Universitas 21 to Award Inaugural Gilbert Medal for Internationalization at Annual Presidential Meeting
LUND, SWEDEN, May 10, 2012—Allan E. Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education (IIE) has accepted the inaugural Gilbert Medal, an award which recognizes outstanding achievement in the internationalization of higher education. Universitas 21 (U21) presented Dr. Goodman with The Gilbert Medal for Internationalization at a special ceremony at Lund University in Sweden during their Annual Presidential Meeting. The U21 Presidential Symposium focused on the social and global role and responsibilities of the university in relation to the major challenges facing society today.
Dr. Goodman is being recognized for his numerous accomplishments at IIE that have directly fostered and encouraged the internationalization of higher education. In particular, The Gilbert Medal honors Dr. Goodman’s role in expanding IIE’s work related to rescuing threatened students and scholars and advancing academic freedom around the world.
“Dr. Goodman has helped students and scholars in trouble around the world, helped establish new global universities, and provided increased access to study abroad,” said Professor Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and Chair of the Universitas 21 network. “Despite his many achievements, he makes room for others to lead and especially works behind the scenes to make things happen, without seeking credit or the spotlight. It is fitting that this first Gilbert Medal recognizes all that he has done around the world to develop understanding and co-operation between scholars and universities.”
Since 2002 IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund has rescued more than 400 scholars threatened with violence, kidnapping or death as a result of their academic work. IIE has also implemented programs to assist students whose education was at risk of interruption following the Southeast Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. Emergency grants from IIE helped these students complete their education and return to help rebuild their countries.
Dr. Goodman has also motivated many university leaders around the world to engage in global partnerships and internationalize their institutions, and has been involved in leadership training to prepare new university presidents around the world for their future roles as global academic leaders.
In accepting the award, Dr Goodman said “The Gilbert Medal is a wonderful way to honor the memory of an individual who did so much for international higher education. Professor Gilbert had an inspired vision about what universities everywhere should do and how they could best serve others. I am deeply honored to be selected for this inaugural award in his name.”
The Gilbert Medal is named for the late Professor Alan Gilbert, the founder of Universitas 21 who died in 2010, and upholds his vision as a lifelong proponent of the benefits of internationalization. It celebrates some of the core objectives of the U21 network, namely to increase understanding, trust and partnership between international universities. The Gilbert Medal features the winning design from a competition among students at Lund University and was crafted in the world-renowned Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, UK.
Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of over 20 offices worldwide and over 1,000 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.
Universitas 21
Established in 1997, Universitas 21 is an international network of 23 leading research-intensive universities in fifteen countries. The network’s purpose is to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between the member universities and to create opportunities for them on a scale that none of them would be able to achieve operating independently or through traditional bilateral alliances.
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