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DIES Web Seminar Series |
University Leadership in Challenging Times

“SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT IN UNIVERSITIES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES”

Thursday, 5 December 2024, 14:00 – 16:15 (CET) / 13:00 – 15:15 (UTC)

Welcome to the second DIES web seminar 2024 in the series “University Leadership in Challenging Times”, organised by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

This international DIES web seminar will focus on the topic of “Sustainability Management in Universities: Challenges and Opportunities”. Sustainability has become a central topic for universities worldwide. In the face of global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, increasing scarcity of resources, but also economic and geopolitical crises, universities play a key role in the context of the necessary social change processes. 

They bear responsibility for sustainability in all their areas of activities while, at the same time, they have to make their own contribution as an institution. What is more, the sustainability efforts of universities will only be successful if they take sufficient account of the respective framework conditions. Sustainability is therefore not only an important cross-cutting issue for the entire institution, but an important university management task, taken up in a variety of ways, such as committing to sustainability in their mission statements, developing sustainability strategies or establishing sustainability offices. 

The aim of the web seminar is to explore how the topic of sustainability in all its dimensions can be institutionally anchored and managed in a university. The opportunities and challenges of the management of sustainability in universities will be discussed with experts from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. They will share their experiences and perspectives, explore regional characteristics and discuss di5erent institutional approaches to sustainability as well as implications for the necessary governance structures among others. The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) organise this series of web seminars in the framework of their joint DIES Programme.

DIES Web Seminar

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starting on May 16 2024, 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm (CEST) / 12:00 pm – 2:15 pm (UCT)

DIES Web Seminar

Keynote:

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Professor Dr Tristan McCowan

Institute of Education, University College London, UK

Tristan McCowan is Professor of International Education at the Institute of Education, University College London. His work focuses on higher education in the international context, including issues of access, curriculum, alternative models and sustainability. His books include Higher Education for and beyond the Sustainable Development Goals (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), Education as a Human Right (Bloomsbury, 2013) and Rethinking Citizenship Education (Continuum, 2009). From 2015-2021 he was editor of Compare – a Journal of International and Comparative Education, and from 2020-2024 led the multi-country research project Climate-U (Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate). His latest book, Universities and Climate Action, will be published by UCL press in 2025.

Moderation:

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Katrin Kohl

Co-Chair, UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability York University, Toronto, Faculty of Education

Katrin Kohl is the Co-Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability at York University in Toronto, Canada. She is also the Focal Point for Sustainable Development Goal SDG 4 (Quality Education) of the Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development Global Cluster led by the International Association of Universities. Currently, Katrin is also completing a Ph.D. Education at the International Islamic University Malaysia. As a lawyer (Germany) and having completed an Executive MBA in General Management, she served in prior positions as Executive Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair at York University, Managing Director of the German Commission for UNESCO, and as Strategic Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany.

 

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Panel Speaker Dialogue Round:

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Susan Margarita
Benavides Trujillo

Vice-Rector for Research and Extension, University of America, Colombia

Lawyer, specialist in international cooperation and project management for development. Master’s in Science, Technology, and Innovation Management and Scientific Policy, and Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies for Development. With studies in Project Management for Higher Education Institutions and Science Diplomacy. Scholarship holder for country courses in R&D&I management from the Government of China and the Government of the Republic of Korea.

She was the Director of International Relations and Vice-Rector for Research at the Universidad de Santander. From the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Colombia (Minciencias), she led the creation of the country’s first policy on the internationalization of Science, Technology, and Innovation, as well as the national strategy for Science Diplomacy. Until the end of 2022, she served as Director of Research and Foresight at the Agustin Codazzi Geographic Institute, leading one of the 14 public research centers in the country recognized by Minciencias.

Author of the Institutional Management Model for Research and Innovation in Higher Education Institutions in Latin America, led by ASCUN. Professor in Innovation and speaker at various national and international events related to the internationalization of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and Science Diplomacy.

