Higher Education International Partnerships

Education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to not only escape poverty but also to bring about tangible change in communities. Over the past decade, major progress was made towards improving access to education at all levels globally. Increasingly higher education is playing a critical role in impacting society and providing important insight into sustainable development. The global COVID-19 pandemic has far-reaching consequences that may jeopardize hard won gains made in improving global education. In spite of this, the sharing of educational resources by numerous higher education institutions during the early days of COVID 19 pandemic is an important example of the power of collaboration and networking. The role of partnerships and networks - both locally in our communities and internationally across multiple countries- cannot be overemphasized and with the COVID pandemic, this has become clearer.

In this 7th webinar of a series on issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals, a panel of scholars and practitioners will discuss how university partnerships and networks are advancing impactful work in communities and countries around the world. Looking at a variety of network models in several fields, panelists will offer examples and insights on where progress is being made and where more work is needed. Comments and discussion will focus on these SDG’s targets.

Panelists:

• Tom Fisher, Professor, Director of the Minnesota Design Center, Director of MSSD and Dayton Hudson Chair in Urban Design

• Irene Naigaga PhD - Regional Program Manager & Board Secretary -Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN)

• Kees Kouwenaar- Secretary General- European Universities Alliance- Aurora Universities Network

Moderators:

• Karen Brown, PhD, Co-Lead UMN Sustainable Development Goals Initiative, University of Minnesota

• Katey Pelican, DVM, PhD, Co-Lead UMN Sustainable Development Goals Initiative, University of Minnesota

This webinar was hosted by the University of Minnesota Sustainable Development Goal Initiative in partnership with the Office for Public Engagement.