps in how Canada dealt with misconduct involving research and studies paid for by taxpayers.
More on the University World News site:

US: Universities pursue ties with schools in Mexico
The leaders of the nation's most prestigious universities are reaching out to their counterparts in Mexico, saying more partnerships between the two countries could help with some of the border's most intractable problems, reports Jeannie Kever for The Houston Chronicle.
More on the University World News site:

NORTH AMERICA: Big drop in maths skills of students
The mathematics skills of students entering Canadian and North American universities have declined sharply in recent years, with many students unable to do basic arithmetic. Educators are divided on how much it matters, writes Anne Kershaw for University Affairs.
More on the University World News site:

MALAYSIA: Foreign intake to be hiked
The Higher Education Ministry is confident that the targeted increased intake of foreign students will help spur the economy, reports The Star. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the ministry is targeting an intake of 150,000 foreign students into Malaysia's public and private higher learning institutions by 2015.
More on the University World News site:

AUSTRALIA: High drop-out rates cost $1.4 billion
Student attrition in Australia's universities comes at a cost of more than $1.4 billion (US$1.36 billion) a year, or an average of $36 million (US$35.2 million) an institution. A new study of 12 universities found attrition rates ranged from a low of 9.7% to a high of 24.2%, with an average of 17%, reports The Australian.
More on the University World News site:

BRAZIL: Affirmative action on the rise
Affirmative action programmes have spread rapidly across Brazil's higher education institutions. Afro-Brazilians seeking a university education now have access to opportunities that were unreachable just decades ago, writes Amy Erica Smith for Americas Quarterly. A recent study by the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro found that 70% of Brazil's public universities - both federal and state - have adopted some form of affirmative action.
More on the University World News site:

US: Blacks, Hispanics trail in higher education
Higher education attainment rates for college-aged African-Americans and Hispanics have dropped across the board, according to a report, Minorities in higher education 2010, from the American Council on Education, a nonprofit that represents college leaders, writes Skyler McKinley for Youth Today.
More on the University World News site:

UK: Supermarket to pay student fees
A supermarket chain says it will pay for students' university fees if they enrol in a degree course it is sponsoring, heralding a new era of commercialisation in England's university system, writes Jessica Shepherd for The Guardian.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: New red tape upsets universities
A newly formed association of universities has criticised several proposed laws to reform higher education, saying they would 'over-regulate' the sector and undermine the autonomy of institutes, reports The Telegraph. Among the bills the Indian Council of Universities (ICU) has opposed is the educational tribunals bill, which seeks to set up spec ialised tribunals to adjudicate disputes in higher educational institutions.
More on the University World News site:

SOUTH KOREA: Too many graduates for too few jobs
Well-educated graduates are struggling to find decent jobs amid concerns of a mismatch between industry and academia, reports Korea's JoongAng Daily. According to an OECD report this month, Korea has one of the lowest employment rates for college-educated people out of its 33 member countries, with only 77.1% of college graduates in 2008 gaining employment.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: Move to improve staff training
With the aim of improving professionalism in the management of universities and colleges, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines on "training and development of academic administrators in higher education", reports The Times of India. It is argued that quality of education has taken a toll as teachers, besides performing primary task of teaching and research, are also discharging duties as deans, proctors, provosts, exam controllers, principals, department heads.
More on the University World news site:

SRI LANKA: 15 private universities on the way
Providing educational opportunities to all students is behind a move to set up 15 private universities in Sri Lanka, reports Hiran H Senewiratne for The Island, with 20% of seats of each university having to accommodate Sri Lankan students on a scholarship basis.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: Minister defends ban on Mistry novel
Chief minister
The Times of India last week justified the Mumbai University's decision to withdraw Rohinton Mistry's novel Such a long journey on the grounds that it contained "very bad language", reports Prafulla Marpakwar for The Times of India.
More on the University World News site:

Sunday 17 October 2010

University World News 0143 - 17th October 2010

This week's highlights

University World News celebrated its third anniversary last week. We take
readers behind the news to tell the story of how it all began, how the newspaper has grown and what it is today. Prominent figures in higher education across the world took the time to comment on our weekly international publication. The anniversary is also marked with a bumper edition.

