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Higher Education Research Centre

ESF Colloquium on Higher Education and Society, 13-14 April 2013, UCD

A colloquium on higher education and society was hosted by the School of Nursing in UCD. This event was a joint effort between the European Science Foundation (ESF) and Early Stage Researchers from the EuroHESC programme, in addition to the Early Career Higher Education Researchers (ECHER) network.

The seminar aimed to facilitate discussion and debate on the following issues:

  • Diversity and change of university systems: cultural, policy and economic
  • challenges;
  • HE as a field of research;
  • Academic ability and new forms of knowledge creation;
  • Comparative and collaborative studies on Higher education.

The colloquium combined introductory talks by invited speakers with informal group discussions and presentations from early career researchers in the field of higher education.

Professor Maria Slowey, Director of the Higher Education Research Centre (HERC), DCU delivered a paper "Creative tensions? Contemporary Irish higher education and society" which explored some of the key dynamics in the interrelationship between higher education and Irish society.  Professor Gaële Goastellec, Head of research unit at the Observatoire Science, Policy and Society, University of Lausanne, Switzerland presented her recent work on the relationships between religion, society and higher education. Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, Director of Research and Enterprise, and Dean of the Graduate Research School, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, presented on key policy issues in higher education in her talk entitled "Paradigm Shift in Support for Mass Higher Education? Considering the Policy Trade-Offs".

Presentations were interspersed with lively group discussions and debate among participants. Themes of funding allocation and the changing landscape of academic careers as a result of cultural, policy and economic challenges were highlighted and discussed.

A forthcoming publication arising from the presentations by early career researchers is planned with support from the ESF.