The Challenges of International Branch Campus Management

Prince Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, 24-26 April 2012. The call for proposals is now closed.
Are international branch campuses a long-term investment worth making for universities? The Observatory's 2012 Global Forum in Kuala Lumpur will help to answer this question.
The 2012 Global Forum is built around the Observatory's new report: 'International Branch Campuses: Data and Developments'. This new report, with six annexes of primary data, was published in January 2012.
The 2012 Global Forum is designed to facilitate discussion and debate with the world's leading practitioners of international branch campuses (IBCs). Participants will learn about what works, what has not, and the practical considerations involved in planning and operating campuses in other countries - pedagogical, managerial, financial, and legal. These debates will be informed by representatives of governments that incorporate IBCs and 'education hubs' in their national economic development strategies.
The Global Forum will also provide a platform for academics and non-practitioner stakeholders who are keen to analyse and evaluate the IBC phenomenon critically with practitioners and fellow scholars.
Some prominent higher education institutions are clear that IBCs are not part of their plans, but the Observatory's new report illustrates that for a steadily growing number of institutions, they are. At this Forum, university representatives will determine the extent to which IBCs represent a viable business proposition within their own internationalisation strategies and cross-border activities.
The new report also demonstrates that a shift in IBC activity toward the Far East is underway; as such, it reflects the world's current geopolitical transformation. But does that necessarily point the way for every HE institution? The report also notes that much of the new activity is also intra-regional - for example, within Asia or Africa.
Not all branch campuses are the same - in fact, it seems that no two are alike in terms of arrangements on how teaching is delivered, the role of local partners, and support from host governments. A diversity of such arrangements will be represented at the Global Forum and will provide a basis for practical comparison. To go to the Registration page, click HERE.
2012 Global Forum Programme
Session 1 - Welcome and opening keynote
Session 2 - The Observatory's IBC report: Summary findings
Session 3 - TNE in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities
Session 4 - Setting up and operating IBCs: Values and benefits
                * Raj Gill, PVC; Regional Director, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Middlesex University, Dubai
                      o 'Setting up overseas campuses: Important considerations before you start'
                * Michael Worton, Vice-Provost (International), University College London
                      o  'Is small really beautiful? The place and value of "niche"  campuses in today's international HE landscape'
                * Robert Coelen, Vice-President International, Stenden University, Netherlands
                      o 'The 4 Bs of IBCs: Benefits - Big, Bold and Beautiful'
Session 5 - Expert panel discussions
5a) The student experience at international branch campuses
                * Margaret Mazzolini, Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning & Teaching, Victoria University, Melbourne
                      o 'The branch campus student experience: Internationalised learning or transplanted teaching?'
                * Christine Ennew, Pro Vice-Chancellor Internationalisation & Europe, University of Nottingham
                      o ‘The student experience across campuses: The reality of the rhetoric’
                * Guy Perring, Director, South East Asia, i-graduate, Kuala Lumpur
                      o ‘Raising the bar - Examples of excellence in student experience’
                * Chalani Ranwala, Education Officer-Elect, Student Association, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
                * Rida Khan, Undergraduate Student, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
 5b) Managing IBCs: A question of staffing
                * Kevin McKelvey, Resident Director, University at Buffalo - Singapore Institute of Management
                      o 'Challenges in staffing an IBC: SUNY Buffalo’s programmes at the Singapore Institute of Management'
                * Beena Giridharan, Dean of Teaching & Learning, Curtin Sarawak, Malaysia
                      o 'Recognising and rewarding leadership roles in transnational education'
Session 6 - Developing a global network: Approaches to managing risk and reputation
                * Alan Brender, Associate Dean, Lakeland College Japan, Tokyo
                      o Internationalizing a branch campus:  Positive and negative consequences
                * Duleep Deosthale, Vice-President, Manipal Global Education; Professor & Dean, Manipal International University, Kelana Jaya Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
                      o 'If you build it, will they come? Challenges in transforming ideas into a global network'
                * Tim Gore, Director, Global Networks and Communities, University of London International Programmes
                      o 'Reputation in a risky world'
Session 7 - What do governments want with international branch campuses?
Session 8 - Expert panel discussions
8a) Models for developing and sustaining IBCs: Challenges and strategies
                * Carolyn Byrne, Dean and CEO, University of Calgary - Qatar, Doha
                * Lois Thornton, Interim Associate Dean, Academic, University of Calgary-Qatar
                      o ‘Learnings from the past five years’
                * Abdumalik Djumanov, Rector, Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT)
                      o 'Developing research capacity in a new university in Uzbekistan'
                * Alan P France, First Deputy Rector (Academic), WIUT
                      o 'Higher education systems in a global environment: A framework for TNE models'
8b) Managing IBCs: A question of quality
                * Philip Bradley, Dean of Academic Studies, Newcastle University Medicine (NUMed) Malaysia
                      o 'Managing IBCs: A question of quality - A NUMed perspective'
                * Martin Carroll, Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic, Charles Darwin University, Australia; Member, Universities Quality Assurance International Board, Dubai
                      o 'A new approach to quality assurance of IBCs in Dubai: The new UQAIB Board'
                * Bob Craik, CEO Designate, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Campus, Putrajaya
                      o 'Managing quality and standards at a branch campus'
Session 9 - Education hubs: From concept to execution
Session 10 - Closing keynote address.