There are loads of breaking stories and we introduce a new section, Student View. In the first column HUMA MOHYUDDIN explains why she supports the freedom of Muslim students to wear the veil. In Features JAN PETTER MYKLEBUST looks at Europe's new innovation agenda while SARAH KING HEAD describes capacity-building partnerships between universities in the US and Africa. From South Africa, SHARON DELL reports on proposals to boost the number of PhDs and CRAIN SOUDIEN explores where responsibility lies for racism in universities. Wrapping it all up, GEOFF MASLEN writes about ground-breaking research by a masters student in Melbourne into plumage patterns and the mating of birds.

GLOBAL: The University World News story Karen MacGregor Every newspaper has its own story and ours began in early 2007, when a few dozen higher education correspondents scattered around the world found themselves with knowledge and skills but no newspaper to write for. Mostly freelance journalists, we had been fired en masse by Times Higher Education as it contracted its global coverage, retaining correspondents only in the US and Brussels.
Read about in on the University World News site:

I am glad to see the efforts by University World News to monitor global higher education developments worldwide. I am specifically pleased to see that you do so for Saudi Arabia and its higher education revolution. As we learn from other countries' experiences, we are pleased that other countries are learning from ours. UWN is a powerful platform to share such experiences. I find it very interesting and educating. Keep up the good work. Abdulkader Alfantookh Professor and Deputy Minister of Higher Education for Planning and Information Ministry of Higher Education, Saudi Arabia

University World News is an invaluable source of independent information and comment on universities worldwide. Professor W John Morgan Unesco Chair of the Political Economy of Education, University of Nottingham Chairman of the UK National Commission for Unesco

University World News fills a major gap in knowledge. It provides up-to-date, truly global and in-depth coverage of developments in higher education. It is not subject to sensationalism nor to parochialism, as besets so much in the mainstream media. Instead, it has clear and constructive editorial standards that ensure it provides in one place so much that is worth knowing about the modern university and the policies and activities affecting higher education. University World News has become indispensable reading for all who value systematic insight into the role and contribution of universities. Dr Glenn Withers Chief Executive, Universities Australia

There is only one web news source that provides a truly global picture of the fast moving policy world of higher education, and that is University World News. I reference it often, and encourage others to do the same - particularly my American colleagues who need the reference point of the pursuits of other nations and economic competitors. John Aubrey Douglass Senior Research Fellow, Center for Studies in Higher Education University of California - Berkeley

University World News is an invaluable up-to-date resource on current issues internationally in higher education. It provides those of us interested in keeping abreast with developments in the field with researched information. The Africa Edition is an added bonus we all need for information on developments on the continent. It helps keep African academics in the diaspora connected to the debates on higher education in Africa. Teboho Moja Professor of Higher Education, New York University. Former adviser to the Minister of Education in South Africa.

University World News is a trusted source of information on higher education issues around the globe. Congratulations to UWN on three years of quality reporting. Paul Davidson President of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

University World News has become the most important single source of information about global higher education. Its editors and reporters do a superb job. We have quickly come to take for granted the sharp reporting, reports and documents in depth, and the remarkable coverage across all higher education systems. Congratulations UWN - and don't stop doing what you do! Simon Marginson Professor of Higher Education, Centre for the Study of Higher Education University of Melbourne

NEWS: Our correspondents worldwide report

IRAN: Hardliners tighten grip on moderate university
Yojana Sharma and Ramin Namvari
Deep divisions in Iranian politics are playing out in the battle for control over Iran's semi-autonomous Islamic Azad University, which is seen as a berth for moderate politicians. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week issued a decree declaring the university's endowment to be 'religiously illegitimate'.
Full report on the University World News site:

AUSTRALIA: Universities face funding crisis
Geoff Maslen
A collapse in income from foreign student fees has begun to hit universities across the country with Monash University, the nation's biggest, facing a A$45 million (US$44.8 million) drop in revenue next year and the loss of 300 jobs. In an email to staff last week, Monash Vice-chancellor Professor Ed Byrne announced that overseas student numbers were expected to fall by 10% "at best" in 2011. Byrne said foreign student fees accounted for more than 20% of Monash's annual income, "so the drop will have a significant adverse impact upon the university's budget".
Full report on the University World News site:

PAKISTAN: Funding for students abroad suspended
Ameen Amjad Khan
Some 400 Pakistani students admitted to foreign universities with prior assurance that their studies would be financed by the government, will not be able to go after the government ordered the Higher Education Commission to stop scholarship payments.
Full report on the University World News site:

