The UOC is sitting down with other universities to discuss how to transform higher education

Discussing and devising solutions for the most important challenges facing universities in today's ever more complex societies is the main focus of the International Association of Universities' (IAU) annual conference. Framed by the theme Transforming Higher Education for the Future, the IAU 2019 International Conference will gather universities from around the world from 13 to 15 November in Puebla, Mexico.

Once again, the UOC will be a key player at the conference. Pastora Martínez Samper, Vice President for Globalization and Cooperation, and Antoni Cahner, the UOC's General Manager, are both to give speeches, and a presentation will be held to introduce a new IAU and BBC StoryWorks documentary series, an episode of which is devoted to the UOC.

Martínez Samper will take part in the panel session titled "Towards sustainable societies with higher education", where she will explain the UOC's role in the 2030 Agenda. Joining her in the session will be Director of Development at the University of the West Indies, Stacy Kennedy, and student representative at the University of Bergen in Norway, Eira Garrido. The session will be chaired by the President of Thailand's Siam University and IAU Vice President, Pornchai Mongkhonvanit. All of the universities involved in the session will be in charge of one of the clusters surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), all of which fall under the umbrella of the global cluster on higher education and research for sustainable development driven by the IAU itself.

For his part, Antoni Cahner will speak during the panel session titled "Is financing shaping the future of higher education?" about the opportunities that high quality online universities can create for higher education systems. Also taking part in this session are the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Extracurricular Development at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, Isabella Coetzee, and assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, Pradeep Choudhury. Chairing the session will be Paul Tiyambe Zerleza, Vice Chancellor of the United States International University-Africa in Kenya.

The 69th IAU International Conference brings together university leaders, academic professionals and experts for discussions in plenary and group sessions on the challenges arising in today's complex societies against a backdrop of two major global phenomena: the impact of rapid technological advances on higher education and the pressing need to create more sustainable societies.

The participant universities from around the world will help create a global space for the exchange of ideas and opportunities, as well as a great chance for attendees to pinpoint the main challenges and hurdles hindering transformation in higher education.

The IAU is a priority international network for the UOC, which is why the university has drafted an action plan aiming to foster and strengthen its presence in two main areas: commitment to developing the 2030 Agenda and the enhancement of higher education technologies.

The IAU International Conference has been organized annually since 1950, addressing different issues each year. This time around, the UOC will be sending a large delegation, given the close relationship with Mexico that the UOC's international office there has helped to forge.

View the IAU International Conference programme