Briefing Paper 03

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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions PASCAL UNIVERSITIES REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT PROJECT (PURE) PURE Briefing Paper No. 3 Outcomes of Implementation Workshop, Glasgow, September 2008
A. The Glasgow Meetings Participants were welcomed by Pascal Board Member, Stephanie Young, to Skills Development Scotland, which hosted the meetings. As Chair of the Pascal Board, Dr Jarl Bengtsson opened the meeting by sketching Pascal’s links with a range of other international organisations and projects, including recent discussions with the Director of the innovative OECD Centre for Enterprise, SMEs and Local Development, Sergio Arzeni, who is keen to promote the mutual benefits of collaboration between the Centre and PURE, and who will contribute to the May 2009 Conference which is also the occasion of the next PURE plenary working session. Following a preparatory planning meeting of the Pascal Executive in Glasgow on 22 September, thirtytwo participants from 14 countries speaking for 18 regions joined by video link with participants in Canada BC, Illinois and Montana USA, and Queensland Australia in Glasgow on 23-24 September. Up to fifteen of the regions represented in the discussions, together with two unable to be present in Glasgow, are likely to take part in PURE, starting this year. In a final summing up the Chair of Pascal, Dr Jarl Bengtsson, emphasised the following several points, which are taken up in this Briefing paper below:          Make something meaningful out of universities’ ‘third mission’. Clearly identify barriers to engagement. Identify and profile promising initiatives and innovations that break barriers down. Adopt a methodology that combines necessary and available quantitative tools with measures of what works, capturing the innovation culture of different regions and universities. Facilitate cross-regional learning in highly interactive, efficient and low-cost ways, so that the access to international knowledge and experience proves to be a good investment for each region. Build to mutual benefit on collaborative partnership with the OECD Centre for Enterprise, SMEs and Local Development, with its culture of innovation. Overcome and reconcile familiar economic-cultural dichotomies in recognising synergies and connections. Encourage active use of the widely used Pascal website as a means of profiling and marketing. Make full use of our immense invisible social capital, and the trust on which it is based.
Appendix (A) Lists those who took part in the Glasgow workshop. Appendix (B) Provides a list of firmly committed and keenly interested regions. B. Participation in PURE A number of other regions, including some spoken about at Glasgow, will be unable to begin before the end of 2008. It was agreed:  That participation will be as and by regions with their universities, rather than universities as the central focus in themselves  That it is important to work as a single-cohort peer learning network throughout the initial two-year PURE cycle, and therefore not to allow other regions to join during that cycle
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions  That a second cohort would be visualised, planned for and made known, starting either one or two years after the initial cohort start-up  That contracts by PURE (cohort 1) participants be finalised forthwith, on a region-by-region tailored basis, aiming for a November completion with the opportunity open to the end of 2008 only. C. The Working Sessions C.1 A summary of the sessions During four working sessions on the first day, the workshop considered lessons from the 2004-07 OECD 14-regions study, based on the pre-distributed Briefing paper 2. Led by Pascal Chair Dr Bengtsson with contributions from the Pascal Glasgow co-director, Mike Osborne and with a video presentation by Bob Gleeson in the Pascal North American node office in North Illinois, they then extended the discussion to consider the important benefits of and the difficulties associated with comparative international studies generally, where contexts and circumstances are very diverse. In the afternoon the meeting turned to the principles and purposes underlying data collection, evaluation, benchmarking and the use of metrics in general, led by Professor David Charles, Stephanie Young and John Tibbitt, with a video presentation by Larry Swanson in Montana. The session noted and discussed the various tools and methodologies available and used in the arena of regional development and higher education, as a prelude to determining what approach might best fit the purposes of PURE, building on beyond the lessons of the 14-regions work. This included tools to assist priority setting as well as qualitative measures for effectiveness. Key issues from this session included:  That benchmarking is a way to try to do better, e.g. developing new management processes, as well as for accountability, not an end in itself, and not a matter of competing in league tables  The desirability of a joint region and universities perspective, but to give precedence to the region as the focus where interests and perspectives differed  The need to gather and make effective use of available demographic data and to find ways of reconciling and using different data sets  Managing the interaction between universities within a region  Achieving data matched for benchmarking between types of regions and types of universities  Developing processes for mutual benchmarking between pairs of universities  Dealing with campuses that are not whole universities  Trust emerged here and throughout the meetings as a key characteristic for the PURE peer learning project to maximise its potential  Also important is being open to new common dimensions and clusters not identified at the outset (the common situation of urban centres relating to rural peripheries emerged as one such example)  The importance of the tool adopted being fit for purpose, practical and affordable, robust, generic across diverse regions and cultures, and not unrealistically ambitious. Action arising: Following the closure of the workshop Professor David Charles was invited to design a benchmarking tool adapted from his own and others’ previous work, that appeared well fitted to PURE purposes in the light of the discussions at the workshop. This will have a high priority so that regions entering into PURE contracts can have it before detailed review and analysis goes ahead in each region. On the second day, Professor Bruce Wilson led an open discussion in which each region represented (and some other known about that could not be present in Glasgow) spoke about the situation and priorities in relation to the PURE project. Based on the previously distributed Briefing
