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International Association of Universities

Abbreviation:IAU, Motto: For a worldwide higher education community. Formation: 1950, Type: NGO. Legal status: Association. Purpose/focus: Educational. Headquarters: Paris, France. Region served: Worldwide. Membership: Universities, higher education associations. Official languages: French, English. Executive General Secretary: Eva Egron-Polak. Main organ: General Assembly. Website: www.iau-aiu.net

The International Association of Universities (IAU) founded in 1950. It is a non-government organization and the UNESCO-based worldwide association of higher education institutions. It brings together institutions and organizations from some 150 countries [1] for "reflection and action on common concerns and collaborates with various international, regional and national bodies active in higher education"[2]. The IAU services are available to Members but also to organizations, institutions and authorities concerned with higher education, as well as to individual policy and decision-makers, specialists, administrators, teachers, researchers and students. As stated in its Founding Charter IAU's mission is based on the primary principles for which every member university should stand for, firstly, the right to chase knowledge for its own sake and to follow wherever the search for truth may lead. Secondly, the acceptance of different opinion and freedom from political interferes.

Leadership In 2008, the General Assembly of IAU elected Juan Ramon de la Fuente, former Rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico as its President, for the 2008-2012 term.

The General Executive Secretary is Eva Egron-Polak, former International Vice President at the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

Aims The Association aims to give appearance to the requirement of higher education institutions and universities as social institutions to support, through teaching, services and research, the principles of justice and freedom, of human solidarity and dignity, and contributes, throughout an international cooperation, to the development of quality and moral assistance for the intensification of higher education in general[2].

Goals

The overall goals of IAU are firstly, IAU brings its Members together, offering them high quality services, collective action and networking. Secondly, the Association speaks as a representative of universities, other higher education associations and institutions and imposes their concerns and interests in public debate and to external partners. Both of these harmonizing goals are pursued through plans for future collective action, including meetings and conferences, policy discussion, information services, publications and research.

Members: Institutional Members are universities or higher education institutions whose main intention is research and teaching, regardless of whether they carry the name of university or not. Getting benefit from IAU’s entire range of services and capable to become dynamic participants in all IAU activities and working groups, they also participate in the General Conference and contribute in the election of Administrative Board and the head office.

As a global Association, IAU has institutional members from all over the world and they are as the following with the percentage they represent: Africa: 10%, Asia and Pacific: 23%, Europe: 41%, Latin America and Caribbean: 8%, Middle East: 12% and North America including the United States of America: 6%[2].

By encouraging Members to work together, IAU encourages the exchange of knowledge, experience, learning and further collaboration. replicate and secure the academic principles and values that motivate and establish the right performance of universities and other higher education institutions. •sustain and contributes to the development of a long-standing image of universities’ responsibilities and role in society; •influence the distress for higher education with analysis to policies of international bodies such as the World Bank, UNESCO and others; •contributes to a better considerate of current movements and policy developments through analysis, debates and research; •Grants wide-ranging and dependable information on higher education systems, qualifications and institutions globally.

Several categories exist for IAU Membership: •Institutional Membership •Organizational Membership •IAU Affiliates •Associates

Benefits contain access to LEADHER grants, the right to vote and get a place for election as President and as an Administrative Board member, chance to participate in IAU/Palgrave Prize in Higher Education Policy Research, the opportunity to contribute in IAU Conferences with a reduction on conference fees and, amongst other, free access to IAU’s reports and activities including explanation of higher education and research development. IAU maintains a close working relation with a great range of bodies and organizations in the field of higher education such as: •UNESCO •UNESCO European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES) •Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) •The European Network of Information Centres (ENIC )/ The National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC) •Education International (IE) •European Association of International Education (EAIE) •Organisation internationale de la Francophonie •Council for Higher Education Accreditation •International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) •The International Union of Students

Among other principles, IAU believes that: •fair access to quality learning contributes significantly to promote social justice and unity, development of national human resources, improves personal development, employability and assists sustainable development; •As a global association of universities and other higher education institutions, it needs to communicate its dedication to promoting the twin goals of fair access to, and successful participation in, higher education for all members from every society; •enlargement access is companionable with academic quality; •Further work calling for reasonable access is important and stresses the Association’s commitment, adding worth to a global discussion, moving the schedule towards action and structure awareness of this significant issue in all parts of the world[3].

Achievements: The International Association of Universities has the exceptional convening power to bring together heads of universities, other higher education institutions and their national and local associations to discuss topics of interest around the world. Through its global membership, IAU can approximately guarantee that any of its meetings allow participants to meet their peers from all other world regions. This can offer members plenty of opportunities to meet and to become dynamically involved in IAU’s work, which encourages international cooperation and networking that benefits the higher education sector. This has provided better high education systems around the world as well as has increased the number of graduates, which has slightly filled the gap of labor demands in the global market. General Conference: supreme decision-making organ of the Association. It meets once every four years and it is on this event that all IAU Members in Good position elect the IAU President as well as the Administrative Board members. Between General Conferences, the IAU holds international Conferences for Members and beyond to discuss matters of general concern to international higher education[4].

References:


 * 1) The updated list of IAU members can be consulted at http://www.iau-aiu.net/members_friends/index.html
 * 2) ^ The complete Mission Statement is available at http://www.iau-aiu.net/association/index.html
 * 3) Shryock, R. The International Association of University Professors and Lecturers.  American Association of University Professors, 1952, pp. 717-722.
 * 4) The IAU building a worldwide higher education community at http://www.ug.edu.gh/ugdocs/IAUbulletin.pdf

External links

* Directory of IAU's Member Institutions * International Association of Universities Database of universities worldwide * A Statement on Behalf of Higher Education Institutions Worldwide Developed by CHEA, the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and the International Association of Universities (IAU).

See also: international education

http://www.cumulusassociation.org/index.php?option=com_executive_board&task=viewLetter&memid=12&Itemid=53

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001847/184708eb.pdf