WUF 2015 : The 8th World Universities Forum—The Economics of Higher Education

The Economics of Higher Education is the topic of the Eighth World Universities Forum in Savannah, Georgia, USA.
Savannah, Georgia 5-6 February 2015
Countries around the world have established extensive higher education systems within their countries to support the development of an educated populace.  Some countries have systems that are predominantly publically funded and some countries have a mix of both public and privately funded higher educated systems.  Regardless, the reality exists that Higher Education is a very expensive national effort.  For instance, the US spends 2.6% of its GDP, Sweden spends 1.8% of its GDP, Canada spends 2.5% of its GDP, Japan spends 1.5% of its GDP, and India spends 1.35% of its GDP on Higher Education in their respective countries. The reason that countries around the world invest in Higher Education is that they have understood that Higher Education is a critical system and driver of social and economic mobility for the individual citizen and for the nation-state as well.  With shifting national and global realities, there are growing concerns about how to fund higher education considering cost and affordability.
Under this context, the World Universities Forum announces that the special focus for the 2015 Annual Conference will be The Economics of Higher Education.  Interested participants are encouraged to present and engage in discussion on such matters as:

• What are countries doing as it relates to national, regional, local investment into higher education?
• The relationship between tuition and the general operating budget for institutional operation?
• Budget reductions and its impact on institutional operations? 
• National and state level funding formulas for higher education - how are countries handling this? 
• Access for students as it relates to socioeconomic status? 
• Student debt and tuition costs?
• Higher Education and Fund Development?
• Creative ways of program development in times of fiscal restraint?
• University and business partnerships?
• And other matters as it relates to the Economics of Higher Education.

Additionally the conference will try to address the above questions with an interdisciplinary approach, through keynote speakers, garden sessions, workshops and parallel sessions.
Visit the Call for Papers for more information or click the button below to submit your proposal. More...