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Associate Prof Dr
Anthony Amoah

Dean, School of Sustainable Development, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana

Prof Dr Anthony Amoah is an applied economist with a keen interest in sustainability-related issues. He holds the positions of Dean at the School of Sustainable Development and Governing Council member at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development in Ghana. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of East Anglia in the UK and is affiliated with various esteemed professional associations, including Environment for Development-Global, the Royal Economic Society (UK), the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, and the International Water Resources Association. He is a founding member of both the African Center for Applied Economics & Policy and the Center for Economics, Finance, and Inequality Studies. He frequently speaks on green and sustainability issues and recently served as a speaker and facilitator at the Green Cities Initiative – Regional Action Programme for Africa. Prof. Amoah has over sixty peer-reviewed academic publications and has consulted for several internationally reputable institutions, including the World Bank, Environment for Development, FAO-Ghana, UNICEF-Ghana, World Vision, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Ghana.

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Associate Prof Dr
Josua Tarigan

Associate Professor, Dean of the School of Business and Management, Petra Christian University, Indonesia

Josua Tarigan received an award from the East of Java Higher Education Ministry (LLDIKTIVII) for “Best Lecturer Performance” in 2011, the Netherland Fellowship Program (NFP) in 2015, and the International Dean’s Course (IDC) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2022. This year, he has more than twenty years of experience in Strategic Management Accounting Education as an Associate Professor (LK-700).

Additionally, he has two years of experience in ERP-related (Siemens) roles and several years in freelance business consulting. He has provided consultation or training for various clients, such as Kilang Pertamina Internasional, the Surabaya Government Institution (Pemkot), the Indonesia Red Cross (Solo), PELINDO III, Bogasari, PTPN X, Charoen Phokphand, Adi Husada Hospital, Togamas Malang, Kumala Home and Kitchen, Indra Optik Groups, and PPPK Petra, among others. He also serves on the Editorial Board for journals like the Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research (AGJSR-Emerald), the International Journal of Sustainable Society (IJSSoc-Inderscience), Green and Low-Carbon Economy (GLCE), the ASEAN Journal of Management & Innovation (AJMI), the Rangsit Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (RJSH), the Jurnal Akuntansi Keuangan (JAK), and the International Journal of Organizational Behavior and Policy (IJOBP). Starting in 2018, he became a reviewer for several journals in Emerald, Inderscience, Elsevier, and Springer with Q1 ratings.

He has published over 60 articles and 8 books, accumulating over 3000 citations. His complete publication record is available here. He has interacted directly with more than 20 countries, including the European Union (EU), the United States of America (USA), Japan, China, and Dubai. He has been invited as a keynote speaker at various international conferences, including the Rangsit University (Thailand) international conference in 2019 and 2020, the Petra International Business and Accounting Conference in 2023, the Professional Schools International Research Conference 2024 (Singapore), and the Petra International Conference on Sustainable Cities and Regions 2024. Additionally, he served as a visiting lecturer in Germany for the “Financing and Investment Appraisal” course in 2019 (Munich), 2020 (Berlin), and 2022 (Mainz).

Hosts:

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Berit Stoppa

Senior Desk Officer, Development Cooperation – Higher Education Management (P32), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

Berit Stoppa is working for the German Academic Exchange Service, as senior desk officer in the DIES programme team (Section development cooperation: partnership programmes, Alumni project and higher education management). She studied German and English linguistics and has undergone further training in Higher Education Management.

After having worked as director of the DAAD Information Center Accra and lecturer at the University of Education Winneba in Ghana and Université d’Abomey-Calavi in Benin, she worked as scientific manager for the FIW, a research institute of the University of Bonn. In January 2020, she joined the DAAD head office in Bonn, being responsible for Quality Assurance Projects and the collaboration with African partner institutions in the DIES programme team.

 

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Iris Danowski

Deputy Head of Department International Affairs, Head of Section Latin America, German Rectors‘ Conference (HRK)

Iris Danowski, M.A. is Deputy Head of the International Department of the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).

