Union Education Minister to inaugurate the global virtual conference on reimagining and transforming the university

OP Jindal Global University (JGU) and International Institute for Higher Education Research and Capacity Building (IIHEd) present to the world a truly global conference on August 6th and 7th, 2020 on 'Reimagining and Transforming the University: Confluence of Ideas during and beyond the COVID-19 Disruption' in partnership with six global education networks - Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Coimbra Group of Brazilian Universities, Laspau (A Harvard University affiliated network), the STAR Scholars Network, Qatar Foundation.

This conference comes right after the launch of the National Education Policy 2020 which aims to reimagine and transform the future of education and universities of India. Union Cabinet Minister for Education, Government of India, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' would be inaugurating this conference in the esteemed presence of Professor (Dr) DP Singh, Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC), and Professor (Dr) Pankaj Mittal, Secretary-General, Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

This event will also be graced by the presence of eminent leaders of the Indian Higher Education Landscape - Professor (Dr) Virander S Chauhan, Chairman, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Professor (Dr) l D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Professor (Dr) Bhushan Patwardhan, Vice Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC).

The conference will bring together 80 plus thought leaders from six continents and 15 countries across 15 thematic panel discussions, four keynote addresses, and two special dialogues including a special panel led by women leaders from universities.

"We are extremely excited to bring together 80 plus thought leaders from 15 countries across two days to create some very thought-provoking dialogues to re-imagine and transform the idea of a university. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is very important for leaders of higher education from across the globe, come together to re-define the future of universities, which will impact the lives of students, academics and nations. This global conference is hosted right after the launch of India's National Education Policy 2020, which has outlined a vision statement, Therefore, at JGU we wanted to play an instrumental role in creating such a platform. We are truly humbled by the support of our education network partners in India and around the world who helped us accomplish the creation of this forum in such little time," said Professor (Dr) C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University (JGU).

Academics from over 55 Universities and Colleges across the world with nearly 40 Present and Former Vice Chancellors, Provosts, Rectors, Presidents, Founding Deans, and Directors will be present to discuss the future of global higher education.

This conference will also see senior leadership from multiple national, regional and international orgzations including Dr Joanna Newman, Chief Executive & Secretary General, ACU, Dr Francisco J Marmolejo, Education Advisor, Office of the Chairperson, Qatar Foundation, Professor (Dr) Uttam Gaulee, President, Society for Transnational Academic Research (STAR) Network, Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer, Times Higher Education (THE), Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

The themes of discussions have been very thoughtfully designed to understand the transformation of universities required in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and after.

Over 20 themes will be discussed across the sessions to cover a wide range of topics including 'The Future of Universities in Asia', 'Women's Leadership at the University', 'The Future of Internationalization: Implications for India', 'Digital Transformation of Higher Education, Diversity, Inclusion' and 'Social Justice as the University Mission' and 'Educational Leadership, Institutional Resilience, and Innovative Initiatives'.

This virtual event is expected to be two days of intellectual deliberations with global leaders of higher education reimagining the idea of a university and future transformation in higher education during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

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( With inputs from ANI )