UK: Browne lifts tuition fee cap
Diane Spencer
In the biggest shake-up of higher education in 50 years, Lord (John) Browne has recommended removing the cap on tuition fees which could rise threefold from the current charge of £3,290 (US$5,200) a year. Liberal Democrats in the coalition government are threatening a revolt as they made an election pledge to phase out tuition fees.
Full report on the University World News site :

ITALY: Strikes delay start of academic year
Lee Adendorff
The beginning of the Italian academic year has been delayed in dozens of universities as the ricercatori or assistant professors stage a series of protests throughout the country. An estimated 10,000 - around half - of the country's assistant professors are refusing to teach non-obligatory classes to protest against budget cuts and reforms currently under scrutiny in parliament.
Full report on the University World News site:

FRANCE: Priority for higher education and research
Jane Marshall
Despite an austerity budget aimed at cutting at least -40 billion (US$55.75 billion) from total state spending, for the fourth year running higher education and research remain a French government priority having been spared the deep cuts and job losses made in other areas of the 2011 budget. Minister for higher education and research Valérie Pécresse says the budget for her sector was "exceptional in the context of a reduction of the public deficit".
Full report on the University World News site:

IRELAND: European Commission angry over cut awards
John Walshe
The Irish Government is in danger of losing up to -10m (US$14 million) a year in EU funding because it imposed pay cuts on leading university researchers who are funded entirely by Brussels. Around 70 Marie Curie scholars, mostly from overseas, have had their awards reduced in line with cuts in salaries throughout the Irish public service. But the decision has angered the European Commission, which has accused the government of breach of contract.
Full report on the University World News site:

NEW ZEALAND: Universities win more funding
John Gerritsen
New Zealand's government has announced extra funding for universities just days before publication of a report claiming big economic benefits from such spending. The independent report commissioned by Universities New Zealand concluded that a $40 million (US$30.2 million) increase in annual government spending on universities would, after five years, result in a permanent increase in gross domestic product of $370 million by 2025.
Full report on the University World News site:

AUSTRIA: EU pressure over foreign student jobs
Michael Gardner
The European Union is putting pressure on Austria to allow non-EU students to work in the country to pay for their studies. The EU's executive, the European Commission, says Austrian authorities have failed to comply with an EU directive stipulating corresponding laws, regulations and administrative procedures. Now the commission has referred the issue to the European Court of Justice.
Full report on the University World News site:

ARAB STATES: Saudis lead Gulf to nanotechnology
Wagdy Sawahel
Saudi Arabia is consolidating its leading role in Arab efforts to enhance nanotechnology research and education and has announced plans for the Middle East's first international centre for research and innovation in nanotechnology applications.
Full report on the University World News site:

COLOMBIA: Groups rally to free imprisoned professor
Eileen Travers
Education International, a Belgium-based global teachers' federation, has ramped up its protest against the incarceration of Colombian professor and trade unionist Miguel Beltrán by launching an online petition to free him. The petition went online after its launch on 10 September at the International Conference on Higher Education and Research in Vancouver, Canada.
Full report on the University World News site:

INDONESIA: Natural sciences lag behind
David Jardine
Indonesia's new academic year, just beginning, has again exposed the inadequacy of the country's higher education provision in the natural sciences. Few universities are offering such undergraduate courses, and the paucity of undergraduates in the natural sciences is reflected further up the higher education ladder in a lack of research students.
Full report on the University World News site:

EAST AFRICA: Moves to harmonise higher education
Gilbert Nganga
The East African Community's five member countries have inched closer to harmonising and standardising their university education systems, potentially boosting student access and mobility. But the improvements will require major changes to individual countries' education systems.
Full report on the University World News site:

RWANDA: No more bursary loans for students - cabinet
Alexandrine Mugisha
Last week the Rwandan cabinet approved a decision to cancel bursary loans used to support government-assisted students through their academic life. There is also talk of terminating merit-based college scholarships.
Full report on the University World News site:

EGYPT: Universities reconsider borderline marks
Ashraf Khaled
Egyptian Minister of Higher Education Hani Hilal has announced the planned cancellation of a decades-old system that helps under-performing university students to pass year-end examinations. "The borderline mark system or what is known as 'mercy grades' is illegal and encourages students to be under-achievers," Hilal told academics at Beni Sueif University in southern Egypt earlier this month.
Full report on the University World News site:

