The conference on “Inclusion in Higher Education: Developing an International Agenda” is being convened in light of increasing emphasis worldwide on the issue of enhancing diversity as a core value of higher education systems. Mindful of the ongoing affirmative action debate in the U.S. that is now echoing in many parts of the world, the conference goals include exploring strategies for inclusion or affirmative action based upon the experiences of the various participating countries. Ultimately, the conference aims to develop solutions and strategies for enhancing diversity in higher education on a global scale.

Participants will examine such issues as how the exclusion of various groups from higher education has led to great disparities in society. Since the 1960s, various approaches have been used in the U.S. to address these issues, often under the general categorization of “affirmative action.”  This conference provides the first opportunity for a group of higher education experts on the global stage to address the issues of social equality and diversity in higher education at this level of intensity and comprehensiveness.

Conference outcomes will hopefully involve providing steps toward promoting inclusion in higher education in various societal contexts; providing initiatives to promote inclusion within other sectors of society, for example in the government, the military, and the corporate world; and providing an analysis of the varying oppositions to inclusion strategies on a global scale. Ultimately, outcomes will determine the most successful strategies for inclusion, identifying their common characteristics; and developing and recommending strategies for inclusion that will have the greatest chances of success in various social contexts.

Conference proceedings will be published and disseminated to relevant organizations, institutions, and agencies, both governmental and nongovernmental, including the participating countries and other selected nations.