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The creation of a society of knowledge is a prime objective in out times, calling for efforts from a wide range of players. These include the universities, which have a particularly important role to play. That is because of their twofold traditional vocation of research and teaching, their increasing role in the complex process of innovation, along with other contributions to economic competitiveness and social cohesion, e.g. their role in the life of the community and in regional development. Given their central role, the creation of a society of knowledge is for the universities a source of opportunity, but also of major challenges. Indeed universities go about their business in a globalized environment which is constantly changing and is characterized by increasing antagonism to attract and retain outstanding talent, and by the emergence of new requirements for which they have to cater.
I believe that the role of IMHE, as a programme for higher education institutional management within an economic body, OECD, lies at the very heart of the current interactions that connect tertiary education with a wide framework of activities at a global platform. As is well kown, the knowledge economy and society stem from the combination of four interdependent elements: the production of knowledge, mainly through scientific research; its transmission through education and training; its dissemination through the information and communication technologies; its use in technological innovation. At the same time, new configurations of production, transmission and application of knowledge are emerging, and their effect is to involve a greater number of stakeholders, typically in an increasingly internationalized network-driven context. Given that they are situated at the crossroads of research, education and innovation, universities in many respects hold the key to the knowledge economy and society, hence the importance of IMHE not only in a centrifugal manner for the member states, but also in a cetipetal way for OECD itself.
With its multiple programmes and projects, IMHE contributes to the readability and comparability of higher education curricula and degrees world-wide, supporting the development of a common framework of qualifications, as well as a coherent quality assurance system and accreditation/certification mechanisms by increased information efforts. The quality of higher education and research is and should be an important determinant of international influence and competitiveness, so attention is paid to the benefit of higher education through partnerships of institutions with different profiles. This leads to increased collaboration between the countries-members of IMHE concerning the possible implications and perspectives of transnational education. Under the umbrella of IMHE, possibilities are found to organize discipline-oriented meetings aimed at the discussion of particular issues, such as conferences with specific topics, as well as smaller-size workshops, symposia or seminars regarding more specified academic or administative subject matters, which gives the participants an international forum for exchanging information and views.
It has been argued that the internationalization of higher education increases the possibility for improving the skills of individual students and the quality of the national systems. One type of internationalization is the fully blooming activity of student (and staff) mobility, what is known as ‘mobility culture’. Mobility enables diversity to be an asset enhancing the quality of teaching and research through comparative approaches to learning. The other aspect of internationalization is transnational or cross-border education, developing parallel, and often antagonistically, to national education. Cross-border education activities have grown considerably over the last decades, often combining a collaborative effort of national and international policies. In that respect, I find the Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education, produced by a joint effort of IMHE/OECD and UNESCO, a valuable tool attempting to set some form of order on a very multi-cultural and complex situation.
The great challence for universities in the 21st century is, I believe, to walk the difficult path in the midst of conflicting demands and contradictory issues, finding ways to reconcile the crucial oppositions that form our new academy: the dilemma of charting the course between tradition and innovation, cooperation and competition, quality and inclusion, autonomy and accountability, professionalism and academic values. If our memory can go as far back as the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, we are taught that crises can even be creative; Heraclitus said: “The counter-thrust brings together, and from tones at variance comes perfect attunement, and all things come to pass through conflict”. May be we are just on the right course.
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