NEWSBRIEFS

EUROPE: Think about market, say research universities
Alan Osborn
Europe's top research universities have urged the European Union to take finance, competition and entrepreneurship fully into account when charting a future for the proposed EU 'Innovation Union'. Universities have an important role in innovation: "They do not operate in isolation but are an intrinsic part of a larger innovation ecosystem," said the League of European Research Universities, LERU.
Full report on the University World News site :

EU: Let scientific research be for all - digital chief
Alan Osborn
A powerful plea to open up the fruits of scientific research for the betterment of everybody's life has been made by Neelie Kroes, EU commissioner for the digital agenda.
Full report on the University World News site:

SENEGAL-HAITI: Welcome for quake-stricken students
Some 160 young Haitians were due to arrive in Senegal last week to start higher education studies, under a scheme proposed by President Abdoulaye Wade following the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean state in January.
Full report on the University World News site:

FEATURES

EUROPE: New innovation agenda launched
Jan Petter Myklebust
When she became the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn added 'innovation' to her portfolio, helping bright ideas from academia make the commercial light of day. Now she has launched a new innovation agenda, aiming to create what she calls an EU Innovation Union.
Full report on the University World News site :

SOUTH AFRICA: Study abroad to boost PhDs - proposal
Sharon Dell
An expert study has recommended that a large number of South African students be sent abroad to study for doctoral degrees over the next 10 years, as one way to scale up the number of PhDs produced and boost the country's knowledge and innovation system. The proposal is one of 10 contained in a report launched last week by the Academy of Sciences of South Africa, Assaf.
Full report on the University World News site:

US-AFRICA: Higher education development partnerships
Sarah King Head
Poverty alleviation and economic stimulation on the world's poorest continent are problems the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Higher Education for Development intend to help solve. Last month the agencies announced strategic capacity-building partnerships between 22 universities in Africa and the US.
Full report on the University World News site:

COMMENTARY

SOUTH AFRICA: Puzzling through university transformation
Challenging developments in South Africa, particularly in universities, have led to confusion around position-taking on political and other issues. Every now and then events in society bring position-taking to a point of crisis, and one such crisis is unfolding in the 'resolution' of the crimen injuria case against four former Reitz hostel students from the University of Free State who were at the centre of a racism controversy nearly three years ago. Who is to take responsibility? asks CRAIN SOUDIEN in an article in the South African Journal of Science.
Full report on the University World News site:

STUDENT VIEW

UK: Muslim Veil: Why are we not accepting each other?
Burnley in Lancashire, England, is a city of simmering ethnic tension that burst into violent riots between Muslims and non-Muslims in 2001. Yet Burnley College has become the first in Britain to ban the veil or 'items of clothing which cover the face' ostensibly for security reasons. Britain has prided itself on being more tolerant than other European countries such as France or Belgium that have banned the veil in schools, colleges or public buildings. So what is it like to be a Muslim student from Burnley? Find out from HUMA MOHYUDDIN.
Full report on the University World News site:

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

US: California vetoes university transparency bill
Roisin Joyce and Ramin Namvari*
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have required foundations and other auxiliary groups tied to California's main universities, California State University and the University of California, to open their list of donors to the public, Inside Higher Education reported on 1 October.
More Academic Freedom reports on the University World News site:

BUSINESS

GLOBAL: e-Store opens for genome research tools
Jane Marshall
Biomedical researchers working in the fields of drug discovery, protein production and gene function can now buy research kits online from French specialist in genome customisation Cellectis Bioresearch - wherever in the world they are based.
Full report on the University World News site:

US: Hult International opens campus in California
Cayley Dobie
Hult International Business School has opened its newest campus in San Francisco, California, in the hope that local businesses will see this as an opportunity to recruit business graduates from their own community.
Full report on the University World News site:

UK: New book examines history of UK business schools
Cayley Dobie
Business professor Allan PO Williams has released his book The History of UK Business and Management Education, which says the strong growth of business schools in Britain has boosted the country's economy.
Full report on the University World News site:

