Description

As in previous years, the 2015 World Universities Forum (WUF) will feature sessions on a breadth of topics relevant to the university and its possibilities.

We are inviting proposals for paper presentations, workshops/interactive sessions, posters/exhibits, or colloquia (See Proposal Types) addressing the university through one of the following themes:

Teaching and Learning	Research and Knowledge Formation
University Administration	The University and the Community
Special Focus for 2015: The Economics of Higher Education

Proposal ideas that extend beyond these thematic areas will also be considered. For more information about the ideas and themes underlying this community, see Our Focus.

We also offer participation options for those individuals who cannot attend the conference. Authors who wish to submit an article for potential publication in the Universities Journal may submit a Proposal for Article Submission, while all members of the knowledge community with an accepted proposal may submit an online presentation to the knowledge community YouTube channel.

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Special Focusfor 2015: The Economics of Higher Education

Countries around the world have established extensive higher education systems within their countries to support the development of an educated populace.  Some countries have systems that are predominantly publicly funded and some countries have a mix of both public and privately funded higher educated systems.  Regardless, the reality exists that Higher Education is a very expensive national effort.  For instance, the US spends 2.6% of its GDP, Sweden spends 1.8% of its GDP, Canada spends 2.5% of its GDP, Japan spends 1.5% of its GDP, and India spends 1.35% of its GDP on Higher Education in their respective countries.  Countries around the world invest in Higher Education because it is a critical system and driver of social and economic mobility for the individual citizen and for the nation-state as well.  With shifting national and global realities, there are growing concerns about how to fund higher education considering its cost and affordability.

Under this context, the World Universities Forum announces that the special focus for the 2015 Conference- The Economics of Higher Education.  Interested participants are encouraged to present and engage in discussion on such matters as:

• What are countries doing as it relates to national, regional, local investment into higher education?
• The relationship between tuition and the general operating budget for institutional operation?
• Budget reductions and its impact on institutional operations?
• National and state level funding formulas for higher education - how are countries handling this?
• Access for students as it relates to socioeconomic status?
• Student debt and tuition costs?
• Higher Education and Fund Development?
• Creative ways of program development in times of fiscal restraint?
• University and business partnerships?
• And other matters as it relates to the Economics of Higher Education.

Additionally the conference will try to address the above questions with an interdisciplinary approach, through keynote speakers, garden sessions, workshops and parallel sessions.