University of Sydney hosts prestigious THE World Academic Summit
The University of Sydney will host the flagship Times Higher Education World Academic Summit 2023 with leaders from higher education institutions expected to attend from 46 countries. The overall theme of the conference, which runs from September 26, is collaborating for greatness in a multidisciplinary world.
The University of Sydney’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott, said it was an outstanding opportunity to gather people from around the world to foster international co-operation and discuss the future of higher education.
“We’re honoured to host this important international gathering. The summit itself is a testament to the value of collaboration and perfectly aligns with the University’s focus on partnerships, multidisciplinarity, diversity, equity and the future of teaching and learning.”
“It’s a chance to hear new ideas from institutions around the world, to create relationships and gain fresh perspectives on the way we work. In both research and education, exciting things happen when leaders and experts from different places and with different ways of thinking come together.”
The Summit program runs until September 28 and topics include nurturing diverse leadership talent, mobilising for disaster response and climate resilience, fostering an entrepreneurial approach through partnerships, improving Indigenous access to higher education and the role of universities in shaping public opinion. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 will be revealed on the final day.
International speakers include Gary May, Chancellor, UC Davis, Professor Meric Gertler, President, University of Toronto, Professor Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor University of Auckland, Professor Rocky Tuan, President, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Catherine Ris, President, University of New Caledonia, Dr Guillaume Fiquet, Vice President, International Relations, Territorial and Economic Partnerships, Sorbonne University, Professor Teruo Fujii, President, University of Tokyo and Professor Shearer West, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Nottingham (and Chair of Universitas 21).
More than 500 delegates will participate in the Summit, visiting from across the world – ranging from Azerbaijan to Botswana, Brazil to the Philippines, Sweden to Lebanon and there is substantial representation from Indonesia, Singapore, China, Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The University is also holding two related events:
- The Asia Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) senior leaders meeting from September 24-25 focusing on One Pacific: Breaking down education and research silos to address Asia-Pacific challenges.
- Sydney Summit III, ‘Universities and the SDGs: a half-time report’ is being hosted by the University’s Office of Global and Research Engagement from 28-29 September and will assess the progress universities have made in tackling the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals halfway through their lifespan.
The University of Sydney has 20 research partners across North America, Europe and Asia. This year it announced a $100 million investment in the international Sydney Horizon Fellowship scheme, to support emerging researchers in researching climate change, health and sustainability.
Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at Times Higher Education said:
“This will be the first World Academic Summit to be held in Australia since 2015 and the University of Sydney could not be a more perfect partner for some of the vital conversations that will take place at the summit, where it has consistently shown leadership and innovation: how to truly break down academic silos to deliver world-changing research discoveries; how to deliver gender equality and diversity; and how to adopt new methods of teaching and learning.”