UNI-LATERAL

GLOBAL: S exy secrets of birds' signals
Geoff Maslen
Thanh-Lan Gluckman's discovery that birds have sexy secrets, never divulged before, has startled zoologists around the world. Then again, it's not often a masters student in Melbourne uncovers something that not only changes zoologists' fundamental beliefs about sexual communication among birds but which also gets her into a PhD programme at Cambridge University.
Full report on the University World News site:

FACEBOOK

The Facebook group of University World News is the fastest growing in
higher education worldwide. More than 2,400 readers have joined. Sign up to the University World News Facebook group to meet and communicate directly with academics and researchers informed by the world's first truly global higher education publication. Click on the link below to visit and join the group.
Visit the University World News group on Facebook:

WORLD ROUND-UP

GERMANY: Group to audit university rankings
University rankings organisations could soon find themselves on the receiving end of the kinds of evaluations that have made them so newsworthy and influential, writes Aisha Labi for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
More on the University World News site:

CHINA: Hong Kong to raise higher education rate
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang said last week the city was likely to raise the higher education participation rate among young people to about 65%, from around 30% in 2000, reports The People's Daily.
More on the University World News site:

TURKEY: Campuses defy lifting of headscarf ban
In defiance of a recent attempt by the Higher Education Board (YÖK) to lift the controversial ban on the use of the Muslim headscarf on university campuses, some institutions continue to refuse to allow covered students to attend their courses, reports Today's Zaman.
More on the University World News site:

IRAQ: Exiled professors stage virtual return
Some of the hundreds of Iraqi academics who fled their homeland over the past several years have begun to reclaim a role in their former universities through a new e-learning project, even though they remain in exile, writes Aisha Labi for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
More on the University World News site:

CHINA: Chinese students 'drive US university market'
Along with the increasingly broad educational exchanges between China and the United States in the last 30 years, Chinese students have become a powerful 'engine' for the US higher education market, reports People's Daily Online.
More on the University World News site:

US: Big oil money can influence research, study claims
Research universities that accept millions of dollars from oil companies have failed to shield themselves from corporate influence, according to a new study that faults the University of California, Berkeley, UC Davis, Stanford and seven others, writes Nanette Asimov for The San Francisco Chronicle.
More on the University World News site:

UK: 'Pay universities to admit poor students'
Universities could be paid to take in more students from poor backgrounds under a controversial £7 billion (US$11.2 billion) Coalition plan to improve social mobility, write Graeme Paton and James Kirkup for The Telegraph.
More on the University World News site:

UK: Immigration cap may damage higher education
As cabinet ministers consider controversial plans to cap the number of skilled workers coming to the UK, university heads warned that the restrictions, which come in the wake of steep funding cuts, will create a damaging "perfect storm" for British higher education, writes Anthea Lipsett for The Guardian.
More on the University World News site:

INDIA: Faculty object to book withdrawal
Faculty members of the University of Mumbai have protested Vice-Chancellor Rajan Welukar's decision to withdraw Rohinton Mistry's Booker-nominated novel Such a Long Journey from the English syllabus, reports the Hundustan Times.
More on the University World News site:

GERMANY: Course for Imams aims at integration
Osnabrueck University is paving the way for a growth in Islamic studies with the aim of better integrating Germany's four million Muslims into German society, reports Deutsche Welle.
More on the University World News site:

US: Gates seeks new technologies to boost success
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced last week that US$20 million is up for grabs for education innovations in a new push to prepare high school students for college, writes Jenara Nerenberg for Fast Company.
More on the University World News site:

ROMANIA: Turkish entrepreneurs open 'model' university
Lumina University, established in Bucharest by Turkish entrepreneurs with the goal of becoming the best in the region, has celebrated the start of its first academic year with a ceremony attended by Turkish and Romanian officials, reports Today's Zaman.
More on the University World News site:

MALAYSIA: Perks for selected business faculties
Business faculties that are selected into the Malaysian government's special programme for top business schools will enjoy some flexibility not offered to other institutions, writes Lee Yen Mun for The Star.
More on the University World News site:

Sunday 10 October 2010

University World News 0002 - 10th October 2010

SPECIAL EDITION: OECD HIGHER EDUCATION CONFERENCE

The biennial conference of the Institutional Management in Higher Education
programme of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) took place in Paris from 13-15 September 2010. Entitled Higher Education in a World Changed Utterly: Doing more with less, the signature gathering investigated how, in the context of a global recession, higher education can lead the way to sustainable recovery.

