Background

This blog is in support of a conference being held by the Worldwide Universities Network, ‘Realising the Global University’, in London on 14th-15th November 2007.  The conference is in two parts.  The 14th, subtitled ‘Critical Perspectives’, is aimed chiefly at academics.  The 15th, subtitled ‘Developing effective international strategies in a rapidly changing world’, is intended primarily for vice-chancellors, university presidents and policy-makers.The website for the 15th is already active, so its deliberately open list of themes can be consulted at http://www.globalhe.org/.  On the 14th we will take a critical look at some of the fundamental underlying issues.  Speakers will be addressing questions such as:

• What is the purpose of globalisation in higher education?  Does it just offer a framework for competition and the pursuit of national interests? Or is it about international co-operation serving common goals such as peace?

• What forms can globalisation take in higher education (past, present and future)?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of these various forms?  Does globalisation mean all universities becoming the same (the isomorphic university)?  Is this desirable?  If not, how is globalisation to work while respecting different traditions and practices?

• What does globalisation mean for teaching and learning, i.e. for both students and teachers?

• What does globalisation mean for research?

• Ten speakers will publish papers at http://www.wun.ac.uk/theglobaluniversity/globaluniworkshop/index.html early October so that online discussion can take place between then and the conference.  Participants will be invited to comment using this blog. In order to maximise the time for discussion on the day, each speaker will be allowed ten minutes to summarise key points and above all respond to the online discussion.  There will be discussion of each paper and discussion of common themes.  Including the speakers, there will be about thirty participants.Attendance on the 14th is free and by invitation.  Anyone wishing to attend should contact Ian Wei at ian.p.wei@bristol.ac.uk.