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University forging international path
A leading higher education official has strongly backed the University’s internationalisation strategy.
Steven Hillier receiving the SCDI Award for Outstanding International Achievement 2009
Keith Sharp, Head of the UK Higher Education International Unit, said the University’s global plan to become first choice in the minds of the world was amongst the best such strategies in the UK.
Speaking at a conference in Edinburgh, Dr Sharp said the University is “doing all the right things” as it seeks to increase its global presence, praising in particular its focus on research collaborations other world-leading universities and institutions.
The University is clearly taking the international agenda very seriously, bringing this to the heart of its overall strategy.
Keith Sharp
Head of the UK Higher Education International Unit
Global agenda
Dr Sharp said that all universities are seeking to grow internationally as worldwide competition for students intensifies.
Globalisation and improvements in communications technology mean students are increasingly able to attend universities in countries that haven’t historically attracted foreign undergraduates, he said.
As a result, UK universities must continue to develop research, whilst ensuring that they offer the most valuable and worthwhile experience possible, if they are to attract the best students from around the world, he said.
A global university
In 2009, the University put in place an internationalisation strategy that sets the objective of “becoming a place of first choice in the minds of the world.”
Under this plan, the University will seek to:
- Develop a broad international understanding of what we stand for and what we offer;
- Attract the best students worldwide to study with us;
- Develop world-renowned research that attracts the best academics worldwide to work with us;
- Produce knowledge that is valued and applied by businesses and government worldwide.
This article was published on Feb 5, 2010