The 3rd HERA Conference (2015)

General Information

Theme: Contemporary Higher Education Policy and Finance
Venue: Tamkang University, Taiwan
Date: May 2015

About the Theme

University reform is proceeding rapidly in a number of countries in Asia. The deluge of reform initiatives suggests that the increasingly unpredictable and vulnerable context will require well-educated and innovative workers to give nations crucial economic advantages. The responses are varied but in general, higher educational institutions are having to comply with effective management principals and enhanced efficiency to maximize the value.

In addition, total higher education enrollment has increased substantially in Asian countries in recent years. Many educators and policymakers may utilize financial analysis to determine the ‘appropriate’ or ‘sufficient’ funding for higher education; but sufficiency is meaningful only in the context of a particular objectives and circumstances. Money is always an issue in improving higher education systems. With additional resources, educators can serve more students at higher levels of quality. While additional spending does not necessarily yield proportional increases in quantity or quality, the question, ‘how much funding is enough for higher education’? has no easy answer at institutional or national level.

This conference provides a comprehensive picture of higher education systems in East Asia. Specifically, presentations address one or a combination of following key questions:

What kind of higher education policy do we want?
How do we, given our circumstances, implement such a higher education policy?
Are we making effective use of current investments?
How would incremental or reallocated dollar lead to improved outcomes and help meet institutional or national goals?

Keynote Speaker

Akira Arimoto:
Higher Education Policy and Finance: With a Focus on Selection and Concentration Policy in Japan
Simon Marginson:
High Participation Systems of Higher Education in Unequal Societies