7th PASCAL Observatory International Conference – Community Engagement and Service: The Third Mission of Universities (Vancouver, Canada) - Deadline for Abstracts 15 February 2009'

Vancouver, Canada - The University of British Columbia 

Call for papers, panels, and poster sessions

Deadline for Abstracts 15 February 2009

This conference will bring together academic researchers, teachers and administrators as well as practitioners, professionals, policy analysts and makers in order to explore and showcase research and practice of what in North America is called ‘Service to the Community’. Although newly discovered by some universities, service to the community has a long tradition in others and, in many cases, is recognized as an explicit mandate in the university charter. Service is understood to be the third mission of universities, alongside Teaching and Research. Service and community engagement takes many different forms. Examples are community-based research and learning, assistance in regional development, continuing and community education, technology transfer, and other forms of knowledge sharing and cooperation. 

The conference will also be the occasion of the second PASCAL Universities Regional Engagement (PURE) workshop. It is expected that all PURE regions will be represented at the conference as well as the PURE workshop on 21/22 May.  

Keynote speakers, subject to confirmation, include:  

• Sergio Arzeni, Director, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMES and Local Development, Paris
• Budd Hall, University of Victoria

The conference will discuss all forms of service to the community. Presentations are invited, especially on one of the three sub themes:  

• Universities and Regional Regeneration and Development
• Higher Education and Sustainable Development
• Universities and Major Local and Regional Events (for example the Olympics, the Soccer World Cup, or the World Exposition)

Under the first theme, studies that will be of particular interest are those that focus on the impact of collaboration by, and active linkages between universities and regions, and the local and regional developments that have resulted from this collaboration. 

For the second theme, papers and other presentations are invited to address the topic of sustainable local and regional development in all its forms and the role universities and community colleges play in it. The third theme addresses forms of collaboration between higher education and the various actors, especially cities and regions, who are involved in organizing and staging these mega events in a way that these events leave a positive legacy that benefits the population of their respective city or region. This theme is particularly topical as Vancouver and Whistler will host the Olympic Winter Games in February 2010.

Who should attend? 

The conference will be of interest to the research and academic community working in these fields but will also be of significant interest to practitioners in these areas particularly from cities and regional development agencies, local and national government agencies and organizations working in the field. The structure of the conference will facilitate the sharing of experiences and research findings across a wide range of interests including: 

• Mission and forms of university continuing education
• Knowledge transfer and joint research
• Community-based research and teaching
• Learning cities and regions
• Major events as a trigger for creating learning communities

Participation is not confined to the actual members of the PASCAL Observatory, but open to all those who are interested in these themes and have experience to showcase and compare with that of others. 

Format of the conference

The particular mix of participants at PASCAL conferences provides for an informed dialogue between academics, regional and local leaders, and professionals. In addition to keynote addresses, panels and individual papers, demonstration projects will illustrate successful practice, and roundtable discussions will allow for debate and discussion on a range of topics associated with the central themes of the conference.

The conference venue

Vancouver is seen by many as one of the world’s most livable and beautiful cities.

That reputation is not only owed to the spectacular physical setting with its beaches and mountain but also to the multi-cultural composition of its population. Vancouver is home to the arts and culture, theatre and music, and to the sciences, with four universities and several colleges and institutes serving the region. Three years ago, Vancouver has been designated as a ‘Learning City’. In 1986, the city was played host to the World Exposition, and in 2010, as already mentioned, Vancouver will host the Winter Olympics.

The University of British Columbia is the oldest, largest and internationally best- known university of the province and one of the top universities in Canada. Like the city, its campus is located at a spectacular site, overlooking the Georgia Strait, with islands and the snow covered Coastal Mountains in the background. Its campus is home to some 2000 researchers and more than 40,000 students. 

What is the PASCAL Observatory?

PASCAL is an international research and policy development alliance, which aims to develop, discuss and communicate new concepts and emerging ideas about place management, social capital and learning regions. The central theme of the third mission of universities in regional development is one of the pivotal strands of the PASCAL Observatory.  

Pascal originally grew out of the work of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on both higher education management and regional development. PASCAL was created in 2002 as a non-for-profit organization by a number of universities and regional authorities wishing to further and expand their work under the auspices of an independent alliance of experts. Its activities are funded through subscriptions from local regional governments and membership fees from universities and colleges. PASCAL undertakes research and development projects related to place management, social capital and learning regions, utilizing a growing network of partners and associates, and animates dialogue and discussion among members and other interested organizations through the publication of studies and papers as well as conferences and workshops.  

Through the PASCAL Universities Regional Engagement (PURE), PASCAL is collaborating with OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMES and Local Development, which will contribute to the conference. 

The local organizer is the Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training (CHET) at UBC, an academic unit that sponsors research and disseminates, through conferences, workshops and seminars, the results of its studies. The Centre which has operated for 25 years has a mandate to conduct policy-oriented research and analysis in the fields of higher education and training, disseminate current research to general and academic audiences, provide an interdisciplinary academic environment for faculty, graduate students, visiting scholars and experts in policy making and policy analysis, facilitate an exchange of ideas between policy makers, researchers, administrators and leaders of business and industry, and stimulate and contribute to ongoing debates on higher education within the university, the Greater Vancouver community, the province, the country, and on an international basis.  

Proposals (between 400 and 800 words) are invited until 15th February, 2009 to the following address: [email protected]. 

For further information about the conference please see:  http://www.cstudies.ubc.ca/pascal/

See also http://www.chet.educ.ubc.ca/Conferences1.html where further details of registration and accommodation options will be posted shortly.