There were more than 30 plenary speakers and some 60 presenters in parallel sessions. Discussions ranged across a wide variety of issues, from challenges facing higher education and how tertiary institutions and systems have responded to funding cuts to links between academia and industry, the use of technology and social engagement. Reflecting on the conference, its organiser Richard Yelland described a mood of "self-criticism, an acceptance that despite reform little fundamental change had been made, and that the university model - driven by aspiration to climb up the higher education value chain and amplified by rankings - was still undervaluing higher level vocational education and open and distance learning".

University World News was a media partner to the conference, and a team of five journalists reported on it, led by Asia Editor Yojana Sharma. Live coverage was provided, a selection of articles were published afterwards, and this weekend's Special Edition of the newspaper is devoted entirely to the OECD conference. Full details are available on the conference website.

GLOBAL: The train on platform 2010 is about to leave

Yojana Sharma Nearly 470 people from 62 countries made the OECD's Institutional Management for Higher Education general conference this year its biggest ever. There was a strong turnout from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the US, while Latin America was also well represented, particularly Mexico and Brazil.
Full report on the University World News site:

GLOBAL: Hot higher education issues
The global financial crisis means that higher education institutions "need to work smarter", said OECD Director for Education Barbara Ischinger, kicking off the three-day Institutional Management in Higher Education conference on 13 September. "We need to ensure institutions play to their strengths." While the recession has affected public investment in universities, student demand for higher education has never been stronger.
Full report on the University World News site:

THE BIG ISSUES

GLOBAL: Never mind quality, as universities expand
Yojana Sharma
The OECD's general conference, Higher Education in a World Changed Utterly: Doing more with less, identified one of the great challenges of expanding university systems: can higher education provide value while admitting more students and cutting back on spending in a recessionary climate? The problem is that no one knows how to measure the 'value' of higher education.
Full report on University World News site:

GLOBAL: The crisis, business and higher education
Lawrence J Speer
Joe Astroth wants to be a change agent. As chief education officer of US-based high-tech giant Autodesk, Astroth is playing a leading role in the company's continuing bid to create stronger links between industry and academia. It is a role he relishes. The global recession, Astroth said, has changed the environment facing businesses and universities alike. "The economic crisis has brought us together in an accelerated manner," he told University World News at the 2010 OECD higher education conference in Paris.
Full report on University World News site:

EUROPE: Students face 'new and sad reality'
Patricia Brett
Today's students do not want to "go down in history as the first generation of modern Europe that can expect to 'benefit' from fewer opportunities than the previous one," Bert Vandenkendelaere, chair of the European Students' Union, told the OECD higher education conference in Paris. Threatened by significant age wage gaps, high dropout rates, rampant graduate unemployment and limited support in starting a home or family, students fear their future may be bleaker than that of their parents.
Full report on the University World News site:

GLOBAL: Technology and innovation in higher education
Patricia Brett
Innovative solutions are required to mitigate the budget cuts brought on by the current financial crisis, but innovation is not always synonymous with hi-tech, speakers told the OECD's 2010 higher education conference in Paris last month. The need to redress the bias of research to the detriment of teaching was a recurring theme, as was a call for greater social responsibility in producing well-informed, responsible citizens.
Full report on the University World News site:

DOING MORE WITH LESS

GLOBAL: Push towards innovative funding methods
Lawrence J Speer
Shrinking state budgets and financial shortfalls linked to the global recession are forcing universities to devise new means of raising revenue, notably through increased interaction with the private sector, according to participants at last month's OECD higher education conference in Paris. The accelerating push towards public-private partnerships and other innovative funding methods was one of the gathering's principal themes.
Full report on the University World News site:

US: Huge university 'doing more with less' - Reed
Alecia D McKenzie
When you meet California State University Chancellor Charles B Reed for the first time, you think you've met him before. It takes a few minutes to realise that Reed bears a striking resemblance to English actor Bob Hoskins. He has the same round appearance, direct gaze and pugilistic stance, as if he's ready to do battle. And it has been a battle over the past two years, as Reed has slashed costs at the university and deflected criticism and outcry as he tried to absorb a US$600 million blow in the form of state budget cuts.
Full report on the University World News site:

