
UBC President Stephen Toope is chairing the U21 AGM and presidential symposium at UBC this week. (Photo: Martin Dee)
Presidents and students from universities around the world will be at the University of British Columbia May 8-10 to explore the impact of new technology on learning and research.
Part of the annual meeting and presidential symposium of Universitas 21 (U21), the four-day conference brings together leaders, senior administrators and students from 25 universities in 16 countries on five continents. U21 is a network of research universities for the 21st century.
“The rapid development of information technology spells new challenges for us, but it also opens intriguing opportunities to better engage students and conduct research in a hyper-connected global community,” says UBC president Stephen Toope. “A forum like U21 allows member universities to discuss these emerging issues.”
For the first time, a concurrent U21 student symposium will take place May 7-8 with 45 students from U21 member universities. Delegates will present the assembled U21 presidents with a joint challenge on May 9 to advance higher learning.
The keynote address will be delivered by Dominic Barton, UBC alumnus and managing director of global business consultancy McKinsey & Co., on Thursday, May 9. Barton will share his insights on leadership and change.
For more information, visit http://ow.ly/kEQxp.
BACKGROUND | U21
About Universitas 21
Universitas 21 is the leading global network of research-intensive universities, working together to foster global citizenship and institutional innovation through research-inspired teaching and learning, student mobility, connecting our students and staff, and wider advocacy for internationalisation.
Collectively, its 24 members enrol over 1.3 million students and employ over 180,000 staff and faculty. Their collective budgets amount to over US$25bn and they have an annual research grant income of over US$6.5bn.
U21 member universities (by country):
Australia
University of Melbourne
University of New South Wales
University of Queensland
Canada
McGill University
University of British Columbia
Chile
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
China
Fudan University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Hong Kong
University of Hong Kong
India
University of Delhi
Ireland
University College Dublin
Japan
Waseda University
Mexico
Tecnológico de Monterrey
New Zealand
University of Auckland
Singapore
National University of Singapore
South Korea
Korea University
Sweden
Lund University
The Netherlands
University of Amsterdam
United Kingdom
University of Birmingham
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of Nottingham