1

The International Association of Universities Internationalisation and global collaboration and

networking opportunities

Dr. Hilligje van‘t Land, Director Membership and Program Development, IAU

at the International Seminarand II General Assembly of the

Grupo Coimbra de Universidades Brasileiras

November 25-28, 2009Salvador de Bahia, Brasil

Presentation

• Background, Definition and Mission of IAU• Values and Principles • Membership• Administrative structure• Priority themes• Action and services

In a nutshell• IAU in independent, bilingual, non governmental

membership based organisation which offers support to its members and acts as a voice of higher education to UNESCO and other international organisations;

• IAU’s goal is to offer a platform for reflection and action on common priorities;

• IAU facilitates this by offering a platform for better understanding internationally of the wealth of the diversity of higher education globally and by strengthening international cooperation between universities and through partnering with key higher education organisations and other stakeholders

Mission of IAU

• Founded in 1950, the IAU UNESCO-based International Association of Universities is the leading global association of higher education institutions and organisations from around the globle. It celebrates its 60th years in 2010.

• Its mission is to strengthen higher education by providing a global forum for leaders of institutions and associations to discuss, reflect and take action on issues of shared interest.

IAU pledges to

• Contribute to the development of knowledge, higher education and research in the public interest

• Strengthen academic solidarity, understanding and appreciation among HEIs and promote cooperation rather than competition

• Promote equitable access, success and equal opportunities for students, researchers, faculty and staff

• Encourage the pursuit of diversity and quality while respecting and valorising cultural differences

IAU promotes the following Values

Academic Freedom

Institutional Autonomy

Freedom and Justice, Human Dignity and Solidarity

IAU promotes• Institutional accountability, • Institutionnal effectiveness, • The ideal of knowledge made accessible to all

through collaboration and improved access to higher education.

• The fundamental basic principle: the right to pursue knowledge for its own sake , promotion and upholding of tolerance of divergent opinion and freedom for political interference.

• The obligation of universities to act as true social institutions

IAU representation

• IAU Members are : degree conferring higher education institutions (granting at least an undergraduate or first cycle degree of at least three years and be recognised by a competent body. Members are also: associations of Universities (national, regional and international)

• Membership: more than 630 Memberss – universities and other higher education institutions and their associations from 130 countries.

IAU Governing Board• The Members of the IAU Administrative Board are elected

every four years at IAU General Conferences• IAU Board: • Executive Committee: President: Juan Ramon de la Fuente,

Former Rector UNAM, Mexico; 4 Vice-presidents from Asia (Malaysia), Europe (Italy), the Americas (USA), Africa (Kenya); Secretary General

• Board and Deputy Board Members: acting Rectors of Universities representing the following geopolitical regions of the world: Africa; Americas; Asia and the Pacific; Europe

• Secretariat and Office: UNESCO / NGO-House, Paris: 17 staff members

• Board Meetings: once a year (full Board) + every 6 months (Executive Committee)

Priority themes

Internationalisation, Cross-Border Higher Education and Inter-cultural Dialogue

Higher Education and Society

Equitable Access and Success

Internationalisation, cross-Border Higher Education, Inter-cultural Dialogue

• 3rd Global Survey Report on InternationalisationReport: publication in early 2010

• Collaborative reviews of Internationalisation strategies; first issue: at Hokkaido University, Japan

• Thematic Conferences: Lyon France on Internationalisation; Alexandria, Egypt on Cross-border Higehr Education; Beirut, Lebanon on Intercultural Dialogue.

• International Task Forces

• Focused WebPages

Higher education and society

• HEEFA Portal: launch information tool and interactive portal linking higher education and research to the UN goal of Education for All and the Millenium Development Goals

• Higher Education and Sustainable Development: – Support the UNESCO led UN Decade of Education for

Sustainable Development– Partnership with UNEP on Global Survey on Sustainable

Lifestyles (project linked to the Marrakech Project)– Thematic WebPages

Equitable Access and success

IAU Policy Statement on: Equitable Access, Success and Quality in Higher EducationNew project being developed with the World BankInternational Task Force

Actions and services

CoveningAdvocacy

Research and analysisInformation Dissemination

Capacity Building

1. Covening

International Conferences Expert MeetingsTopical Seminars

17

IAU International Conferences• 4-6 November 2009,

Notre Dame University, LebanonInternational Conference on: the Role of Higher Education in Fostering the Culture of Dialogue and Understanding

25-26 June 2010, Mykolas Romeris University,

Vilnius, LithuaniaInternational Conference on:

Ethics and Values in Era of Globalization

Upcoming Conferences and Meetings

• 2010: Mozambique: Meeting on HE and EFA

• 2010: International Seminar on the Changing Nature of Doctoral Programs in Sub-saharan Africa

• 2011, Kenyatta University, in Nairobi, KenyaInternational Conference of the IAU Kenyatta University, in Nairobi, Kenya

• 2012, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, USA November 12-18: IAU 14th General Conference

IAU bi-annuel Global Meetings of Associations

(GMAs)IAU and the Indian Association of Universities

Place: Delhi, IndiaDate: April/May 2011

Global Meeting of Associations GMA IV

The 2009 global meeting took place in

Guadalajara, Mexico, and was co-organised in collaboration with ANUIES

2. Advocacy

• IAU acts as the voice of Higher Education leaders

• Elaborates Declarations and Policy Statements• Promotes views to international organisations

and intergovernmental bodies like UNESCO, OECD, World Bank, etc.

3. Research and Analysis

• Higher Education Policy• Global Research on

Internationalisation of Higher Education (3rd Survey report under way)

• Research in the field of Higher Education and Sustainable Development

• Research Project on the changing nature of doctoral programs in Sub-saharan Africa

4. Information dissemination

• IAU/Unesco Information Centre on Higher Education

• Electronic bibliographic database: HEDBIB• Clearinghouse of information on higher

education systems, institutions and qualifications worldwide

• Monthly e-bulletin• IAU Website

• International Handbook of Universities• Guide to Higher Education in Africa• World Higher Education Database on CD-Rom• IAU Horizons (magazine published 3 times a

year) • Annual Reports

5. Capacity Building

• LEADHER (Leadership in Higher Education) Programme: grant (10.000 US$) offered to IAU Members to help support professional development and capacity building through South-North or South-South international partnerships and cooperation

Presence IAU in Brasil and Latin America

• In Brasil• In Latin American • Membership at Institutional and Organisational

Levels• IAU as a true international and global platform for

exchange of information, for better understanding and dissemination of information

• IAU acts as a facilitator for the development of collaborative regional and global projects and partnerships

Open invitation

• To the Coimbra Group to come and participate in the debates that will take place at the GMA IV in Delhi, India, in 2011

• To all to come and participate actively in the International Conference on Ethics and Values in an Era of Globalisation, in Vilnius, Lithuania, June 2010

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

For information about IAUwww.unesco.org/iau

www.aiu-iau.net

Contacth.vantland@iau-aiu.net

© IAU – September 2009