University Leaders From Asia and the Pacific Consider Challenges of Globalization

By Karin Fischer. As globalization and technology blur national borders, universities must work even harder to demonstrate their distinctiveness and value, said the leaders of top universities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The half-dozen presidents and vice chancellors spoke on the challenges to higher education as part of a round table during a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education. The four-day conference has drawn more than 1,300 top university administrators from around the world to Hong Kong. Globalization and technology, including the rise of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are changing the education landscape, but university leaders said they shouldn't allow those developments to compromise their identities.
"Globalization should not mean homogenization," said Ian O'Connor, vice chancellor and president of Griffith University, in Australia. Read more...