1. 21 April 2009
Kris Olds, Professor
Department of Geography
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Email: kolds@wisc.edu
http://globalhighered.wordpress.com/
1

2. Outline & Approach
1. Mapping the Emerging Global Higher Education
Landscape: Six Symptomatic Vignettes at
Expanding Scales
a) Cultivating “global competencies” amongst students
(and faculty)
b) Reconfiguring the university/constructing global and
regional education hubs
c) Universities constructing inter-institutional consortia
d) The nation-state: branding and cultivating export
earnings
e) Regionalism, interregionalism, higher ed and research
f) Collectively constructing a global (Western?) audit
culture
2. Denationalization (aka globalization from the ground
up; globalization from the inside out)
3. Discussion
2

3. Acknowledgements
 My sincere gratitude to the International Association of Universities (IAU) for the invitation to
develop this discussion paper, and to Susan Robertson (University of Bristol) for comments on a
draft version. Please note, however, that the views contained in this paper are not necessarily
representative of the views of the IAU, nor any other institution.
 All images in this presentation were produced by Kris Olds, or were sourced from obvious sources
(e.g., when logos are included). In addition, the images on the following pages were sourced from
websites and brochures from these institutions or associated cultural products:
– Page 4: Richard Ivey School of Business; Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR); Macalester College; University of British Columbia
– Page 5: European Commission; National Science Foundation; L'auberge espagnole
– Page 7: Qatar Education City; Kuala Lumpur Education City; Incheon Free Economic Zone
– Page 8: Innovation China UK; New York University; University of Nottingham; University of Liverpool
– Page 10: Government of Singapore
– Page 12: OECD
– Page 13: New York University
– Pages 14-15: Singapore Management University
– Page 27: Government of New Zealand; Government of Canada; Netherlands Organisation for
International Cooperation in Higher Education
– Page 28: Government of Australia
– Page 29: Government of New Zealand
– Page 30: Pavel Zgaga, University of Ljubljana; Richard Higgott, University of Warwick
– Page 31: Government of Australia
– Page 32: Committee on Institutional Cooperation
– Page 36: Adams J. (2007) ‘Scientific wealth and the scientific investments of nations’, in T. Galama and
J. Hosek (eds.) Perspectives on U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology, Santa Monica, CA:
Rand Corporation, p. 40.
3

4. a) Cultivating “global competencies”
amongst students (and faculty)
4

5. 5

6. b) Reconfiguring the university while
constructing global/regional education hubs

7. Education cities, knowledge villages,
schoolhouses, education hubs, and hotspots:
emerging metaphors for global higher ed

9. Source: De Meyer, A., Harker, P., and Hawawini, G. (2004) ‘The globalization of business education’, in H. Gatignon and J. Kimberly (eds.) The INSEAD-
Wharton Alliance on Globalizing: Strategies for Building Successful Global Businesses, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
9

11. Singaporean State «» Foreign
Universities (1998 - present)
 Johns Hopkins University  Cornell University
 Duke University
 Massachusetts Institute of  Karolinska Institutet
Technology  University of New South
 Georgia Institute of Wales (RIP, 2007)
Technology  ESSEC
 University of Pennsylvania  University of Nevada, Las
Vegas
 INSEAD
 University of Warwick
 University of Chicago (abort)
 Technische Universiteit  IIM Bangalore
Eindhoven  SP Jain Centre of
 Technische Universität Management
München  NYU (Law and Film)
 Carnegie Mellon University  DigiPen Institute of
Technology
 Stanford University
 Queen Margaret University

12. Opening up territory to
build capacity…

15. …to brand…

16. Deterritorializing academic freedom while
differentially governing “foreigners” and “locals”

17. Formal and informal knowledge:
mapping, guiding, debating

18. c) Universities constructing inter-
institutional consortia
18

19. Pages 20-24 were sourced from
the following presentation:
Transnational university networks
and alliance as strategies of
internationalization
Heike Jöns and Michael Hoyler
Department of Geography
Loughborough University, UK
AAG Meeting, March 2009, Las Vegas

20. Year of
Global associations and consortia of universities Acronym foundation
Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU 1913

21. Year of
Global associations and consortia of universities Acronym foundation
Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU 1913
Unión de Universidades de América Latina y el Caribe UDUAL 1949
International Association of Universities IAU 1950

22. Year of
Global associations and consortia of universities Acronym foundation
Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU 1913
Unión de Universidades de América Latina y el Caribe UDUAL 1949
International Association of Universities IAU 1950
Association of Arab Universities AArU 1964
Inter-American Organization for Higher Education IOHE 1979
Asociación Iberoamericana de Educación Superior a Distancia AIESD 1980
Coimbra Group Coimbra 1985
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities HACU 1986
Agence universitaire de la Francophonie AUF 1989
Consortium Linking Universities of Science and Technology for Education and Research CLUSTER 1990
International University Cooperation, UNESCO IUC 1993
Association of Pacific Rim Univerisities APRU 1997
Universitas 21 U21 1997
The Association of Arab and European Universities AEUA 1998
LAOTSE LAOTSE 1998
Global University Network for Innovation GUNI 1999
IDEA League IDEA 1999
Worldwide Universities Network WUN 2000
Academic Consortium 21 AC21 2002
ePortConsortium ePort 2002
League of European Research Universities LERU 2002
Global U8 Consortium GU8 2003
International Alliance of Research Universities IARU 2006
International Forum of Public Universities IFPU 2007
Network of Networks NNs 2008

