Lingnan University co-launches Research Consortium to strengthen international research on higher education

The Consortium was co-launched by Lingnan University together with University College London (UCL) Institute of Education's Centre for Global Higher Education in the UK and the Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Partnership (APHERP) in the US, and supported by University of Bath's International Centre for Higher Education Management, King's College London's Department of International Development, and Bath Spa University's Global Academy of Liberal Arts in the UK.

The core mission of the Consortium is to:

-- promote inter-university research cooperation in higher education policy, development and governance;

-- offer postgraduate studies programmes and PhD student exchange, as well as executive / professional training;

-- develop activities to establish a stronger learning community and expand learning horizon for students;

-- seek collaboration with leading institutions regionally and internationally to inform policy debates and policy making in higher education; and

-- provide international publication opportunities for partnering institutions and their faculty members.

Launch of the Consortium is the latest advancement of Lingnan University in enhancing international learning and research collaboration. A new Master Programme in International Higher Education and Management is being developed by Lingnan in collaboration with University of Hawaii, University of Bath and The University of Nottingham Ningbo China with the support of the Consortium's research team.

"Partnering with leading institutions to co-launch the Consortium will further enhance Lingnan's international research profile and create a great learning environment for postgraduate students," said President Leonard K Cheng of Lingnan University who officiated the launching ceremony. "The Consortium will bring together great minds for higher education, policy and governance research, the findings of which would inform international debates and policy making."

During the launching ceremony, Prof Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Vice-President, Lingnan University shared his publication experience of two books entitled Managing International Connectivity, Diversity of Learning and Changing Labour Markets: East Asian Perspectives and Research, Development, and Innovation in Asia Pacific Higher Education. He called for more regional and international research collaboration in higher education policy, development and governance.

"We welcome the opportunity to develop PhD student exchange and deepen our strategic research collaboration with Lingnan University," said Prof Simon Marginson, Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education, UCL Institute of Education. He was echoed by Prof Rajani Naidoo, Director of the International Centre for Higher Education Management, University of Bath who stated that "we treasure the strategic partnership with Lingnan University, and are keen to deepen international research cooperation, co-develop professional doctorate programmes and executive training for higher education leaders with the University."

Prof Deane Neubauer, Co-Director of APHERP pointed out that "it has been a great pleasure to connect with scholars from leading research institutions working collaboratively in higher education research. The focus on comparative work between the Asia Pacific region, Europe and the US would be theoretically and empirically significant and relevant." As one of the collaboration initiatives, Lingnan and APHERP co-hosted the international symposium "Gender and the Changing Face of Higher Education in Asia Pacific" on 29 October at the Lingnan campus.