Quality in Higher Education, Ankara, Turkey (17-19 June 2011)

22nd International Conference for Higher Education: Quality in Higher Education, Ankara, Turkey (17-19 June 2011)
The 22nd International Conference for Higher Education on the theme of “Quality in Higher Education” will be hosted by Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey from 17-19 June 2011.
Participants and speakers will be invited to contribute and to exchange views and experiences about how to improve quality in higher education.
Quality in Higher Education
Quality in higher education requires an environment of academic freedom and well equipped institutions capable of developing knowledge and enriching the minds of students.
Quality for universities and academic communities means the pursuit of excellence, by attracting the best scholars and students and achieving better outcomes than other institutions, in other words to be the best or one of the best.
Such success must be based on fair intellectual competition, honesty and integrity.
Independence from political influence and economic pressure is crucial. Dogmatism and fundamentalism in the occident and the orient were hindering intellectual independence, free dialogue and publication of new findings centuries ago (Galileo, Averroes). Still today freedom of teaching and research is not guaranteed everywhere, especially in totalitarian systems and ideological areas.
Stanford University's motto "Die Luft der Freiheit weht" (The wind of freedom blows) illuminates this precondition of quality and excellence. But what about other conditions? What is the general framework of excellence? What constitutes top quality? What leads to a world class university? Are instruments like peer review, management of quality improvement, quality assurance systems, rankings etc. suitable tools?
Proposals for presentations can be made by 30 April 2011. Registration deadline is 15 May 2011. For more information and to register, visit the event website.
The International Conference on Higher Education was created on the initiative of İhsan Doğramacı, eminent Turkish pediatrician and educator, in 1981. It is a meeting of minds on significant issues in higher education, primarily university governance. It assembles experts in higher education (heads/administrators of higher education institutions, scholars, researchers and representatives of interested organizations and foundations).
The Conference is international with participants from all corners of the world, including North and Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The Conference is independent, not linked to any national or international organization. It is a free forum for the exchange of opinions and experiences, views, and new trends in higher education and its management.
I.C.H.E. Bilkent University 06800 Ankara Turkey. Telephone: +90 312 266 4598 +90 312 266 4598 Fax: +90 312 266 4678, Email: iche@intconfhighered.org.