23. Number of
Year of member
Global associations and consortia of universities Acronym foundation institutions
Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU 1913 500
Unión de Universidades de América Latina y el Caribe UDUAL 1949 177
International Association of Universities IAU 1950 620
Association of Arab Universities AArU 1964 180
Inter-American Organization for Higher Education IOHE 1979 400
Asociación Iberoamericana de Educación Superior a Distancia AIESD 1980 38
Coimbra Group Coimbra 1985 38
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities HACU 1986 450
Agence universitaire de la Francophonie AUF 1989 686
Consortium Linking Universities of Science and Technology for Education and Research CLUSTER 1990 15
International University Cooperation, UNESCO IUC 1993 49
Association of Pacific Rim Univerisities APRU 1997 42
Universitas 21 U21 1997 21
The Association of Arab and European Universities AEUA 1998 67
LAOTSE LAOTSE 1998 37
Global University Network for Innovation GUNI 1999 100
IDEA League IDEA 1999 5
Worldwide Universities Network WUN 2000 18
Academic Consortium 21 AC21 2002 25
ePortConsortium ePort 2002 898
League of European Research Universities LERU 2002 20
Global U8 Consortium GU8 2003 8
International Alliance of Research Universities IARU 2006 10
International Forum of Public Universities IFPU 2007 23
Network of Networks NNs 2008 27

24. Number of
Year of member Type of
Global associations and consortia of universities Acronym foundation institutions network
Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU 1913 500 Coll
Unión de Universidades de América Latina y el Caribe UDUAL 1949 177 Coll
International Association of Universities IAU 1950 620 Coll
Association of Arab Universities AArU 1964 180 Coll
Inter-American Organization for Higher Education IOHE 1979 400 Coll
Asociación Iberoamericana de Educación Superior a Distancia AIESD 1980 38 Coll
Coimbra Group Coimbra 1985 38 Coll/Comp
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities HACU 1986 450 Coll
Agence universitaire de la Francophonie AUF 1989 686 Coll
Consortium Linking Universities of Science and Technology for Education and Research CLUSTER 1990 15 Coll/Comp
International University Cooperation, UNESCO IUC 1993 49 Coll
Association of Pacific Rim Univerisities APRU 1997 42 Coll
Universitas 21 U21 1997 21 Comp
The Association of Arab and European Universities AEUA 1998 67 Coll
LAOTSE LAOTSE 1998 37 Comp
Global University Network for Innovation GUNI 1999 100 Coll
IDEA League IDEA 1999 5 Comp
Worldwide Universities Network WUN 2000 18 Comp
Academic Consortium 21 AC21 2002 25 Coll
ePortConsortium ePort 2002 898 Coll
League of European Research Universities LERU 2002 20 Comp
Global U8 Consortium GU8 2003 8 Comp
International Alliance of Research Universities IARU 2006 10 Comp
International Forum of Public Universities IFPU 2007 23 Comp
Network of Networks NNs 2008 27 Coll

25. c) Universities constructing inter-
institutional consortia
25

26. King Abdullah
University of
Science and
Technology
 $10 billion endowment
(6th wealthiest university
in the world)
 De-facto Sovereign Wealth
Fund
 Global research networks
(incl., Cambridge,
Chalmers, Imperial,
Institut Française du
Pétrole, Munich, National
Taiwan University, Oxford,
Rome, Stanford, Texas
AM, Utrecht)
 Defacto inter-university
consortia
 Opening 2010

27. d) The nation-state: branding and
cultivating export earnings
27

28. d) The nation-state: branding and cultivating
export earnings
28

29. 29

30. e) Regionalism, interregionalism,
higher ed and research

31. Geoeconomic “Echoes” of Bologna
31

32. f) Collectively constructing a
global (Western?) audit culture
32

33. 33

34. 34

35. Global audit culture and
non-traditional security studies
35

36. 36

37. National-
International
37

38. 2) Denationalization (aka globalization from the
ground up; from the inside out)
 The process of  Development at all
reorientation from the scales increasingly
national and framed globally, and in a
international to the multi-scalar way for
global multiple objectives.
 Denationalization  We are contributing to
process is initiated/ the construction of
enabled: globalization
 Within our universities  We are constructing the
 Within the nation-state global higher education
(e.g., a ministry of
education or international space, albeit unevenly
trade) via:
 Within other sub-national  Action/engagement
national and institutions  Non-action/non-
(e.g., a national association engagement
of universities)
 Within regional and
 Denationalization is a
international institutions tendency, not an end goal
38

39. 3) Discussion Points
1. In which ways is the emerging global higher education landscape marked by
tendencies of inclusion and/or exclusion?
2. Is collective global action (as opposed to, or in conjunction with, regional and
inter-regional cooperation) worth pursuing? Are we obligated to pursue it?
Does the relative absence of an influential intergovernmental player in HE
(UNESCO and OECD notwithstanding) leave more or less room for non-
governmental players (i.e. you)?
3. If not (i.e. the status quo option), what is likely to happen? Bilateralism?
Interregionalism? A “thousand flowers bloom”? More pronounced uneven
development? In short, is convening important IAU-sponsored events like
this one enough?
4. If so:
a) Who should be around the table? Associations, networks or specialists? The
nation-state? The private sector? Specific universities? IOs?
b) What organizational structure should be adopted? A new or integrated multi-
sited infrastructure? Hub and spoke? Perhaps a temporary high profile “Global
Commission”?
c) What foci? Generic or specific issues? Systemic governance versus policy/
program issues? Proactive or reactive? Higher education and/or research?
Undergraduate or graduate education? Knowledge and the knowledge
economy?
d) What resources are needed to do it well? Do we also need to do more at
extracting and better sharing knowledge and skills already available within
our universities? Capabilities…
39