Patrick Blessinger | Patrick Blessinger

Why higher education must be more inclusive

Why higher education must be more inclusive Patrick Blessinger St. John's University (NYC) and International HETL Association The Cyrus Cylinder is widely considered to be the world’s first charter of human rights. Created in 539 BC by Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, it declared religious tolerance for all. In addition, the modern human rights movement can be traced to two key political revolutions in the late 18th century: the American Revolution and the French Revolution. The two key documents to emerge from these revolutions were the US Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Both documents emphasised political and civil rights. The rights codified in these documents were not, however, initially extended to all people in those nations, most notably women and minorities. For instance, it took a civil war in the United States, and other national movements, to extend basic constitutional rights [...]

Patrick Blessinger2017-03-11T19:28:34+00:00January 8, 2017|Tags: Human Rights, Inclusion, Patrick Blessinger, University World News, V4A1|

Creating a culture of inclusion in higher education

Creating a culture of inclusion in higher education Patrick Blessinger St. John's University (NYC) and International HETL Association The increasing emphasis on inclusion and diversity in higher education around the world is due partly to the globalisation-internationalisation cycle (for instance, increased international immigration flows and increased global interdependencies), partly to the ongoing democratisation of higher education (for instance, increased pressure for equality-equity in all aspects of education) and partly to the emergence of lifelong learning as a human right. Within this context of intertwined factors, higher education systems around the world have now started to move beyond widening participation agendas (even though these are very important) and towards total inclusion agendas that are focused on the transformation of institutional cultures. In the forthcoming book, Inclusive Leadership in Higher Education, Lorraine Stefani and I, along with several educational scholars from around the world, examine and explain this emerging phenomenon. A paradigm shift towards inclusivity In addition to globalisation, democratisation [...]

Patrick Blessinger2021-04-01T12:02:59+00:00November 13, 2016|Tags: Diversity, Inclusion, Patrick Blessinger, University World News, V3A8|

The shifting landscape of doctoral education

The shifting landscape of doctoral education Patrick Blessinger St. John's University (NYC) and International HETL Association The doctoral education landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade. One of the most important factors driving this change is the greater participation rates in graduate education from all segments of society. As such, doctoral programmes are increasingly diverse in terms of the demographic make-up of students as well as the increasing diversity of programme and degree types. Another important factor is the changing needs of society and of the education sector. Doctoral faculty and programme leaders realise the importance of making doctoral programmes relevant to the contemporary needs of society (the public beneficiary) and to students (the private beneficiary). Thus, the modernisation of doctoral programmes has become a top priority at most universities around the world. Denise Stockley and I, together with several international educational scholars, examine these and other issues in the book, [...]

Patrick Blessinger2017-03-11T19:25:25+00:00October 15, 2016|Tags: Doctoral Education, Patrick Blessinger, Student Engagement, University World News, V3A7|

How to make the most of international HE partnerships

How to make the most of international HE partnerships Patrick Blessinger and Barbara Cozza St. John's University (NYC) and International HETL Association University partnerships have become powerful vehicles for promoting civic and democratic engagement, cultivating international economic development and fostering teacher and school system improvement, among other aims. A university partnership is a relationship between a university and other groups where partners agree to collaborate in order to advance common interests. In the current era of globalisation and internationalisation, partnerships are becoming more widespread and increasingly global in scale and strategic in focus. Partnerships allow partners to minimise the potential risks associated with internationalisation and better use limited resources. As such, strategic partnerships are often part of an institution’s broader internationalisation strategy. Motivations and benefits University partnerships provide multiple benefits for partners. In the book series, University Partnerships, Barbara Cozza and I, along with several educational scholars, explore the different factors impacting international [...]

Patrick Blessinger2017-03-11T19:24:29+00:00October 1, 2016|Tags: Barbara Cozza, International, Leadership, Partnerships, Patrick Blessinger, V3A6|

Higher education as a multi-purpose enterprise

Higher education as a multi-purpose enterprise Patrick Blessinger St. John's University (NYC) and International HETL Association Globalisation is a socio-politico-economic phenomenon that, some would argue, has eclipsed post-modernism and post-structuralism as a framework for explaining the development of the modern world over the past several decades. Whereas post-structuralism stresses the instability and complexity of human relations within a historical interpretive framework, the closely related framework of post-modernism stresses the uncertainty and subjectivity associated with interpreting social reality. Globalisation, with its emphasis on increased integration, interaction and connectivity, also provides a plausible framework for explaining the development of global higher education. Globalisation’s impact on the world A nation is a socio-cultural construct and a state is a geo-political construct. Thus, a nation-state is formed when these two constructs overlap. As such, a nation-state can be viewed as a country consisting of a largely homogenous culture under a single government, that is, a state [...]

Patrick Blessinger2018-01-05T14:11:15+00:00May 22, 2016|Tags: Democracy, Globalization, Inclusion, Patrick Blessinger, V3A4|

A catalyst for change

A catalyst for change Patrick Blessinger St. John's University (NYC) and International HETL Association The continuing universalisation of higher education reflects the growing democratisation of knowledge around the world. In this emerging paradigm, higher learning is no longer the province of the knowledge elite, but is increasingly available to all. For instance, with the move towards open educational resources, massive open online courses, open universities, and the like, access to higher learning is now available to virtually anyone. In many respects, the continued de-monopolisation of higher learning allows for greater political, social, economic and personal empowerment. Democratising knowledge for all Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. Arguably, the first significant democratisation of knowledge occurred with the advent of the Printing Revolution in the 15th century with the invention of the printing press. The wide-ranging utility of the printing press laid the foundation for future political, social, economic and scientific revolutions such [...]

Patrick Blessinger2016-02-16T14:41:38+00:00February 16, 2016|Tags: Human Rights, Lifelong Learning, Patrick Blessinger, University World News, V3A2|

Higher education for a hyper-connected world

Higher education for a hyper-connected world Patrick Blessinger St. John's University (NYC) and HETL Association In many respects the world has become a global knowledge society of interconnected and interdependent human activity that shares increasingly common ways to communicate and interact politically, economically and socially. Yet, at the same time, the world continues to be highly diverse in these areas as well as linguistically and culturally. The world has become more homogeneous at the global level, but still remains highly heterogeneous at the local level. An emerging hyper-connected world The emerging global knowledge society, facilitated mainly by international trade and travel and ubiquitous global communications such as internet and wireless based technologies, is a space of hyper-connected human activity in which people increasingly interact with each other on a regular basis, irrespective of physical space and time boundaries. It is a hyper-connected network where everything is quickly becoming connected to [...]

Patrick Blessinger2017-12-10T12:54:08+00:00January 3, 2016|Tags: Equality, Globalization, Patrick Blessinger, University World News, V3A1|