April 16 Worldviews Pre-Conference Event: The War On Knowledge?

Higher education is under attack. Internationalization, politics, and worldwide economic trends are forcing universities and colleges to ask themselves tough questions. Criticisms are commonplace in the media, while new communications technologies threaten traditional institutions. So what lies ahead?

Let’s talk about it. 

Save the date and join Worldviews 2013 on Tuesday, April 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a special pre-conference debating the interplay between higher education, media, and society. This free event will feature a short keynote presentation, panel debate, and reception at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto.

Featuring: 

  • Keynote speaker: Tony Burman, Velma Rogers Graham Research Chair, Ryerson University, former Chief Strategic Advisor for the Americas, Al-Jazeera, and former Editor-in-Chief, CBC News
  • Moderator: Rick Salutin, Canadian novelist, playwright, journalist, and critic
  • Janice Gross Stein: Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto and Associate Chair and Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management and Negotiation,  University of Toronto’s Department of Political Science
  • Clifford Orwin: Professor of Political Science, Classics, and Jewish Studies, University of Toronto, Fellow of St. Michael’s College and Senior Fellow of Massey College
  • Scott Jaschik: Editor, Inside Higher Ed
  • Melonie Fullick: PhD candidate in postsecondary education policy, York University

They will explore the increasing emphasis being placed around the world on:

  • Shifting the cost of education to students
  • Getting students in and out of higher education in shorter time periods
  • The increasing focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics related subjects, and criticism of the liberal arts
  • The exclusive focus on higher education as a means for job training
  • Expanding online learning as either a complement or alternative to on-campus learning 

Why are these ideas being proposed by so many and whose interests do they serve? Is this pragmatic agenda a “war on knowledge” or a “war” on specific types of knowledge and specific types of education? Some media coverage has asked constructive questions, but much of the discussion has been superficial. So where do we go from here? 

Register for this special pre-conference event on April 16 and join the discussion!

Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: The Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs – 1 Devonshire Place

Registration is required (and free!), so save the date and register here!

About Worldviews 2013

Our conference, scheduled for June 19-21, 2013, will explore the world stage, where booming enrollments in higher education have reached nearly 200 million students. About 75% belong to institutions in industrializing countries. Worldviews 2013: Global Trends in Media and Higher Education will bring the stories behind these developments, and the local and global media who cover them, into focus. Held at the University of Toronto, the conference will host experts from the Americas, Pacifica, Asia, Africa and Europe. Our aim is to collect perspectives from the podium and the floor, and keep this important – and now global – discussion rolling.

Join the conversation:
www.worldviewsconference.com
On Twitter: @worldviewscon
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Worldviews
#wv2013

For more information, please contact:

Laura Ziemba
416-712-0412