University World News

The ‘dilemma of choice’ during apartheid - and why I gave prize money to the Palestinian cause – Saleem Badat The Academy of Science of South Africa has awarded a Science-for-Society Gold Medal to Prof. Saleem Badat, a prominent figure in the country’s #highered sector. In his acceptance speech, he announced he would donate his prize money to the #Palestinian cause. A critical #sociologist and higher education #policy specialist, Badat is currently a #research professor in the department of history at the University of the Free State. He is the former vice-chancellor of Rhodes University in South Africa, and was the first head of the country’s Council on Higher Education, the policy advisory body to the minister of higher education. As the vice-chancellor of Rhodes University (2006-14) he created the Jakes Gerwel Rhodes University Scholarship Fund, which was funded from his salary and benefits. In his acceptance speech, he announced he would donate his prize money of ZAR20,000 (about US$1,130) to the South African BDS Coalition, a network of Palestine solidarity organisations affiliated to the Palestinian BDS National Committee, the body that called for international boycott, divestment and sanctions (#BDS) against Israel in 2005. He spoke to Desmond Thompson about his award and his most recent donation. 📌 Read the full story in UWN: https://lnkd.in/dBVFbTqZ #politicalengagement #academics #enquiry #science #intellectualautonomy #academicfreedom #socialresponsibility #justice #democracy #genocide Universities South Africa

As resources committed to basic #science are increasingly contested, and access to #research opportunities becomes more elite – though critical to securing humanity’s future – the #Nobel science prizes give us universal pause to consider what we, as a human society, want to invest in, argue Philip Altbach & Tessa DeLaquil. The Nobel science prizes have important lessons for #universities worldwide, and it is worth looking at the results and the background in terms of who won (and their career trajectories) and what they won for. This year, the authors highlight a few significant ‘takeaways’: ✴️ The continued importance of basic research and its influence on fundamental change in science, business and society. ✴️ The prevalence of the #AI wave in the Nobels and its potential contributions from basic science to applied innovation, among other controversies. ✴️ The complete male domination of the 2024 awards. ✴️ A monopoly by top universities in the US and the UK in both the training and location of Nobelists – and this year with affiliation to some prominent private sector companies. As noted in previous editions of their annual Nobel analysis, perhaps what really stands out in the awarding of Nobel prizes, argue Altbach and DeLaquil, is the recognition of the great value and contribution of the lifework of scientists involved in basic research. At a time when the support (financially and structurally) for basic research in both the sciences and the arts, within universities and more broadly in society, is under threat, the Nobels focus on fundamental science as a central investment for the future of human society. The authors go on to discuss the Nobels in terms of: 🔸 Controversies. 🔸 Male domination. 🔸 Western domination. 🔸 Structural strengths – and weaknesses. 🔸 What about Asia? 🔸 ‘Nobel gazing’. 📌 Read the full story in University World News: https://lnkd.in/dAYPupRt #scientometrics #science #Nobelprize #rankings #gender #Anglosphere

