OVERVIEW There have been extraordinary developments in higher education, particularly in Asia, over recent decades. While this has increased access to universities, it has also raised concerns over instructional and research quality, employability of graduates, and the value of a university degree today. World scholars will tackle these issues along with others such as privatization, university rankings and the role of technology in a lively panel exchange. MEET THE PANELISTS
Professor J. Matthew Hartley
Executive Director, Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) at Penn GSE; Professor of Education, University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education
Matthew Hartley is a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. His research focuses on academic governance, especially how academic communities define their educational purposes.
Dr. Hartley serves as Executive Director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) at Penn GSE. He also serves on the editorial boards of Educational Researcher,The Review of Higher Education, and the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Molly N.N. Lee Coordinator, Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Programme for Development (APEID); Programme Specialist in Higher Education, UNESCO Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok.
Dr. Molly N.N. Lee was the Coordinator of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Programme for Development (APEID) and Programme Specialist in Higher Education at UNESCO Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok. Recently retired, she was also a Professor of Education at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Dr. Lee has a PhD and Masters degree from Stanford University, and a Masters in Education Planning and Development from University of London Institute of Education. Her research interests include higher education, science education, teacher education, globalization and education, and gender and education.
Mr. Alan Ruby Former Deputy Secretary of Employment, Education and Youth Affairs, Australia; Senior Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education
Mr. Alan Ruby has a 40-year career in government, business, philanthropy, and education ranging from classroom teacher to Australian deputy secretary of education to chair of the OECD education committee. At the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Ruby is a Senior Scholar in the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy. He focuses on globalization’s effects on universities and education around the world. He earned the School’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006.
Professor N. V. Varghese Director, Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education (CPRHE), National University of Educational Planning and Administration, India
Professor N V Varghese is currently the Director of the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education (CPRHE), New Delhi. Earlier, he was Head of Governance and Management in Education at the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP/UNESCO), Paris and Head of its Training and Education Programmes.
Prior to that he was a Professor and Head of the Educational Planning Unit at NIEPA, New Delhi. He has been closely associated with educational planning at the federal and decentralised levels and with the design and development of externally funded education projects in India.
He was also the Secretary General and responsible for the Secretariat of the International Working Group on Education (IWGE) which is a network of funding agencies in education. He has directed several research projects; published more than 20 books and research reports, and nearly 150 research papers and articles in areas related to educational planning, financing and higher education.
This free lecture is presented by the HEAD Foundation, a Singapore-based think tank focused on education and leadership for development in Asia.
