Higher Education Dialogues
The Hollings Center’s Higher Education Dialogue series fosters cooperation between universities and other institutions of learning through the exchange of ideas, expertise and best practices. Dialogues focus on issues of significant importance to higher education communities in the United States and across Muslim-majority countries. Participants include distinguished university presidents, administrators, senior officials and educators from over a dozen countries. Dialogue conferences have explored topics that include independent universities in the Muslim world, study abroad programs and quality assurance in higher education.
Quality Assurance in Higher Education:
An International Dialogue on Progress and Challenges (October 2009)
This dialogue focused on the most recent trends and innovations in evaluation and quality assurance. The dialogue examined quality assurance from different national, cultural, and institutional perspectives, bringing together university presidents, government officials, and higher education experts from the Middle East and North Africa, Southwest and Southeast Asia, Turkey and the United States.
Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities (March 2008)
Held at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, in cooperation with the Institute of International Education (IIE), this dialogue provided new perspectives to one of the fastest-growing areas of higher education. Participants discussed how to create more diverse study abroad programs throughout the Arab world, enhance the capacity of Arab universities to host U.S. students and develop quality programs that promote intercultural learning and build proficiency in the Arabic language.
Independent Universities in th
e Muslim World: A New Approach, Part II (January 2007)
Building on the December 2005 conference, participants in this second dialogue delved deeper into topics relating to curricula, standards of excellence, philanthropy, best practices, and international cooperation between independent universities. Participants included presidents and administrators of higher education institutions in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in addition to the United States.
Independent Universities in the Muslim World: A New Approach, Part I (December 2005)
This path-breaking dialogue examined the establishment of independent universities in predominantly Muslim countries, the challenges these institutions face and the possibilities for partnership with American universities. Conference participants included prominent educators and higher education officials from independent colleges and universities in Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States.