In the latest UWN Global Edition, 28 new stories from top #highered thinkers and analysts: 💡 UWN Asia Director/Editor Yojana Sharma reports links between #European #researchers and #Chinese military universities made public in recent weeks have heightened concerns among academics and institutions in Europe about the risk of cooperating with Chinese institutions that may hide their military links – but identifying the danger signals is complicated. 💡 As conflict widens in #Israel, academics fear a ‘lost decade’ of #highered, reports Paul Cochrane. 💡 Nathan Greenfield reports on the two-hour conference on universities, government and #democracy hosted by the Magna Charta Observatory (an international association of almost 1,000 universities in almost 100 countries) and PEN America. 💡 Desmond Thompson reports on a gathering of leading researchers, policy-makers and civil society representatives that recognised that #universities are key players in finding solutions to the #hungercrisis in Africa. 💡 Protests by HE stakeholders are set to continue, reports Jan Myklebust, after the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science presented a policy to the House of Representatives that will limit the number of #international students coming to study in the Netherlands by a third. 💡 The recent joint declaration adopted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the body representing the region’s education ministers represents a profound breakthrough in harmonising Southeast Asian HE, write romyen kosaikanont, Philip Masterson, Roger Jr Chao & Darren J. M. 💡 Joyce A. & Thais França argue that improved grade conversion practices across Europe are necessary not only to enhance efficiency but to foster greater #equity and #transparency in HE, ensuring that learning mobility remains a key pillar of the #EHEA, benefiting #students, universities and #society at large. 💡 Nishat Riaz MBE & Mary Stiasny argue for urgently rethinking HE’s role – not only for the next decade but for generations to come. 📌 There's so much more, of course, so please: read, engage, share, comment, and let us know about your projects. Thank you. 🙏 #risk #derisk #intled #internationalstudents #studyabroad #qualifications #mobility Rebecca Arcesati I Ágota Révész I Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence I ARUA-SFS (ARUA CoE in Sustainable Food Systems) I Jeanette Rebecca Hunter I Nkatha Ntoburi I Institute For Economic Justice (IEJ) I Neil Coleman I Nyasha Magadzire I Centre for Sustainability Transitions I Daniel Chamovitz I Michal Muszkat-Barkan Marcelo Knobel I Helmholtz-Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre GFZ I Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) I Jeremy C. Young I Lynn Pasquerella I Liviu Matei I Landelijke Studenten Vakbond I Caspar van den Berg I Erik Boels I The ASEAN Secretariat

The pitfalls of meshing #international student policies with #immigration policies III🔴🔵III The S Korean government this year launched a pilot scheme to allow international #students studying in Korea to bring their parents into the country as seasonal workers. But the scheme has come under scrutiny over concerns about #exploitation and #humanrights violations. As Yumi Jeung explains, some countries in Asia are vying for top scientific and research talent by offering special visas for dependent parents, as is the case in Japan. Taiwan is currently considering extending visas for parents and grandparents of top research talent. But S Korea has taken a slightly different route, looking to address seasonal labour shortages in rural farming and fishing areas to meet labour demand during peak farming seasons. Read the full story at the link below shared by UWN's Asia Editor Yojana Sharma. #universities #highered #science #research #studentvisas #studyabroad #intled #migrants #ageingpopulation #labourforce

🔎🌱🏗️ 👩🎓 It's #SDGs Saturday! It's time to rethink higher education's role – not only for the next decade but for generations to come, urge Nishat Riaz MBE & Mary Stiasny. What is the promise of #highered? The authors argue the pressing questions remain: How can we break cycles of entrenched #poverty and #inequality? How can HE fulfil its promise to unlock human potential? Today, almost 235 million students are enrolled in universities worldwide - yet the global enrolment rate stands at a mere 40%. This stark contrast underscores the reality that access to education remains a privilege, with vast disparities across regions. The recent United Nations #SummitOfTheFuture (Sept 2024) placed a renewed focus on the transformative role of higher education in tackling global challenges such as #inequality, #climatechange and #sustainabledevelopment. World leaders, academics and policy-makers emphasised that universities must evolve to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world. The summit underscored the importance of HEIs not only in equipping students with #skills for the future but also in contributing directly to the #SDGs. 📌 Read the full story on the UWN SDGs Hub: https://lnkd.in/dsv8-kcJ ➕ the following new contributions: https://lnkd.in/eGxgm_D2: 🌱 Asia: 'Common space’ agreement heralds new era for HE cooperation - romyen kosaikanont, Philip Masterson, Roger Jr Chao and Darren J. M. 🌱 Africa: University gatherings focus on Africa’s hunger crisis - Desmond Thompson 🌱 China: Global cooperation to be key part of new space science plan - Yojana Sharma 🌱 Africa: Adoption of agricultural technologies urgent, scientists say - Gilbert Nakweya Bsc (Moi), MA (UoN) 🌱 Netherlands: Discord over planned cuts to international student numbers - Jan Myklebust 🌱 Global: Universities learn to ‘flip the script’ in SDG research Nathan Greenfield 🌱 Southern Africa: SARUA builds community of practice towards impactful research - Evelyn Ruwoko #equity, #justice #sustainability #genderequality #partnership #universities #Erasmus+ #intled #studyabroad #publicgood #youth #demographicdividend #digitaldivide #impact #research #internationalstudents #spacescience #foodsecurity #agriculture #agritech #digital #languageofinstruction #livelihoodsecurity #livelihoods British Council Lahore University of Management Sciences Makerere University Makerere University Innovation Pod University of Cape Town University of Sydney The University of the West Indies Landelijke Studenten Vakbond Vinod Subramaniam Robert-Jan Smits Julia Hermann Abdelkader Karbache Hans (J.W.M.) de Wit Alex Mejia United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) University of the Philippines Kevin Hall CIFAL Victoria Crystal Tremblay Savannah Barratt

