From 30 November to 2 December 2005 GUNi held the Second International Barcelona Conference on Higher Education on the financing of universities. The Conference was organized by GUNi and the Technical University of Catalonia (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya –UPC) within the activities included in the Higher Education Week. See more...
Sustainability » 5th International Barcelona Conference in Higher Education
GUNi joins the work on the contribution of higher education to sustainability currently being carried out by international agencies, special programmes of the United Nations, networks and institutions of education in the world with the conviction that the greatest challenge of higher education consists in putting the knowledge at the service of social transformation, a process which at present means moving toward sustainability. The 5th International Barcelona Conference on Higher Education will analyze how higher education in the world is transforming itself to contribute to the articulation of the paradigm of sustainability and how to identify aspects of this transformation in order to discuss and agree upon the ways of action on which one has to advance. See more...
Higher Education's Commitment to Sustainability: from Understanding to Action
The publication presents the current situation and its implications, analyzing the link between sustainability and higher education. It shows a map of how the regions are advancing with regard to the subject; complemented with trending topics, networks' experiences and good practices. The publication also includes a study to identify the main barriers that prevent the transformation of higher education institutions towards contributing to the sustainability paradigm, and highlights possible solutions. See more...
Higher Education's Commitment to Sustainability
Higher Education Institutions can play a significant role in building a sustainable paradigm. They may help in facing local and global challenges, facilitating society to answer major global challenges. Their vision and action could be reinforced with a role review towards the creation and distribution of socially relevant knowledge in education and research, and in relationship with communities. See more...
Human and Social Developpment » 4th International Barcelona Conference in Higher Education
GUNi held its 4th International Barcelona Conference on Higher Education on 31 March and 1-2 April 2008. More than 450 people from nearly 80 countries participated in this event, which fostered a reflection on the role of higher education to meet the challenges set by the society of the new millennium. See more...
Higher Education: New Challenges and Emerging Roles for Human and Social Development
This Report analyses the latest knowledge, research, experiences and practices to rethink and propose new routes for the interchange of values between higher education institutions and society. This may be achieved through reconsidering the role that is assigned to higher education in terms of its contribution to human and social development in economic, political, social, human, environmental and cultural spheres. See more...
The role of higher education for human and social development
The role of higher education institutions is today's world immense, complex and vital. A wide range of challenges and opportunities is emerging, with many political, economic and social implications. Perhaps most significant are the challenges associated with shifting perspectives of knowledge itself, which are strongly influencing the role and the responsibility of universities in society. Universities are well positioned to link the local and the global and this gives them considerable access to and influence over change process in may societies. It may enhance their potential to contribute to human and social development through the promotion and facilitation of citizen participation and involvement in these processes. See more...
Accreditation for Quality Assurance: What's at Stake?
The 2007 report, Accreditation for Quality Assurance: What is at Stake?, includes papers from 48 eminent scholars from around the world discussing, from both global and regional perspectives, the issues associated with accreditation in higher education. See more...
Accreditation for Quality Assurance: What is at stake?
The processes of accrediting the quality of university education in the world was the central theme of the debate papers at the Third International Barcelona Conference on Higher Education. The plenary papers by Carlos Tünnermann, Federico Mayor Zaragoza and Edgar Morin provided the counterpoint to a conference which saw the presentation of the second GUNi Report on Higher Education in the World. See more...
GUNi Topics » Quality Assurance
To fill the vacuum created by the expanded demand and the states lack of expanded resources, different kinds of providers emerged in both public and private sectors. This raises concerns about maintaining the quality of higher education, essential for the sustainable development of countries and for protecting the interests of different stakeholders, including most importantly, the students, who are the future leaders of the countries. See more...