The Call for Abstracts and Registrations for the International USR Summit 2024 is now open. The Summit, themed “University Social Responsibility: Educational Transformation and Sustainable Development” will take place from 21 to 23 October at Beijing Normal University.
The International USR Summit is a biennial flagship event of the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN). Hosted by the Beijing Normal University, the 2024 Summit aims to invite university presidents and leaders, higher education policymakers and administrators, higher education researchers, university teachers, graduate students, staff of international organisations, members of higher education professional associations, and other stakeholders from all over the world to jointly discuss the issues of higher education transformation and sustainable development, share their research and practical experiences, and provide insights for the transformation of higher education and the achievement of sustainable development.
Acknowledging a broad range of possible issues, the Summit is arranged along the lines of the below sub-themes:
- Educational Transformation and Holistic Human Development
- Educational Transformation and Technological Innovation
- Educational Transformation and Cultural Flourishing
- Education Transformation and Economic Growth
- Educational Transformation and Ecological Justice
- Educational Transformation and Social Wellbeing
- Education Cooperation and Global Development
The International USR Summit 2024 will be sponsored by Beijing Normal University and have no registration fee.
Important Dates
Summit Date | 21 – 23 October 2024 |
Abstract Submission Deadline | 31 August 2024 Extended to 10 September 2024 (23:59 Beijing time, GMT+8) |
Notification of Abstract Acceptance | 14 September 2024 |
Summit Registration Deadline | 20 October 2024 |
About the International USR Summit 2024
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution 70/1, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This historic document lays out the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to achieve sustainable development in three dimensions – social, economic and environmental, and ensure that every citizen of the planet can live a peaceful, prosperous and equitable life. As the then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put it, “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are our shared vision of humanity and a social contract between the world’s leaders and the people. They are a to-do list for people and the planet, and a blueprint for success.” As part of its broad remit, the SDGs expanded the focus beyond primary and secondary education to include tertiary education. This was an important move suggesting that higher education is not only an important part of the quality education agenda – SDG 4 – but also a central pillar and key tool for achieving the full set of goals. Higher education is seen as playing a vital role in addressing the SDGs.
However, the world’s higher education is facing new realities and challenges, which seriously threaten the achievement of the SDGs. On the one hand, the global natural environment and socio-cultural environment are deteriorating; public emergencies represented by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the uncertainty of social development. It is thus urgent for higher education systems to respond to these crises and enhance their resilience and capacity. On the other hand, the massification and diversification of higher education systems, along with internationalisation and informatisation, have created new and diverse forms of equity and quality issues. Higher education systems need to take into account the challenges and address them timely. Today, halfway to 2030, we have entered the critical period for reaching the SDGs. The question we need to address urgently is: How to reshape higher education systems and give full play to the role of higher education institutions, especially universities?
In this context, the International USR Summit 2024, themed “University Social Responsibility: Educational Transformation and Sustainable Development” aims to invite university presidents and leaders, higher education policymakers and administrators, higher education researchers, university teachers, graduate students, staff of international organisations, members of higher education professional associations and other stakeholders from all over the world to jointly discuss the issues of higher education transformation and sustainable development, share their research and practical experiences, and provide insights for the transformation of higher education and the achievement of sustainable development.
About the International USR Summit
The International USR Summit is a flagship event of the University Social Responsibility Network. Every alternate year, USRN member institutions take turns to host the USR Summit. The Summit brings together leaders from the high education to exchange ideas and foster partnerships among universities, to share insights in advancing university social responsibility, generating social impact and driving sustainable development of the world. Click to read more about the past summits.