🔎 What makes for a successful international education hub? asks Fabrizio Trifirò in this detailed #TNE piece. He conducted comparative research into #education #hubs, and discusses their different raisons d'être and operating models; based on this, he sets out a range of recommendations about the key aspects to consider in developing a successful international education hub. As he explains, transnational education (TNE) is intended to mean 'all types of higher education study programmes, or sets of courses of study, in which the learners are located in a country different from the one where the awarding institution is based'. The main receiving countries of #international #students see TNE as a means to alleviate national concerns about high levels of immigration, while the main sending countries see TNE as a means to halt #braindrain and even start attracting international students themselves. In connection with this growth, dedicated education hubs have emerged, and are continuing to emerge, in different regions of the world, aimed at attracting the services of quality foreign education #providers and helping to meet the growing demand for quality international education ‘closer to home’. Education hubs can play an increasingly strategic role going forward in an international context where it is possible to see a trend towards the regionalisation or ‘de-globalisation’ of international #studentmobility, and where a growing number of countries are seeking to leverage inbound TNE to train and retain #talent locally. All international education hubs share the core rationale of boosting the local and national economy by attracting international investment in the form of international students, and academic infrastructure and expertise to support capacity development. 📌 Read the full story at the link in Fabrizio's post below. #highered #universities #intled #deglobalisation #local Louise Nicol Janet B. Ilieva Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) Dubai Knowledge Park Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) Incheon Global Campus EduCity Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd Uniciti International Education Hub EducationCity Q-intled

📌🖱️💡 In one of the biggest projects of its kind in Africa, the Ministry of Innovation And Technology- Ethiopia has started to recruit 5 million young people, including students, to become #coders. What role can #highered play to ensure its success? asks Wondwosen Tamrat in the latest UWN Africa Edition. 📌 A new study sets out measures HEIs in Africa could introduce to advance their interaction with individual and institutional #donors. 📌 The Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences- MUBAS alumni association, working in collaboration with the university’s administration, has set up a fund to assist MUBAS #students with tuition fees and other educational expenses, as Zachariah Mushawatu reports. 📌 Desmond Thompson reports on a conference and summit that brought together leading researchers, policy-makers and civil society representatives in Cape Town, to tackle growing #foodinsecurity. 📌 When she was growing up, Prof. Hassina Mouri wanted to be a doctor. But when the time came, she was so scared of not being able to help save the lives of ill people that she opted for geology. She recently made history as the first woman – and African – #geoscientist to be elected president of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). 📌 Desmond Thompson reports on a Nobel symposium held in South Africa this week that focused on #cardiovascular medicine on the continent, while simultaneously showcasing the crucial contributions of African #scientists in this important field. 📌 Abdulganiyu Abdulrahman reports that, after years of processing academic transcripts manually (causing long delays, and denying many students the benefit of further studies abroad or better work opportunities), several universities in Nigeria have initiated online transcript systems to deliver an effective service. 📌 Find all of the above, and more, in the new University World News Africa Edition. As always, please read, engage, share, comment, and let us know about your projects. Thank you. 🙏 #OMAC #philanthropy #coding #studentrecruitment #HNWIs #onlineapplication #transcripts #foodsecurity #research #hunger Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Ethiopia DTEA (Digital Transformation Ethiopia Association) Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Beverly Thaver Fabrice Jaumont Andrew Wigley African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Steven Kumitawa Commonwealth Students' Association Japhet Nthala Francis Petersen Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence ARUA-SFS (ARUA CoE in Sustainable Food Systems) University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna) Nelson Muffuh The Centre for Social Justice Prof. dr Nic Olivier Henk Boshoff Jeanette Rebecca Hunter Nkatha Ntoburi Neil Coleman Institute For Economic Justice (IEJ) Nyasha Magadzire Nomakwezi Mzilikazi Umar Goni Abdulkabeer Ambali Kunle Akogun

As the world marked World Food Day on 16 October, attention was given to the urgent need to combat the escalating #hunger crisis in Africa. In Cape Town, the International Social Justice Conference and Summit brought together leading researchers, policy-makers and civil society representatives to tackle growing food insecurity. The summit culminated in the adoption of a resolution outlining concrete steps to remedy the #hungercrisis. The resolution calls for increased investment in #sustainable agriculture, strengthened social #safetynets, improved access to nutritious food, and greater #collaboration between governments, civil society and the private sector. The resolution will be passed on to the United Nations to form part of its Second World Summit for Social Development due to be held in 2025, as Desmond Thompson reports. #universities #highered #UBIG #poverty #foodsecurity #research Elizabeth Mkandawire University of Pretoria North-West University / Noordwes-Universiteit Prof Thuli Madonsela Stellenbosch University The Centre for Social Justice Francis Petersen ARUA-SFS (ARUA CoE in Sustainable Food Systems) Spokesbody arua-sfs Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence Nelson Muffuh Prof. dr Nic Olivier Henk Boshoff Nkatha Ntoburi SAHRC Human Rights Commission Neil Coleman Nyasha Magadzire Centre for Sustainability Transitions Nomakwezi Mzilikazi Babagana AHMADU Scott Drimie Khumbudzo Silence Ntshavheni Wim de Villiers Kopano Lebele Potterill Sulet

👁️👁️ Catch these 5️⃣ additions to our UWN Commentary Hub: https://lnkd.in/dKueyDVb 🌏 Asia: ‘Common space’ agreement heralds new era for HE cooperation - romyen kosaikanont, Philip Masterson, Roger Jr Chao & Darren J. M. The recent joint declaration adopted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the body representing the region’s education ministers represents a profound breakthrough in #harmonising Southeast Asian #highered, forging a common space to drive the region’s socio-economic development and global relevance. 🌏 Australia: Digital era migration brokerage: We need more research - Dr Earvin Charles B. Cabalquinto, Ly Tran, Luzhou Li & George Tan In the current migration landscape, brokerage no longer happens in offline or physical spaces. Online spaces have become crucial entry points for accessing and consuming information on understanding overseas migration and settlement. 🌍 Europe: Complicated grade conversion is limiting student mobility - Joyce A. & Thais França Learning mobility offers students a unique opportunity to gain #international experience, broaden their knowledge and enhance both their intercultural skills and personal growth. Yet, one of the most persistent challenges in making learning mobility a truly seamless experience is the complexity of #gradeconversion. 💶 Europe: Developing new income streams is not easy for universities - Enora Bennetot Pruvot Faced with steady cost pressures and limited prospects for higher public funding, universities are looking to manage #risks and generate income – but this is easier said than done. Some 168 institutions from 34 countries have responded to a European University Association survey, which sought to provide a general update on the state of university finances in Europe, as well as their future. 🔎🔬 Global: Saving science from temptations of big data: A worthy fight - Gary N Smith While #ChatGPT and other large language models (#LLMs) have garnered significant attention as potential disruptors in higher education, they represent just one of the many challenges posed by the rapid growth and widespread adoption of #bigdata technologies in academic and research contexts. As always, read, engage, share, comment, and let us know your thoughts and projects. Thank you. 🙏 #commonspace #inclusion #diversity #partnership #sustainability #research #studentrecruitment #studyabroad #TNE #internationalisation #intled #studentvisas #migrants #EHEA #studentmobility #ECTS #Egracons #equity #transparency #diplomasupplement #Erasmus+ centre for research in higher education policies The ASEAN Secretariat SEAMEO RIHED Supachai Yavaprabhas EURASEAN Consulting Ltd. EU-SHARE