About The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education

The Observatory was originally a collaborative initiative with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and Universities UK. The Observatory’s mission is accomplished through extensive collaboration with global higher education, government, and private sector organisations that are key stakeholders in the global higher education arena. The Observatory is also committed to bringing together international faculty to conduct scholarly research in various areas of transnational higher education. The Observatory’s membership is comprised of 200 organisational members from 70 countries.

The Observatory has a small team of core staff, supported by an Advisory Board. Many Observatory reports are commissioned from external experts, and projects are undertaken with associate consultants from around the world. The Observatory benefits from management, editorial, database and website support from ACU staff.

Vision 2010

The Observatory envisions becoming the global leader for providing strategic information and services to universities and government organisations vested in cross-border higher education and those institutions considering potential entry into the cross-border higher education arena. To fulfil this vision, The Observatory will:

● Engage international scholars in high quality research and reports on current and emerging issues in transnational higher education;

● Provide best practice guidelines on specific areas of cross-border higher education for Observatory members, partners and stakeholders;

● Convene institutes, colloquia and conferences that provide a forum for Observatory members to exchange ideas and strategies;

● Collaborate with global higher education organisations and agencies to facilitate greater knowledge and understanding of the key issues related to cross-border higher education; and

● Provide highly specialised consultancy to institutions and private organisations currently engaged in, or planning to initiate, cross-border higher education initiatives.

For further information about The Observatory, please download our organisational brochure.