International Association of Universities

Equitable Access and Success in Higher Education has been one of IAU priority theme for the past five years. In 2008, the IAU General Conference adopted a new Policy Statement entitled Equitable Access and Success in Quality Higher Education (which has now been signed and endorsed by many university associations from around the world). Moving from statement to action, IAU has recently worked on a new project.

Background

In responding to the multiple imperatives that drive our global knowledge-based economy and society, national governments recognize the need for high quality higher education for all. Preparing its citizens for the 21st century by sustaining or developing a globally competitive research/innovation base and raising employability skills are goals pursued by most, despite different national contexts. Gaining access to learning, and successful participation in higher education is becoming essential for all.

Against this backdrop, and noting a renewed sense of urgency, IAU adopted the issues of Equitable Access and Success in Higher Education as one if its priority themes during the 69th IAU Administrative Board Meeting (Alexandria, Egypt, November 12-15, 2005). It mandated an international Task Force of experts, to further the work on this topic. During the three following years, the IAU Secretariat and the Task Force worked jointly on the design of a new Policy Statement and, in 2008, the IAU General Conference adopted Equitable Access and Success in Quality Higher Education as the IAU latest Policy Statement. To learn more about the preparation of this Policy statement please click here.

2011 - IAU Annual international Conference: Strategies for Securing Equity in Access and Success in Higher Education

The IAU 2011 International Conference was hosted by Kenyatta University (KU) in Nairobi, Kenya. It examined the extent to which government and institutional policies and programs around the world seek and succeed in responding to the imperative of increasing equitable access and success in higher education. The goals are clear and easily stated. Achieving the objectives is far more complex and requires clarity of purpose, shared commitment, adequate resources and expertise and time. To learn more about this conference, to glance through the programme and read some of the presentations, please click here.

2010 - IAU Pilot Project

Ten higher education institutions in Asia and the Americas joined the IAU pilot project on Equitable Access and Success in Quality Higher Education designed to learn more about and share lessons about institutional approaches to improving both entry and progression for students from under-represented groups.

Working in collaboration with members of its international Task Force, the IAU designed an Institutional Self-Assessment Instrument to enable institutions to examine their policies and programs for improving access and success for learners from usually marginalized groups. The questionnaire is also designed to help universities collect information and analyze their practices in this area. The ten pilot institutions are from ten different countries in the Americas and Asia and are quite diverse in profile. This pilot project received support from the World Bank. The results obtained allowed the IAU to produce a comparative review of access and success programs in the pilot universities.

On 18 and 19 November 2010, the International Association of Universities, the University of Arizona and The World Bank co-organized, with the support of Lumina Foundation (USA), a two-day workshop in Tucson (Arizona, USA) bringing together representatives of the universities involved in the IAU pilot project, as well as Members of the IAU Task Force and several other experts from the United States and the United Kingdom.

This workshop was designed to probe further the findings of the 10 universities which undertook a critical self-assessment of their policies and practices in regards with the issues of equitable access and success (retention). It also served as an opportunity for the participating HEIs to meet and learn from each other. How do institutions attract learners who are in one way or another marginalized in their nations? Who are these under-represented minorities? How do institutions assess their potential and how do they accompany these students’ progress were among some of the questions guiding the discussion over these two days.

The Workshop participants were Rectors, Vice Rectors, and senior leaders responsible for policy development in this area. They were also invited to critically review the Institutional Self-Assessment Instrument developed by IAU and applied by them in preparation for the Workshop. Testing this instrument among a highly diverse set of pilot universities was deemed a way to help IAU determine the potential for an even more generalized use of this tool around the globe.

Last but not least, this meeting was an opportunity for the IAU with its Task Force, partners and participating universities, to determine what next steps as well as other initiatives the Association could develop to pursue the ‘equitable access and success agenda’. A brief report of the workshop is also available.

If you would like to share information on Access and Success (upcoming conferences, articles, seminars, research papers, innovative policies, effective practices etc.) please contact: iau@iau-aiu.net