The Higher Education Reform (HER) initiative was inaugurated by the Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education at the University of British Columbia in 2003, with a focus on research investigating various aspects of policy reforms and other major changes in higher education. Every year (until the COVID-19 pandemic), this series of international workshops chooses a main theme which reflects a current trend of  higher education research and gives opportunities for internationally active researchers to present their up to date work. The conferences have covered various topics, ranging from internationalization and marketization to issues of institutional governance (see below). The major papers from the conferences have been published, either in the form of monographs, special issues of academic journals, or as individual articles or chapters. Organizers served also as editors, with occasional help from members of the International Advisory Board.

A key aim of the series is to facilitate engagement and intensive dialogue on the topic at hand. For this reason, while attendance is open to all interested parties, the target number of participants is usually relatively small (c75-100). Participants include post-secondary education researchers, both professors and graduate students, policy analysts and representatives of HE ministries or policy bodies. A strength of the conference series is the opportunity it offers for cumulative discussions over the years: there is usually a body of around 25 to 30 people, who have attended most of the workshops.

The conferences are self-financing, i.e. financed through participants’ fees. On several occasions, local organizers have attracted external contributions in the form of grants from research councils, governments, or the hosting institution. Because conferences are held on campus, the fees are usually fairly low. There are different fees for various categories of participants, such as for graduate students, emeriti, those from the global south and early-bird registrants.

HER conferences have been supported by learned societies in various countries (for example the [North American] Comparative and International Education Society [CIES] and the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education [CSSHE]). While this has meant greater dissemination of the call for papers and higher visibility of the HER conferences, and the publications emanating from them, it has not generated direct contributions to the funding.

The conferences are organized by local teams of the hosting institution. They are assisted by members of an international advisory board (IAB), for example with advertising the workshop in their respective countries or regions, identifying and providing contact with potential keynote speakers and principal panelists, adjudicating paper proposals, and suggesting themes, and workshop-related events as well as potential publishers for the proceedings.

Previous Workshops

2019 Mexico City (CINESTAV – DIE),  Digitalization of Higher Education: Impact and Consequences for Policy. See De Vries, W., Alvarez Mendiola, G. & H.G. Schuetze (Eds.) Special Issue, Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education (JCIHE) (forthcoming).

2018 Baltimore (Johns Hopkins University), Reinventing the public mission of Higher Education: Policies and practice. See Papadimitriou, A. & Boboc, M. (Eds.) (2020) Re-envisioning Higher Education’s Public Mission - Global Perspectives. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 

2017 Hiroshima (RIHE, Hiroshima University), Assessing the missions of Higher Education: Performance, productivity, and pedagogies. See Futao Huang and Jun Oba (Eds.) (2019) Special Issue, Research in Higher Education (Daigaku Ronshu), Hiroshima: Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University.

2016 Dublin (Dublin City University), Wider Access, Changing Demographics and Migration: Implications for HE Reforms and Policy. See Slowey, M., Schuetze, H.G. & Zubrzycki, T. (Eds.) (2020) Inequality, Innovation and Reform in Higher Education - Challenges of Migration and Ageing Populations. Cham: Springer.  

2015 Tianjin (Tianjin Normal University), Policies and Practice of Quality Assurance and Control in Higher Education. See selected papers published in Frontiers of Education in China  2018, 13 (2).

2014 St. John’s (Memorial University), Principal Mission: Preparing Students for Life, Work, and Civic Engagement. See Archer, W. & H.G. Schuetze (Eds. 2019) Preparing Students for Life and Work: Policies and Reforms Affecting Higher Education’s Principal Mission. Rotterdam and Boston: Sense-Brill.

2013 Ljubljana (University of Ljubljana), HE Reforms: Looking Back – Looking Forward. See Zgaga, P., Teichler, U., Schuetze, H.G., & A. Wolter (Eds. 2nd ed.) (2019). Higher Education Reform: Looking back - Looking forward. Frankfurt/New York: Peter Lang. 

2012 Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh), Community Engagement of Universities. See Jacob,W.J., Sutin,S.E., Weidman, J.C. & John L. Yeager (Eds.) (2015) Community Engagement in Higher Education - Policy Reforms and Practice, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. 

2011 Berlin (Humboldt University), Universities and Lifelong Learning. See Zgaga, P., Teichler, U., Schuetze, H.G., & A. Wolter (Eds. 2nd ed.) (2019). Higher Education Reform: Looking back - Looking forward.Frankfurt/New York: Peter Lang. 

2010 Vancouver (University of British Columbia), Reform of University Governance. See Schuetze, H. G., Bruneau, W., & G. Grosjean. (Eds.) (2012) University governance and reform - Policy, fads, and experience in international perspective. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 

2009 Mexico City (CINESTAV – DIE), The Changing Roles of State and Markets in HE. See Schuetze, H. G., & Alvarez Mendiola, G. (Eds.) (2012) State and market in higher education reforms. Trends, policies and experiences in comparative perspective. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

2008 Shanghai (East China Normal University), Internationalization of HE. See Special Issue of Journal of Higher Education (Oct. 2008).

2007 Dublin (Dublin City University), Innovations in Teaching and Learning. See Special Issue of Journal of Adult and Continuing Education (JACE) (2009) 15(2).

2006 Tokyo (University of Tsukuba), Higher Education reforms in Japan and various other countries. See Special Issue of Journal for University Studies 35 (2007).

2005 Vienna (University of Klagenfurt), Various themes including the changing state – HE relation, collaboration with the private sector.

2004 Vancouver (University of British Columbia), (Paired comparison of) Reforms of Higher Education in Six Countries, various themes. See Special Issue of Canadian Journal of Higher Education (2004) 34 (3).

 International Advisory Board