Middle East and North Africa’s education leaders to gather in Miami
to debate innovation, inclusion and impact
More than one thousand of the world’s leading experts and decision makers in higher and further education are due to come to Miami, USA, for the eighth prestigious ‘Going Global’ conference, organised by the British Council.
During last year’s conference, held for the first time in the Gulf region, 1300 leaders of international education shared learning and debated how higher education can create knowledge-based economies for 21st century nations. More than fifty sessions took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE.
This year, the conference will bring together leaders from governments, education institutions and business from more than seventy countries to explore how innovation systems are formed, structured and driven globally and transnationally. Leaders will consider how talent is developed and how countries meet the challenge of providing sufficient high quality tertiary education to ensure the widespread inclusion and participation of their citizens. The conference will investigate how impact is delivered - and explore the outcomes for policy makers, funders, tertiary education stakeholders and the institutions themselves.
The conference will be held from 29 April - 1 May 2014 at the Miami Beach Convention Centre in Miami, Florida. Registration opened on January 6 via http://www.britishcouncil.org/going-global.
A global call for proposals was made in 2013, attracting over 450 submissions from around the world. A programme of over sixty sessions has been developed for the three day conference, addressing topics such as the growth and opportunities created by transnational education; future models of university and industry collaboration, and how technology can drive access to skills.
Major research projects will be released and debated at the conference, including an international study on the value of large scale national outward mobility programmes; the role of the Humanities in dealing with global development challenges, and the growth and impact of English as a Medium of Instruction in higher education around the world.
Dr Jo Beall, the British Council’s Director of Education and Society, said, “Talent is now mobile, knowledge transcends national borders – so it is becoming increasingly vital that nations can come together to develop the most effective system that maximises innovation whilst including the broadest sections of our societies. Going Global is an evolving, travelling conference, and it’s highly appropriate that it will now come to the Americas and focus on a theme that has become crucial to international growth and prosperity.”
Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education, commented, “Going Global has grown from a biennial event in the UK to an annual event that has been held in education hub cities such as Hong Kong and Dubai. Holding this signature event in the United States for the first time and in a city that is home to America's largest and most diverse college offers the higher education community the opportunity to engage with academic and policy leaders from around the world to gain a truly global perspective on important innovation and talent development issues that affect us all.”