Sixth World Universities Forum: Democracy and Higher Education

World Universities Forum 2013, Robson Square, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 10-11 January 2013. Special Focus: Democracy and Higher Education
Conference Focus
As in previous years, the 2013 World Universities Forum will feature sessions on a breadth of topics relevant to the university and its possibilities. In addition, this year’s WUF will also include a special plenary focus: “Democracy and Higher Education.”
Higher education has long had a special relationship with democracy, both as a mechanism for the promotion of democratic society and as a means for democratic equity of opportunity. Recent developments have only explicated the importance of this relationship. For example, university students and faculty continue to play essential roles in today’s democracy movements. At the same time, access to universities and other higher education institutions is diminishing in countries around the world. In some locations, rising fees are reducing access while elsewhere education systems are physically unable to accommodate burgeoning demand.
Given its timely importance, the WUF hopes to initiate a conversation on democracy and higher education, engaging the promise and perils it faces in an era of dramatic change.
We are inviting proposals for paper presentations, workshops/interactive sessions, posters/exhibits, or colloquia (See Proposal Types). Proposal ideas that extend beyond these thematic areas will also be considered.  For more information about the ideas and themes underlying this community, see Our Focus.
Virtual participation is available for those who are unable to attend the conference in person. Proposals for virtual presentations may be submitted at any time, up to the start of the conference.  All conference registrants (in-person and virtual) may also submit their written papers for publication in the refereed Journal of the World Universities Forum.
See also 5th World Universities Forum - The role and future of the University in a changing world, 4ème Forum mondial des Universités 2011. The World Universities Forum is held annually in different locations around the world. The Forum was held in Davos, Switzerland in 2008; in conjunction with the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Mumbai, India in 2009; and in the Congress Center Davos, Davos, Switzerland in 2010.