• New award to recognise outstanding achievement in the internationalisation of higher education
• Named in honour of Professor Alan Gilbert, founder of the Universitas 21 network and major lifelong proponent of the benefits of internationalisation
• Medal to be awarded to a figure of international standing
• Nominations received from staff, students and faculty from across the Universitas 21 network
• Inaugural award to be presented in 2012 at Lund University, Sweden
Universitas 21 (U21), an international consortium of universities to which The University of Queensland belongs, has announced a new award to be presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement in the internationalisation of higher education.
The Gilbert Medal, named in honour of the founder of Universitas 21 and major lifelong proponent of the benefits of internationalisation, both honours the vision of the late Professor Alan Gilbert who died in July 2010 and celebrates some of the core objectives of the Universitas 21 network.
This includes increasing understanding, trust and partnership between international universities; enhancing teaching, learning and research across physical boundaries; and strengthening collaboration between like-minded universities across the world.
The Gilbert Medal will be awarded annually to a person of international standing and all members of faculty, staff and the student body within the U21 network will be able to put inspirational figures forward for nomination.
Presidents and Vice Chancellors of U21 institutions will decide on the winner, who will be invited to receive his or her award at a ceremony at the Annual Presidential Meeting, the inaugural presentation taking place at Lund University, Sweden in May 2012.
Current Chair of the U21 network Professor Glyn Davis said that as the premier international network for higher education, Universitas 21 was excited about the opportunity to recognise others working in this field.
"Promoting internationalisation on a global scale is one of the most important roles we have, both as a network and as individual universities, and we are looking forward to identifying others around the world who share our vision,” he said.
Alongside the Gilbert Medal, U21 members will have the opportunity to nominate colleagues within the network for one of two U21 Awards for Internationalisation, recognising individual efforts towards particularly innovative or extraordinary projects which further internationalisation, or sustained and prolonged contribution building relations between U21 members to support internationalisation.
Nominations for both the Gilbert Medal and U21 Awards will open from July 2011 and details will be publicised in each U21 university as well as on the U21 website, www.universitas21.com.
About Universitas 21
Universitas 21 is a network of research-led universities around the world. It aims to promote and achieve collaboration, co-operation and work of a comprehensive nature, drawing on a strong bond of collegiality found between similarly-minded universities all of whom occupy a highly regarded status in their respective global regions and among the global league tables. The membership comprises: University of Amsterdam, University of Auckland, University of Birmingham, University of British Columbia, University of Connecticut, University of Delhi, University College Dublin, University of Edinburgh, Fudan University, University of Glasgow, University of Hong Kong, Korea University, Lund University, McGill University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Nottingham, University of Queensland, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National University of Singapore, Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Virginia, Waseda University.
For further information about Universitas 21
Contact Jane Usherwood, Secretary General, j.usherwood@bham.ac.uk / +44 (0)7879 668998 or
Clare Noakes, Administrator, c.e.noakes@bham.ac.uk / +44 (0)121 415 8870 or
or log on to http://www.universitas21.com
