Description

World Universities Forum 2013

Background

Welcome to the website of the World Universities Forum. In 2013, the Forum will be held at the Robson Square, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada from 10 to 11 January. The Forum examines the role and future of the University in a changing world. It is ambitious in its intellectual and practical, agenda-setting scope, and broad in its themes.

Participants are invited to submit a proposal for an in-person paper presentation, workshop/interactive session, poster/exhibits session, or a jointly presented colloquium. Parallel sessions are loosely grouped into streams reflecting different perspectives or disciplines. Each stream also has its own talking circle, a forum for focused discussion of issues.

Presenters may choose to submit written papers to the Journal of the World Universities Forum, a fully refereed academic Journal. Virtual participants also have the option to submit papers for consideration by the Journal. All registered Forum participants receive a complimentary online subscription to the Journal when registration is finalised. This subscription is valid until one year after the Forum end-date.

If you would like to know more about the Forum, bookmark the World Universities Forum site and return for further information – the site is regularly updated. You may also wish to subscribe to the Forum and Journal Newsletter.

For all inquiries, please contact the Forum Secretariat.

Background

The World Universities Forum is held annually in different locations around the world. The Forum was held at Davos, Switzerland in 2008; in conjunction with the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay, Mumbai, India in 2009; at the Congress Center Davos, Davos, Switzerland in 2010; at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong from in 2011; and at the University of the Aegean, Rhodes, Greece in 2012.

One of the paradoxical characteristics of our time is that some of the most creative thinking comes from business, politicians and other community leaders rather than academe. The World Universities Forum has been created in the belief that there is an urgent need for academe to connect more directly and boldly with the large questions of our time, in much the same way that the World Economic Forum has forged a role of global intellectual leadership for politicians, business people and community leaders.

Established in 1991, the World Economic Forum has been an important site for dialogue and debate regarding the major social and economic problems of the planet. At its annual meetings in Davos, it brings together the most astute thinkers and scholars and the most powerful economic and political organisations, to participate in wide-ranging conversations and set the agenda for on-going debates. It has become increasingly influential in shaping policy debates.

While much of the discussion at Davos concerns political and economic matters, the topics WEF considers have profound implications for universities around the world, not only in relation to their governance but also with respect to the issues of how best to interpret and respond to the global transformations. As they consider the broader context within which they are located, universities are not only more affected by the issues that WEF addresses than ever before, but they also have a greater role to play in solving the global problems and setting the agenda for the knowledge economy and society.

With the interests of WEF and universities increasingly aligned, the World Universities Forum (WUF) has been planned as a counterpoint, enabling a genuine exchange of ideas between political and economic leaders, University sector leaders and leading higher education scholars.