Conference themes

Tertiary education leaders worldwide face a more complex and volatile landscape than ever before, shaped by geopolitical tensions, conflict, political intervention, economic uncertainty, increased demand, and technological disruption. The pace of change and requirement to respond to numerous urgent issues at the same time, while keeping an eye on the longer term, presents a unique set of challenges.   

Institutions need to demonstrate resilience, dealing with current crises, building sustainability and planning for an uncertain future. They must continue to act as civic institutions, standing up for core values such as academic freedom, equity and inclusion, as well as being open to addressing global challenges by working across borders. It will be important to embrace innovation, changing models to offer students flexible learning pathways throughout their lives, adapting curricula to develop the skills and knowledge required for new jobs, and harnessing technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to improve teaching, learning and research.   

No single institution or country can solve these problems alone; stronger international collaborations and equitable partnerships will be essential for success.  

The overarching theme of Going Global 2025 will be: “Resilience, Values, Innovation: Surviving and Thriving in a Volatile World”  

Themes 

The three themes of the conference have been chosen to reflect the essential qualities the sector will need to emerge from the current crises intact, and to thrive in the future.  We will use them as the organising principle for an interactive and inclusive event, in which global tertiary education leaders, policy makers, employers, and students will come together to discuss how they are responding to a more volatile world and to debate what needs to be done next. We aim to develop innovative and practical solutions which lead to positive and sustainable change, strengthening the position of universities and colleges at the heart of economic and social development, and underlining the value of international partnerships.   

1. Resilience   

Tertiary education across the globe constantly has to adapt to change.  Recently this has included expanding access, embracing digital innovation and responding to shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic. In most countries, this has had to be done with constrained resources and countries have pursued different funding models to remain sustainable with some relying mainly on public investment and others charging students fees, sometimes with support in the form of loans or bursaries.  Most also seek to bring in money from the private sector, in return for research and development or a skilled workforce, or from philanthropy. With the global economic slowdown, increased competition for public money including for defence and some wealthy countries reducing their contribution to Official Development Assistance (ODA), education institutions are under increasing financial pressure.  This is resulting in job losses, course closures and the discontinuation of research programmes to tackle global challenges.  It is now essential to explore innovative funding models and new ways to diversify income. At the same time, it is important to continue to make the case for strategic investment in diverse and well-articulated systems for tertiary education and research.  The costs of not doing so are high and include a failure to develop human potential, limited access to applied research capacity for local problem solving, a slowdown in addressing global challenges and slower economic growth.   

To compound the problem, tertiary education has been affected by the increase of conflict across the globe. In 2023 more than 10,000 students, teachers and academics were harmed, injured, or killed, a 20 per cent increase on previous years. Many others were forced to flee their homes and institutions, seeking to further their studies and careers in over-stretched host countries. Scholarship schemes and international partnerships have played an important role in supporting displaced students and academics, and these success stories need to be told. However, there is a lost generation of uneducated young people who will not be equipped to rebuild the economic, political, educational, and health infrastructures of their home countries post-conflict. It is important to learn lessons from recent experience to build a resilient global system able to support countries during and post-conflict.   

Security has also become a key concern for the global research community, with universities investing heavily to protect themselves from hostile state and non-state actors using research to increase their scientific and technological advantage over other countries for economic and military gain. It is increasingly important that research systems are sufficiently resilient to enable international research collaborations to increase quality and impact while also guarding against security risks.  Alongside this, strategic tensions between the US and China are of considerable concern. Any withdrawal from research cooperation, particularly if it required other partners to choose sides, would undermine both eco-systems and lead to fragmentation of global scientific cooperation at a time when unified efforts are required to address global challenges.    

Questions to consider:   

1. What makes a good leader in volatile times?   
2. What have we learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic about resilience planning?  
3. What innovative and sustainable funding models can be developed for tertiary education systems and institutions?   
4. How can international cooperation, including support for academics and students, enable global resilience to education losses associated with conflict?  
5. How do we build resilience into international research cooperation to address challenges of reduced funding, geopolitical challenges and threats from state and non-state actors?   

