There are always plenty of development programmes and study visits available for senior leaders to choose from. Some of the more interesting ones from an AHUA perspective are offered by HUMANE (which is essentially our pan-European parent group if you like).
In addition to the highly regarded HUMANE Winter School which is very much aimed at the aspiring registrar market (read a write up of the latest one here) and Summer School, the Transnational Partnerships School has been going for a few years now with the latest iteration taking place in Shanghai. It covers, among other things, geopolitical changes and trends, and their impact on global higher education, cultural issues in relation to transnational partnerships and Institutional brand positioning as well as student engagement, regulation, quality issues and risk management.
The School components are delivered through strategic conversations with highly experienced leaders and managers in higher education from different nations, practical casework and highly interactive team building sessions. Key to the success of the programme is in depth exploration and discussion with peers of key challenges facing exemplar institutions.
In a similar vein is this new programme taking place in April in Sydney, Australia. It comprises study visits to three very different types of institutions in Sydney, themed around global engagement strategy and practice, operational services transformation and infrastructure development and delivery.
The programme also includes a seminar with Australia’s Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Corporate) group, which will focus on good practice exchange, key trends in higher education, big challenges and future developments, as well as providing a platform for international networking. The programme will provide an opportunity to dig into the detail of the success of a range of Australian universities, what they are currently focusing on and what European universities can learn from them.
The fee for HUMANE members is €1,750 and €2,150 for non-members. All AHUA members are able to participate at the HUMANE members’ rate.
This kind of event offers a great opportunity for participants to learn from a group of multi-national peers whilst exploring a quite different university context. As the UK looks forward to a very different international profile post-Brexit it reinforces the need for those of us involved in UK higher education to sustain our engagement with colleagues from institutions overseas. In addition to this programme, involvement in the HUMANE network offers a good way for AHUA members to maintain connections with other European institutions develop their skills and expertise and expand their professional networks both locally and internationally.