Heads of British and American Universities Explore Potential to Expand on $1 Billion Special Relationship, Will Develop Business Links and Trilateral Partnerships
New York, NY (14 October) – Next week the heads of over twenty US and UK universities and other top higher education leaders will meet in New York for the first in a series of senior policy dialogues led by the British Council, the UK’s international cultural relations and education organization.
On October 20 and 21, conference participants will agree on a set of action items and form working groups, facilitated by the British Council, to strengthen transatlantic higher education links, engage US and UK businesses in this partnership and develop trilateral higher education collaborations, for example with India and China.
The US delegation to Realizing the Potential: UK US Higher Education Policy Dialogue will be headed by John Sexton, President of New York University. The UK delegation will be led by Steve Smith, President of Universities UK and Vice Chancellor of Exeter University.
Other participating organizations include Northeastern University, Texas A&M University, Bryn Mawr College, Indiana University, University of St Andrews, King’s College London, University of Birmingham, Council for Industry and Higher Education, Association of American Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
A British Council report published earlier this year found that huge opportunities to capitalize on transatlantic cooperation are being missed despite “tremendous goodwill” between UK and US universities and colleges.
Sharon Memis, Director of British Council North America, said, ‘’The UK-US higher education partnership is the most important in the world, worth over a $1 billion annually, and makes significant contribution to the global knowledge economy. This policy dialogue is the first of a series to move forward the nature of this partnership. I expect that the practical results of this event will allow stronger engagement with business and improved collaborative working with third countries - especially India and China.’’
Rick Trainor, Principal and President, King’s College London, said, “It is absolutely essential that both our governments keep higher education high up on the agenda…Internationalization in all its forms offers many, exciting opportunities for us to grow – and to ensure that we continue to lead the way on the global stage.”
Steps to strengthen transatlantic higher education links will also help equip American and British students with the skills they need to succeed in the new global economy and represent an opportunity to bolster both economies. International students contributed $18 billion to the US economy in 2008-2009 and a recent study by the UK Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) found that graduates whose degrees involved international experience are more employable.
The two-day conference will be held at the Institute of International Education in cooperation with New York University and Universities UK. Next year the event will be repeated at Windsor Castle in the UK.
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About the British Council: The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international cultural relations organization. Working in over 100 countries, we build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. In the US, we cultivate long-term links between the UK and US, re-energizing the strategic transatlantic relationship through the arts, education and young leadership networks. For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org/usa.
CONTACT: Samantha YaleThe United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
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