On October 31, 2016, the higher education community gathered at Seton Hall University to celebrate something other than Halloween: An inaugural lecture in the higher education program’s newly developed distinguished speaker series. Dr. Martin Finkelstein, who led the program’s faculty in this event says, “The series is designed to bring national figures in American higher education to campus to dialogue with faculty and administrators in the tri-state area on current pressing issues in higher education.”
The evening began with a welcome from College of Education and Human Services Dean Maureen Gillette, who assisted in funding the first lecture in cooperation with the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. Those in attendance listened attentively to lectures by Philip Altbach, Ph.D., Professor and Director Emeritus, Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, Rajika Bhandari, Ph.D., Deputy Vice President, Research and Evaluation, Institute of International Education, and Dawn Whitehead, Ph.D., Senior Director of Global Initiatives, Association of American Colleges and Universities.
As a world-renowned expert in international higher education, Dr. Altbach set the stage for a conversation on the global academic revolution citing international statistics, mass and universal higher education systems, and what he perceives the impact will be for American higher education. In speaking about what he learned, Joe Fresco, doctoral student, stated Altbach “tied themes together from my History of Higher Education and Organization and Governance courses. I was interested in hearing Altbach’s comments on how shared governance is key for universities’ effectiveness.”
After Dr. Altbach discussed new educational developments around the world, Dr. Bhandari reported on recent IIE data related to student mobility between countries. She shared that the education market is not restricted to borders as it once was. Then, Dr. Whitehead related her experience with AAC&U’s work on liberal arts education to how high impact practices, access, and equity are necessary in preparing students for the global marketplace.
Doctoral Student, Olga Komissarova reflected, “Philip Altbach is at the forefront of global higher education thinking, and I was privileged to be present in the audience to share his views.” If you were not able to attend, be sure to find the recorded event at https://youtu.be/lD00evPr4Uk and follow #hedss16 on Twitter.