2. Values 

As the hegemony of the United States is contested, geopolitical tensions are increasing and the liberal values that underpinned many tertiary education systems are coming under threat. Government intervention with a nationalist agenda is threatening academic freedom and institutions themselves are struggling to establish clear guidelines for dialogue and debate on campus, particularly around race and gender, with free speech seen by some as being in opposition to the promotion of inclusion and the creation of safe spaces. It is critical that universities and colleges develop strategies to consolidate their role as strong civic institutions, defending freedom of speech and providing evidence for highly politicised debate, particularly in areas like climate change, as well as defending plans for tackling discrimination and removing barriers to access for marginalised and disadvantaged groups.  

At the same time, the social licence of universities to operate is being questioned in many contexts because of rising fee levels and accessibility issues, and perceptions of elitism. As slow economic growth puts pressure on public finances, tertiary education institutions are being challenged by governments, employers, the media and the general public to demonstrate their value to local social and economic development.  Universities and colleges need to provide their students with the relevant skills and opportunities to make an active contribution to their local communities and economies.  

At the global level, meeting SDG 4.3 “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university” is proving challenging, with slow economic development holding back access in the world’s poorest countries, and little progress on the inclusion of marginalised and disadvantaged groups. Innovative approaches and strong leadership will be required to move this forward.  Universities also play a crucial role in tackling other SDGs by generating new knowledge and solutions to global challenges such as poverty, climate change, inequality, and health crises. International partnerships can build trust and research capacity, contributing to the expansion of a global community of science. However, while our challenges are borderless, the world is trending toward a retrenchment around national interests and priorities. Tertiary education institutions need to continue to encourage two-way mobility of students and academics and to build international teaching and research partnerships, fostering intercultural understanding and contributing to more inclusive and peaceful societies.   

Questions to consider:   

1. How can universities and colleges act as bulwarks of civil society in an age of changing values, promoting informed debate and evidence-based policy?   
2. How can academic freedom be defended during politically controversial times?  
3. How can universities and colleges manage difficult conversations and support social cohesion among groups with different outlooks on the world?  
4. How can universities and colleges foster more two-way international mobility?   
5. How can universities and colleges collaborate internationally to build more peaceful and inclusive societies?  

3. Innovation 

The labour market is also changing rapidly.  In some countries the need is to support ageing populations to continue working and in others, it is to equip young people with relevant skills. Tertiary education needs to innovate to continue to meet the needs of modern societies. Attention needs to be given to the expansion of TVET, curriculum reform to incorporate work-integrated learning (WIL), the integration of soft skills into all degree programmes, flexible learning pathways, digital and remote learning for job readiness, and stronger institution/industry partnerships including institutions hosting incubators for innovation and entrepreneurship. An important feature of new models will be the creation of lifelong learning opportunities, with students enrolling for employment-relevant short courses at each stage of their careers, or re-training for new jobs.  

A key trend that may support increased access to education, improvements in quality and innovation is the rapid growth of transnational education (TNE). China alone hosts more than 47 branch campuses and over 500,000 TNE students. Other important TNE hubs are Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and Sri Lanka. But new countries are opening up and there is potential for huge growth, particularly in India, where the National Education Policy 2020 has been pivotal in transforming India's higher education landscape by encouraging foreign universities to establish campuses. Globally, several models have been developed over the last 20 years, including international branch campuses, joint degree programmes, blended and distance learning opportunities and fully online programmes but there is more work to be done to develop new models for sustainable TNE at scale.    

New technologies, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence, data science, and automation present both opportunities and challenges in this context. AI has the potential to enhance current models of teaching and learning, increasing access to knowledge, analysing student data to tailor learning experiences and providing individualized support. It can also support research and accelerate scientific discovery by analysing large datasets, identifying trends, and generating new insights. It can automate tasks like selection, grading, scheduling, and data entry, freeing up educators' time for more meaningful interactions with students. But AI also raises security and ethical concerns, with policy and regulation struggling to keep up with the pace of technological advancement. 

Questions to consider:   

1. How can we ensure better alignment between the range of courses and curricula on offer in tertiary institutions and the demands of the job market?   
2. How can we strengthen industry partnerships to integrate work-based learning (internships, apprenticeships), and emphasize transferable skills?   
3. What are the most innovative models of equitable TNE partnerships that have delivered value to both host country and international education providers?   
4. How can we use TNE, including online and distance learning, to make quality education available to marginalised and excluded groups?  
5. What do we know about the student experience and outcomes of TNE programmes?   
6. How can AI create more personalised and inclusive learning experiences, and how can developments be shared internationally?   
7. How can AI enhance research practices and contribute to solving global challenges?