Higher education's response to the COVID-19 pandemic: building a more sustainable and democratic future

Tuesday, 16 March 2021 | 2:30 pm CET (Paris time, GMT +1)

Session co-organised by the Council of Europe, the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility and Democracy, and IAU.

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all around the world. Higher education reacted rapidly and make strong and innovative decisions on how to reorganize teaching, learning, and research, as well as other activities.

Institutions still need to take account of the health and safety of students and staff as well as of the approach established by public authorities for addressing the health crisis. Beyond this immediate response, higher education plays a major role in helping to shape a better, more equitable and just post-COVID world.

To better understand “Higher education’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic”, the Council of Europe, the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility and Democracy, and the International Association of Universities have co-edited a book, published in the CoE higher education series, describing various ways in which higher education both as a sector and as individual universities, is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Authors come from all corners of the world and debate various aspects of HE and impacting HE and society at large.

 During the webinar, Ligia Deca, Presidential Adviser to the President of Romania, Department of Education and Research, Paul Pribbenow, President, Augsburg University, USA, Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice Chancellor, Makerere University, Uganda and Naoto Yoshikawa, Vice Chancellor for Global Initiatives, Tokai University, Japan will present perspectives.

 This webinar will offer the opportunity to discuss shared views on how universities shape the post COVID era; about the current social and public responsibilities of HE; about how the current pandemic calls to rethink HE at regional level (Africa) and country level (example will be shared of Romania).

The event is open to anyone interested and is free of charge. Registrations will be open until 16 March in the morning.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact IAU at: [email protected].

We are very much looking forward to seeing you at this event.

Sjur Bergan, Tony Gallagher, Ira Harkavy, Ronaldo Munck and Hilligje van’t Land, Editors of the book

Register here