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2009 ACE Annual Meeting:
International Component

The 2009 ACE Annual Meeting took place February 7–10 in Washington DC. The ACE Annual Meeting enables higher education executives and officials from the U.S. and other countries to build their networks, examine key issues, and share solutions. In 2009, the ACE Annual Meeting attracted more than 65 university presidents, vice presidents, rectors, and directors as well as education ministry officials and embassy staff from 23 countries.

View a complete overview of the meeting.

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2009 International Track

Saturday, February 7

Overview of U.S. Higher Education
Presentation: Terry Hartle, Senior Vice President, ACE

U.S/Korea Roundtable (by invitation only)
"Overview of Korean Higher Education:" Chong Yul Park, Secretary General, Korean Council for University Education (KCUE); and Dong Kwang Kim, Director, Office of Planning and Coordination, KCUE

Higher Education for All: Global Approaches to Access and Success (International Workshop)
"Constructing Knowledge Societies: The Equity and Access Challenge:" Jamil Salmi, Tertiary Education Coordinator, World Bank

Every country is grappling with the issues of expanding access to higher education and ensuring the success of students in achieving their goals. Although race continues to dominate the U.S. perspective on diversity issues, there are many points of diversity in the U.S. and abroad (age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, citizenship, etc.). Widening participation means different things in different contexts, and can refer to underrepresented minority or majority groups, older students, poor students, women, or academic preparation, for example. This interactive workshop explored how different countries define "access," and outline their responses to these challenges. Participants learned about practical strategies to reach out to and serve a wide variety of student populations.

Monday, February 9

Lessons from the Bologna Process

Moderator: Juan Ramon de la Fuente, President, International Association of Universities
"The Core of Bologna: It's a Process, Not a Processed Meat;" Clifford Adelman, Senior Associate, Institute for Higher Education Policy
"Lessons Learned from the Bologna Process:" Jean Morse, President, Middle States Commission on Higher Education
"The Bologna Process: 2010 and Beyond:" Jean Marc Rapp,  Vice President, European University Association

Launched ten years ago, the Bologna Process—as the European effort to harmonize and reform higher education in 46 countries is known—is gaining world attention. Its success in defining a range of interlinked tools to facilitate student transfer and employability (e.g., quality assurance, learning outcomes, "qualifications frameworks" and documenting student learning through "diploma supplements") is a promising model for other nations and higher education institutions. This session focused on the lessons that the United States and other nations can draw from the Bologna experience in making policy decisions that involve all stakeholders and in articulating and documenting the meaning of a degree and defining and assessing student learning outcomes.

Tuesday, February 10

Branch Campuses and Degree Programs Abroad: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

Framing Remarks by Moderator: Madeleine Green, Vice President for International Initiatives, ACE
Panelist: Philip Altbach, Director, Center for International Higher Education, Boston College
Presentation: Sheikha Abdullah Al-Misnad, President, Qatar University

Although there is no definitive list of U.S. degree programs and branch campuses abroad, there seem to be new ones being established on a daily basis. U.K. and Australian institutions have a longer history than the United States in establishing branch campuses, and yet they are still a relatively recent and phenomenon and the long-term future of these initiatives is unclear. Not all are convinced that they are a good idea, either for the sending institution or the receiving nation. This session will explore the issues underlying the branch campus and degree export phenomenon. What benefits do they bring to the home campus and to the host country? Is the branch campus really about capacity building in developing world or are they about building prestige and revenue streams for the sponsoring institution? What are the benefits and dangers?

Please direct questions about this page to:
international@ace.nche.edu
This page last updated on: 03/20/2009