DPR News
Winners of the Education ’23 Awards for the best Collaboration Project
UCC took the lead to collaborate with Student Affairs Ireland (SAI), the International Association for Student Affairs & Services (IASAS), the European Council for Student Affairs (ECStA) and the European University Association (EUA) to host the first ever hybrid global summit on Student Affairs & Services which attracted 166 global leaders from 24 countries to UCC in June 2022.
The Global Summit serves as a platform for critical discussion and deepening our community of practice that spans the globe with an international framework and local relevance. A wide range of complex social, economic, and environmental challenges were discussed through the lens of Cultivating Graduate Attributes to Empower and Sustain Educational Development.
There is increasing awareness of the critical role universities have implementing every one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is, however, little guidance available to student affairs professionals on their function and what it means in practice to mobilise and accelerate action to meet the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. This is why global leaders in student affairs and services were invited to UCC. They were asked to develop a robust framework to contribute to priority issues within student affairs and to build partnerships within and across the HEIs worldwide.
Focus was placed on supporting students in their academic endeavours and enhancing their personal, social, cultural, and cognitive development. There was consensus that collaboration between students and student affairs professionals is needed more than ever because of the rise of geopolitics, climate change, wars, inequality, and nationalism, all which limited our ability to promote equitable access to, and success in higher education.
A diverse student body from different backgrounds and institutions participated in a discussion on student leadership in achieving the SDGs. Students delved into their personal experiences as leaders and emphasized the importance of the student voice in informing and shaping sustainable development. The student panel highlighted the challenges in achieving the 2030 Agenda. They asked leaders in HE to tighten their focus on research, innovation, and sustainable education because there is a risk of not achieving the SDGs which represent the most significant, most important, and most urgent objectives of humanity.
There was a strong appetite for multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration. Two global audiences were united in discussion interacting remotely and in person, enjoying an equally high event experience. Working groups agreed that a systematic and holistic approach is needed, rooted in national and international policy. The development of supportive systems and structures, and crucially, adequate resourcing to translate the SDGs into practical application in the varied contexts into which higher education is embedded across the globe was also the focus of discussions. A consultation paper will be submitted to the University World News (UWN) by IASAS with contributions from UCC and SAI on the actions agreed at the Global Summit.
Professor John O’Halloran welcomed delegates and emphasised the urgency of shifting our educational impact to include a sustainable approach to education. In his opening remarks he said that ‘UCC defines what it is to be responsible and globally aware’. Professor O’Halloran highlighted the Green Campus Living Laboratory programme, which is student led, research informed, and practice focused.
The Summit was opened by the President of the EUA, Professor Michael B. Murphy. In his compelling address he urged universities to be more open, more transformative, and more engaged in society - ‘Universities without walls means no more ivory towers; the blended campus will combine traditional learning on-campus with on-line learning; this is the only way that universities can deliver impactful lifelong learning’.
Presentations were delivered by several representatives in student affairs and services across the globe from Qatar University, George Brown College, The University of Minnesota, The University of the West Indies, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Centro Escolar University, NODA, Minneapolis, Roseapple Global LLC, Florida, Ohio State University, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association (ANZSSA) and the Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC (South Africa) and of course, UCC.