UK: Run universities like supermarkets - consultant
Lawrence J Speer
A senior manager with the London-based strategy and insight consultancy SHM has suggested universities and other higher education institutions be run like supermarkets. Paul Gillooly presented this provocative idea to an incredulous group of government officials and university leaders at the OECD's Institutional Management in Higher Education general conference in Paris in September.
Full report on the University World News site:

COUNTRY CASES

ICELAND-IRELAND: Universities merge post-bubble
Yojana Sharma
Universities in Iceland and Ireland expanded dramatically during the 1990s boom, in part to promote regional development and absorb more students. But when the economic bubble burst, experts recommended a reduction in the overall number of institutions through painful mergers, as Denmark had already done.
Full report on the University World News site:

RUSSIA-POLAND: Post-Soviet higher education challenges
Patricia Brett
"I'm not saying things were better under the Soviet Union, but there is definitely a problem with access to higher education in Russia," Tatiana Gounko, assistant professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, said at the OECD's Institutional Management in Higher Education conference held in Paris in September.
Full report on the University World News site:

BAHAMAS: Development role for small island universities
Alecia D McKenzie
Small island states, which are increasingly vulnerable to global problems, need to have their universities play a stronger role in national development. "A small island nation has limited tools for driving its own development," said Janyne Hodder, former president of the College of the Bahamas and an administrative board member of the International Association of Universities, at the OECD's 2010 higher education conference.
Full report on the University World News site:

ISRAEL: Innovation lacking in universities
Lawrence J Speer
Israel may have transformed itself over the past decade into one of the world's vibrant economies, but innovation training is nonetheless sorely lacking in the nation's universities, according to Dr Milly Perry, director of the research authority at the Open University of Israel and CEO of OPMOP Ltd Technology Transfer Company.
Full report on the University World News site:

JAPAN: Private spending on higher education rising
Suvendrini Kakuchi
Private spending on university education in Japan is high at 67.5%, according to a recent report released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on public education investment in 28 member states. The OECD's Education at a Glance 2010 report indicated that the average for all nations was 30.9%, illustrating that in Japan private spending on higher education plays a vital role in supplementing low public funding.
Full report on the University World News site:

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

GLOBAL: Benefits (and costs) of social engagement
Alecia D McKenzie
As universities face increasing budget cuts and see their ivory-tower image attacked, many now espouse increased involvement in community and global issues. But although this 'social engagement' drive has numerous supporters, others wonder at the cost and the long-term impact on universities, especially in the area of research.
Full report on the University World News site:

CONTEXT AND CONCLUSIONS

GLOBAL: How higher education can help recovery
Mary-Louise Kearney and Richard Yelland*
Against the background of the most synchronised recession in developed countries in over half a century, the OECD's Institutional Management in Higher Education 2010 general conference focused on how the higher education sector - governments, institutions and individuals - can help contribute to sustainable recovery. Capitalising on the OECD's respected evidence base and drawing on analyses and opinions from some of the world's leading experts, the conference tried to identify ways to achieve higher quality outcomes at a time of increased demand and fewer resources, and examined innovative approaches to meeting the challenges of equity and efficiency.
Full report on the University World News site:

UK: Austerity challenging the values of universities
Karen MacGregor
Never before have universities faced such remarkable challenges to their fundamental values, said Professor Malcolm Grant, President and Provost of University College London, at the OECD higher education conference last month. During this time of austerity universities must continue to hold true to their values and take a long-term view, positioning themselves for 10 years' time "against the short-term turbulence of immediate change".
Full report on the University World News site:

GLOBAL: The big challenges for higher education
Karen MacGregor
The mood at the 2010 OECD higher education conference was more self-critical than complaining, according to Richard Yelland, head of the Education Management and Infrastructure Division in the organisation's Education Directorate. "Notwithstanding their good intentions, institutions and systems are not fulfilling their social responsibilities - to nurture research which will address pressing global issues, and equitable access to teaching which is relevant to the labour market and to society," he told University World News.
Full report on the University World News site:

COMMENTARY: A view from the periphery

OECD: Conference shies away from long-term solutions
Tunde Fatunde
Many of the solutions proposed by participants in the OECD's Institutional Management in Higher Education conference were short term, palliative measures when the deepest crisis in higher education funding since the Second World War means the sector is in need of a kind of Marshall Plan to save it.
Full report on the University World News site: