World University Consortium Meeting of Charter Members

Meeting of Charter Members

Library of Alexandria, February 12-14, 2014

The Library of Alexandria, one of the world’s greatest repositories of knowledge, hosted the first meeting of the Charter Members of the World University Consortium. This meeting follows the “World Academy Forum on Global Higher Education” at the University of California at Berkeley in Oct 2013 at which the launching of WUC was endorsed by a leading group of educational innovators.

WUC seeks to become a global network and umbrella group working to facilitate educational partnerships and linkages with interested stakeholders with shared goals, to explore creative solutions to enhance the reach, quality and relevance of higher education globally, and to provide a platform for new ideas, trans-disciplinary perspectives and integrated courseware intended to address global opportunities and challenges.

Officers elected by the Board on February 14, 2014



Heitor Gurgulino de Souza
President



Garry Jacobs
Chief Executive Officer



Alberto Zucconi
Secretary General & Treasurer



Winston Nagan
Chair, Program Committee

Founding Charter Members of the Consortium

Foundation for Culture of Peace – an international NGO founded by former UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor Zaragoza – represented on WUC Board by Federico Mayor
Green Cross International – an international NGO founded in 1993 by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev with offices in more than 30 countries – represented on WUC Board by Alexander Likhotal, President
International Association of University Presidents – an international association of more than 800 present and former university presidents, vice chancellors and rectors from around the world – represented on WUC Board by Neal King, President
Institute of Cultural Diplomacy – An international NGO to promote global peace and stability by intercultural relations in Berlin – represented on WUC Board by Emil Constantinescu, President
The Mother’s Service Society – a social science research and educational institution founded in 1970 based in Pondicherry, India – represented on WUC Board by Garry Jacobs, Vice President
Person-Centered Approach Institute, the largest psychological counseling and post graduate psychological education and training institution in Italy founded by Carl Rogers and Alberto Zucconi in 1979 – represented on WUC Board by Alberto Zucconi, President of IACP
World Academy of Art & Science – An international think tank established by eminent intellectuals in 1960 with more than 600 members from 80 countries – represented on WUC Board by Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, President of WAAS and former Rector, United Nations University; Garry Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of WAAS; Winston Nagan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of WAAS; Ivo Šlaus, Honorary President of WAAS; and Alberto Zucconi, Member of the Board of Trustees of WAAS.

Participating Institutions

  Library of Alexandria – An international center of knowledge and education in Alexandria, Egypt – represented by Ismail Serageldin, Director.
Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik – An international association of 170 universities based in Dubrovnik, represented by Sigmund Gronmo, Chair of the Council, and Ivo Šlaus, Vice-Chair.

Sessions intended primarily for free discussion and brainstorming with brief introductory and concluding remarks by moderators.

WEDNESDAY, FEB 12 Library of Alexandria
Noon Lunch with participants
1:30 pm Drive to Library of Alexandria
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

1. Need for a New Paradigm

Issue: What factors and circumstances are driving the quest for a new paradigm in global higher education?

Moderators: Ismail Serageldin & Garry Jacobs

Group discussion

3:00 pm – 4:15 pm 

2. Challenges Confronting Global Higher Education

Issue: What is the status of global higher education today and its place in overall global development strategy? What challenges does it face? 

Moderators: Heitor Gurgulino de Souza & Emil Constantinescu

Group discussion 

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

3. Towards a New Paradigm in Higher Education

Issue: What are the emerging opportunities & potentials for revolutionary advances in global higher education?

Moderators: Alberto Zucconi & Winston Nagan

Group discussion (David Krieger on Skype)

THURSDAY, FEB 13 Library of Alexandria
8:30 am Drive to Library of Alexandria
9:00 am – 10:30 am

4. Role of the WUC in promoting world-class global higher education

Issue: Looking forward, what goals can WUC hope to accomplish? 

How can it act most effectively to achieve these goals?

Moderators: Sigmund Gronmo & Alexander Likhotal

Group discussion

10:45 am – 12:00 pm

5. World Consortium Charter

Issue: What should be the mission, objectives and activities of WUC?

Moderators: Heitor Gurgulino de Souza & Alberto Zucconi 

Group discussion

12:00 pm –   1:30 pm

6. Constitution of the World University Consortium

Issue: Provisions of WUC Bylaws

Moderators: Winston Nagan & Garry Jacobs

Group discussion & adoption

1:30 pm –   2:30 pm Lunch
2:30 pm –   3:30 pm Library tour (optional)
3:30 pm –   4:30 pm

7. WUC Stakeholder & Membership Strategy

Issue: What strategies should WUC adopt to enlist, engage and energize other institutions and individuals to participate in the Consortium work?

Moderators: Alberto Zucconi & Sigmund Gronmo

Group discussion

4:30 pm –   5:30 pm

8. Design concepts for a world-class global delivery system

Issue: If you were asked to design a world-class system of higher education available to everyone, how would you do it? 

Moderators: Garry Jacobs & Ismail Serageldin 

Group discussion (Ralph Wolff, Neal King on Skype)

FRIDAY, FEB 14  Helnan Palestine Hotel
9:00 am to 10:00 am

9. Election of WUC Officers

Issue: Election of key officers of WUC

Moderators: Emil Constantinescu & Winston Nagan 

10:00 am – 11:15 pm

10. Financing the Consortium

Issue: Approval of a preliminary budget for 2014 and a plan to fund WUC operations and activities.

Moderators:  Alberto Zucconi & Alexander Likhotal

Group Discussion

11:30 am —  1:00 pm

11. Action plan for 2014 & Open Discussion

Issue: What are the first steps WUC can and should take during 2014?

Closing comments: Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, Garry Jacobs, Ismail Serageldin 

Group Discussion

Confirmed Participants

Emil Constantinescu: Trustee, World Academy of Art and Science; President, Academy for Cultural Diplomacy; Former President of Romania

Heitor Gurgulino de Souza: President, World Academy of Art and Science; President, Brazilian Chapter of the Club of Rome; Vice-President of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP)

Sigmund Grønmo: Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science; Chairman of the Council, Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik; Vice-Chancellor, University of Bergen; Honorary member, The Norwegian Students Society

Garry Jacobs: Chief Executive Officer, World Academy of Art & Science; Vice-President, The Mother’s Service Society (MSS); Managing Editor, Cadmus Journal

Alexander Likhotal: President, Green Cross International; Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science

Winston Nagan: Chairman, World Academy of Art and Science; Professor of Law, University of Florida, Levin College of Law; Founding Director, Institute for Human Rights, Peace and Development

Ismail Serageldin: Director, Library of Alexandria; Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science

Alberto Zucconi: Trustee, World Academy of Art and Science; President, Person-Centered Approach Institute (IACP)

Skype Participants

Neal King: President, International Association of University Presidents

David Krieger: President, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Ralph Wolff: Former President, Western Association of Colleges and Schools; Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science

Emerging Opportunities in Global Higher Education
Garry Jacobs

World Virtual University
Heitor Gurgulino de Souza

Global Higher Education Issues
Ismail Serageldin

Educating Youth for Tomorrow
Alexander Likhotal

WUC – A New Paradigm in Education
Alberto Zucconi

WUC Objectives & Activities
Sigmund Grønmo

Value-based Education
Winston Nagan

Reinventing Education
Emil Constantinescu