GLOBAL: Universities sign up for UN Academic Impact

For the last six years the United Nations has been pursuing a novel idea: gathering academic research globally into a practical framework. Last November, the idea finally came to fruition when Secretary General Ban Ki Moon launched the UN Academic Impact in New York. So far, nearly 600 universities have signed up to participate, making the initiative one of the fastest-growing cooperative measures of its kind.


The Academic Impact aims to put the vast resources of universities worldwide at the disposal of the UN in an effort to expedite the agency's ability to cope with global problems in a more efficient and coherent manner. "Academic institutions have an invaluable role to play in strengthening the work of the United Nations," said Ban Ki Moon at the launch.

The initiative was conceived as an additional tool in the UN's arsenal to bring more attention and focus to the larger aim of implementing the Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight targets that respond to some of the world's toughest challenges such as poverty, HIV-Aids and child mortality.

Educators and development experts increasingly agree that higher education can be exploited far beyond the confines of the ivory tower, and can play an important role in economic and social development.

"The alignment between the aims of the UN and the aims of education really aren't much different," said J Michael Adams, President-elect of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), the lead member organisation of the Academic Impact and President of Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

"We're all committed to building and creating a successful, prosperous world, yet there are very few linkages between the UN and universities," he told University World News.

The UN has laid out 10 broad guiding principles that center around ideals such as human rights, sustainability, peace and educational opportunities. Each participating university is required to undertake at least one project that satisfies one of the designated principles.

For example, a university committed to the principle of promoting sustainability through education, may come up with a way that a housing development can be built quickly following a natural disaster. The UN will then step in and put the idea forward to the relevant agency, and devote its considerable resources to putting the idea into action.

Many institutions are already working towards one or more of the principles, which can make participation in the programme relatively simple.

"It doesn't necessarily mean [the universities style=bluelink]have to initiate a new programme or activity," said Ramu Damodaran, the Academic Impact's 'chief' and Deputy Director for partnerships and public engagement at the UN's public information outreach division. "Often, if they look at what they are currently doing, they'll see what they're doing is already in line with our principles."

The idea for the programme sprung from the UN Chronicle, a quarterly journal where academics write about issues relevant to the UN, such as public health, human rights and drug abuse.

UN officials were pleasantly surprised to discover that academics enjoyed writing about issues that were important to the organisation. What resulted was a growing sense of collaboration as both groups saw a window of opportunity.

"I was very surprised with the enthusiastic response we got," said Damodaran. "Many academics are alien to the UN in a conventional sense. But they felt there was merit to see how they could help to serve the purpose of the UN."

Interested universities are able to join the endeavour by signing up online at the Academic Impact website. Each 'guiding principle', such as a commitment to human rights and to advancing peace and conflict resolution through education, has its own online 'hub' where universities can record what activity they plan to undertake, and where they can interact with other universities and start a peer-to-peer conversation. Each institution then compiles an annual report detailing what they have achieved.

But there are challenges.

The sheer scale of the initiative makes communication tricky. This is especially difficult when dealing with a university in a developing country such as Zambia, where a solid internet connection, and even a reliable telephone line, can be intermittent.

Adams said, however, that this is changing. "New modes of technology have made this less of a problem," he said. "I've been able to have email communications with people in some of the remotest spots in the world."

Some universities have also expressed misgivings about the programme, voicing concerns about what they may gain from participating.

Damodaran shrugs this off, pointing out that where administrators have expressed doubt, students have showed an enormous amount of enthusiasm, and even gone so far as to form student groups that simulate the same kinds of interdisciplinary cooperation.

"We don't intend to be salesmen," joked Damodaran. "In most cases, if there are misgivings, they're genuine. But they might be persuaded over time."

Integral to the long-term success of the project is the continued role of IAUP, an orgainsation for university presidents, to bring a level of commitment to issues outside the narrow scope of the university. Adams said he hoped to "pool the power of that prestige" and use it to influence policy decisions.

"This is a moment in history where the world seeks respected, trusted leadership," said Adams. "IAUP and my colleagues are prepared to offer that leadership."

So far, the programme is gaining followers - literally. The Academic Impact's Facebook page has 3,155 people who 'like' it. Meantime, universities from all across the world have signed up. They include Bakhat Eruda University in Sudan, Universidad de Montevideo in Uruguay and Siam University in Thailand.

The hope is that the numbers will continue to grow and with them, the ability for people to start to devise newer and more exciting ways to solve some of the world's most pressing problems.

"We've got to get this next generation right, or we're really in trouble," said Adams. "Higher education has a responsibility to get it right."