3 October 2020  Issue No: 614

International institutions seeking to increase and diversify their international student enrolment may do well to look to the United States where factors from affordability to health, security and fractured politics could drive greater numbers of US students to consider full degrees in another country.

Universities in the European Union need to rethink after COVID-19 and move from a focus on physical mobility for global excellence to online collaboration that brings people together across the region, avoids brain drain and ties in with a greener agenda.

The European Commission has announced a revised Digital Education Action Plan with an emphasis on Europe-wide enhancement of connectivity, infrastructure and cooperation and providing access to digital skills for all.

On 28 October, University World News, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, will be bringing together experts from new and traditional higher education providers, the tech industry and the World Bank for a webinar on: “What will employability mean in the digital age and how should higher education adapt?”

The European Commission has adopted key strategic objectives and actions for a ‘new European Research Area’, including improving access to excellence via facilities and infrastructure for researchers across the EU and strengthening the mobility of researchers and the free flow of knowledge and technology.

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A recent conference to discuss Poland’s new research excellence initiative found a sense of optimism as universities – which are being led in increasing numbers by younger rectors or by women – debated how to make their institutions more competitive with the best in Europe.

The recent fire that gutted Makerere University’s historic main building, aptly known as the ‘ivory tower’, was a nasty detour in a long journey made by the century-old institution, founded as a technical school by colonial authorities, and currently striving to consolidate its position as a leading, research-driven university in East Africa and beyond.