Lingnan University successfully hosted the Hong Kong-Finland-Norway Comparative Higher Education Research Symposium on April 25-26, 2024 at “Lingnan@West Kowloon Campus M+ Tower”. This international symposium themed"Shaping Futures: The Intersection of Higher Education Innovation and Societal Transformation", the symposium was a collaborative effort between Lingnan University, the School of Graduate Studies and the Institute of Policy Studies, University of Stavanger in Norway, Tampere University in Finland, and the Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Partnership (APHERP). The symposium conducted in a hybrid format, attracted over 120 participants, including 30 presenters from 20 universities across various countries and regions such as Finland, Norway, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Mainland China, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, and Taiwan.
Professor Sam KWONG Tak Wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence at Lingnan University, opened the symposium with remarks highlighting the importance of addressing rapid changes in higher education. He also expressed gratitude to the co-organizing institutions for their collaboration.
In the opening remarks, Prof. Joshua MOK Ka Ho, Vice President, Lingnan University cum Director of Asia Pacific Higher Education Reseach Partnership (APHERP), and Lam Man Chair Professor of Comparative Policy, emphasized the significance of finding ways to join and work together for understanding and enhancing higher education research. In this regard, Lingnan University is a leading university promoting high-quality education and research as well as international collaboration and partnership to support students learning and global common good.
The first keynote was delivered by Professor Simon HO Shun Man, President of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. Prof. HO presented the topic “Addressing some higher education dilemmas: social equality, education diversity and global market competitions” and explained diverse stages in university development, factors affecting higher education, and the role that liberal arts education and the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong play in creating innovation and social development.
Professor CHIANG Tien Hui, Vice president RCO4 (Sociology of Education) of the International Sociological Association, UNESCO, delivered the second keynote addressing “The birth of neo-professionalism in the regime of neoliberal governmentality”. Prof. CHIANG explained governmentality and how institutional rewards lead to the development of neo-professionalism, as well as the influence of performance management policy on productive university teachers.
The symposium also featured a Distinguished Speaker Sharing by Prof. Elias G CARAYANNIS from George Washington University, who discussed the aims and recent developments of The Journal of the Knowledge Economy and the Journal of Innovations and Entrepreneurship.
Highlights of the event included three panel sessions and the APHERP Partnership Award presentation on the first day. The Partnership Award Presentation welcomed new partner institutions to the Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Partnership (APHERP): Tampere University from Finland, and University of Stavanger from Norway. Prof. Joshua MOK Ka Ho, on behalf of APHERP, presented the award to the two universities and thanked them for their commitment of making a positive difference in society and the world.
The panel sessions featured diverse scholars who presented their cutting-edge research. The first panel was coordinated by Prof. ZHAO Kai from Lingnan University, with a focus on “Education policy and quality assurance”. The second panel, which was chaired by Prof CAI Yuzhuo from Tampere University, looked at “Higher Education and Green Transition”, while the third panel examined “Equity, diversity and inclusion in higher education”, coordinated by Prof. Dian LIU from the University of Stavanger.
In the second day, two keynotes were presented. The first keynote was delivered by Professor Tatiana IAKOVLEVA from the University of Stavanger, discussing on “Shaping everyday futures: universities at the heart of community innovation and regional growth’. Prof IAKOVLEVA addressed the role universities play in boosting faculty and students’ entrepreneurial skills, as well as how universities can build and maintain vibrant communities of academics and students who actively engage with regions. Professor Jussi KIVISTÖ from Tampere University delivered the final keynote focusing on “Performance-based funding of universities: what do we know about the impacts?”. Prof. KIVISTÖ discussed theoretical foundations in studying the impact of the performance-based funding method, and shared research findings from the US and European contexts.
Regarding the panel sessions, the first panel was chaired by Prof. Jussi KIVISTÖ from Tampere University and discussed “Innovative higher education curriculum and pedagogy”. The second panel was coordinated by Prof. Tatiana IAKOVLEVA from University of Stavanger and looked at “Global engagement, mobility and collaboration”. The last panel was led by CAI Yuzhuo from Tampere University and examined “Higher education and green transition”.
Through a cross-disciplinary perspective, Lingnan University and the international symposium aimed to explore the opportunities and challenges faced by universities in equipping students to be informed global citizens and change-makers for our shared future.