Asia Matters

Asia Ireland Higher Education and Global Talent Forum

9 July 2015Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin

@asiamatters_biz #AsiaIrlTalent @asiabizweek

‘How Asia and Ireland Can Partner in Education to Create Global Talent Clusters and Drive FDI’

9 July 2015Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin

In Pursuit of Excellence:Creating a Global University

Prof. Andrew DeeksPresident, University College Dublin

+In pursuit of excellence: Creating a Global University

Professor Andrew J DeeksPresidentUniversity College Dublin(Ireland’s Global University)

+UCD CollegesOutline

Our global society

Demands on our graduates

The part of a Global University

Global footprint

Partnerships with Asia

Conclusion

+UCD CollegesOur Global Society

Rise of the Multinationals

Specialisation within countries

Demise of domestic industries

Improvements in the ease and cost of communication and transportation

+ Connectivity

+ International Air Traffic

+UCD CollegesOur Graduates

Must be prepared to take their place in this global society

Must be able to work successfully across cultural, political and geographical borders

Must be able to able to exploit the opportunities that arise from organisations and teams which are culturally diverse

+UCD CollegesIntercultural Competence

Variously defined as ‘the ability to communicate/interact effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures’

More completely ‘the ability to communicate, interact and work effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures, exploiting the opportunities that diverse viewpoints and approaches brings’

+UCD CollegesDeveloping Intercultural Competence

Mostly based on an individual's experiences while interacting with other cultures.

During interactions, the individual will experience certain obstacles caused by differences in cultural understanding between two people from different cultures.

Such experiences motivate the individual to acquire skills that can help him/her to interact effectively with people coming from a different cultural background.

+UCD CollegesDimensions of cultural difference (Hofstede)

Collectivism vs individualism

Power distance

Long term vs short term orientation

Uncertainty avoidance

Masculine vs feminine orientation

Indulgence vs restraint

+UCD CollegesThe part of Global Universities

Global universities are characterised by High percentage of international students High percentage of international faculty International partnerships which lead to the

exchange of students and faculty Research addressing global issues

Such universities generate significant opportunities for students to have the experiences which develop intercultural competence

+UCD

• Ireland’s largest university, ranked 139th globally by QS

• ~32,000 Students

• Over 6,000 International students in Dublin

• Over 5,000 Students taught overseas

• 18% of Irish students spend some part of their studies abroad

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+UCD - HighlightsUCD Highlights

First choice for Irish undergraduate students

>30% of PhD students in Ireland

>25% of Graduate students in Ireland

#1 Irish university for research funding

#1 Irish university for research publications

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Overv

iewGlobal Research Connections

+UCD CollegesGlobal footprint & Asia partnerships Beijing-Dublin International College

Penang Medical College, Malaysia

Global Centres in China, India, Malaysia and the US, which are the foundations for our UCD Global Network

Degree programmes in co-operation with partners in China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka

UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland (in partnership with Renmin University), one of Hanban’s 10 model Confucius Institutes

Construction starting in September for the first purpose built Confucius Institute building in the world joint funded by the Chinese Government (with the Irish Government)

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+UCD CollegesConclusions Our society is increasing global and

increasingly connected

To fully benefit from and contribute to this global society our graduates should possess intercultural competence

Such competence is generated through intercultural interactions, and our Global Universities are ideally placed to provide these opportunities

Partnerships with Asia are a vital part of a Global University, and these partnerships take a variety of forms

+Thank you for your attention.