Iris Danowski studied Spanish and French Language and Literature and History of Art at the University of Cologne and the University of Seville, Spain. In 1991, she started her career as ERASMUS coordinator of the University of Cologne. In 1994, she changed to the German Rectors’ Conference as Head of Section for Europe. In the second half of the nineties, she started building up the cooperation with Latin American partners for the HRK and has been coordinating that field since then. Iris Danowski is member of the Steering Committee of the DIES-International Deans’ Course for Latin America, HRK’s Audit team “Internationalisation of Universities” and Steering Committee of the CUAA/DAHZ.

Programme

Programme

"Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies" (DIES)

Universities throughout the world are operating in an increasingly dynamic environment characterised by global challenges. They face intense competition for students, highly qualified researchers and third-party funding. This holds true for developing countries too, where the demand for tertiary education has been skyrocketing over the last decades.

In light of these developments, higher education management in all its particulars is becoming more and more important in the field of international development cooperation. The programme “Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies” (DIES) has been jointly developed and coordinated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) since 2001. DIES is strengthening capacities in higher education management, both on individual and institutional level. It offers a wide range of tailored activities training courses, dialogue events and university partnerships. – These activities not only foster the competences of academic staff, but also contribute to the enhancement of institutional management at universities in developing countries. DIES focuses on three key partner regions: Africa, Spanish-speaking Latin America and Southeast Asia. Funding is provided by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

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German Rectors’ Conference (HRK)

The German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) is the association of state and state-recognised universities in Germany. The HRK currently has 269 member institutions, in which over 90 per cent of all students in Germany are enrolled. The HRK functions as the voice of the universities in dialogue with politicians and the public and as the central forum for opinion-forming in the higher education sector. The HRK cooperates with universities and corresponding organisations all over the world. Its aim is to represent the interest of German universities at an international level and to support German universities in their internationalisation process.

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German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

The DAAD is a joint organisation of German institutions of higher education and their student bodies, devoted to internationalising the academic and scientific research system. With its broad range of scholarship programmes, the DAAD enables students, researchers and university lecturers to take advantage of the best study and research opportunities. Since it was founded in 1925, more than 2.5 million scholars in Germany and abroad have received DAAD funding. Apart from the scholar ship programmes the DAAD supports the internationalisation of German universities, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, advises decision makers on matters of cultural, education and development policy and assists developing countries in establishing effective universities by means of special programmes.

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Prof Dr Marcelo Knobel

Former Rector, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Member of the governing council of the Magna Charta Observatory, Brazil

Prof Dr Marcelo Knobel was the 12th Rector of the University of Campinas (Unicamp), in Brazil, where he is a Full Professor of Physics. He held other leadership roles, including: Executive Director of the Unicamp Exploratory Science Museum, Vice-Rector for Undergraduate Programs, Vice-President of the Brazilian Physics Society and Executive Director of the Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano). He has already published more than 300 scientific papers, in addition to numerous opinion pieces in both national and international newspapers and magazines. Prof Knobel is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (Elsevier). He is an Eisenhower Fellow (2007), Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2009) and Lemann Fellow (2015). He is Member of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory.

Photo: © Jens Gyarmaty

Prof Dr Eva Asselmann

Professor, Faculty of Health, Health and Medical University, Germany

Prof Dr Eva Asselmann is a Professor of Differential and Personality Psychology in Potsdam. Her research focuses on personality development, health promotion, and prevention. In particular, she examines how personality and mental health change before and after becoming a leader. Her research revealed that emergent leaders experience substantial changes in personality traits (e.g., extraversion and risk affinity) as well as both favorable and unfavorable changes in subjective well-being. Moreover she develops targeted trainings and has many years of practical experience in consulting and coaching for individuals and larger organizations. She is certified in Systemic Coaching, Change Management, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In 2022, she published her popular science book “What We Grow From” to disseminate her latest research findings on personality development around major life events. 

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