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions paper 1, and assisted by a member of the University of Glasgow Finance Office, Joe Galloway, participants then reviewed and confirmed the essentials of the programme and timeline proposed for PURE, and some of the detail of the contract to be entered into, adapted to each case, by regions taking part. Action arising: the draft contract, slightly revised, will be sent to each region in the week following the workshop and signed, region by region, as soon as convenient, and in any event before the end of 2008. Regions unable to work within this timetable will be encouraged to consider the 2nd PURE cohort foreshadowed above. C.2 Availability of Presentations The PowerPoint presentations from the workshop are now temporarily available at: http:// www.slideshow.net Log in with username ‘PURE_PASCAL’ and the password is ‘observatory’. In due course a dedicated private space within the PASCAL site will be created to house these and other materials. D. Other Programme of Work Decisions and Actions Arising D.1 A lexicon or project dictionary of terms and meanings It was recognised during the discussion that such international work was fraught with problems of communication, not only in translating between languages, and in assuming familiar arrangements and practices that do not exist in other regions, but even in the scope and meaning of apparently simple terms central to the work of PURE. Even the terms region and university are problematic, and perceptions of the meaning and scope of (regional) development also vary greatly, sometimes on philosophical as well as practical grounds. ‘Universities’ for example is used in PURE as shorthand for the more clumsy ‘Higher Education Institutions’, but includes all kinds of institutions providing what in that country is defined as higher education, whether provided in a university, polytechnic, community, further or technical college etc. It was agreed that some form of keywords lexicon of terms and meanings should be developed. This can be used to ensure the quality of the work of PURE, but will be of wider utility also. D.2 Diagrammatic representation of elements and participants in the PURE project It was agreed that a chart showing the relationship between different elements (Glasgow Project office and individual roles, Pascal Board, regions and their organising groups and leader/coordinators, peer reviewers, advisory steering network) should be prepared and made available to all participants. At the heart of the project methodology is the learning and resulting practical changes that will occur as a result of strong working links and exchanges that take place, drawing on the experience and expertise residing in the different regions and universities taking part. This peer learning will be based on effective and open internal communication within regions, expressed through a regional committee, task force or project group and led by someone from the region who is able to serve as a peer reviewer to another region or regions. It will be facilitated by use of the Pascal/PURE website, periodic full-group PURE meetings, benchmarking, and the scheduled visits of small review groups that serve as a sounding board and mirror to work in the regions with a focus on clarifying and resolving problems and obstacles to engagement and development.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Review groups, determined by agreement between the PURE Academic Director in consultation with the Glasgow Office, will normally comprise: a review group-leader identified from the Pascal core group, to ensure cohesion and the identification of common issues across regions; a peer reviewer from another PURE region; and a third reviewer chosen from their expertise from another region, from among the list of Pascal Associates, or where expertise so requires, from the wider pool of Pascal-linked experts. For the second round of review visits, a change of review group members may be agreed if the need arises, e.g. a call for particular expertise. The meeting confirmed the utility of the proposed project structure, in which all regions would undertake some common core activities, while different sub-clusters of regions will additionally focus on areas of special interest and high priority for them. These clusters, which will reinforce inter-regional peer learning and enhance value to each region, will emerge during the second phase of the project and be confirmed in the first part of 2009. D.3 Important questions about the policy environment framing the PURE project It was agreed that these questions, draft by Jarl Bengtsson, be treated as a common inquiry framework for all participating regions: 1. What role are strong national and/or regional policies in favour of third mission playing to overcome barriers for PURE work in the regions? 2. Will strong national and regional policies in favour of sustainable development have an impact on PURE activity on environmental issues? 3. Will strong policies on implementing LLL at national and/or regional levels have an impact on PURE activities? 4. Will strong national and/or regional innovation and research policies have as impact on PURE activities? 5. Will strong national and/or regional policy on administrative and governance issues have an impact on PURE activities? 6. How is the third mission seen and developed, and how central is it to the future, especially of non-elite universities? 7. Is the globalisation of the economy changing regions' ecological, social and cultural policies? If so, how will it impact on PURE activities in the region and the university? D.4 Other points Several themes were raised in the workshop sessions that are noted here for the record, and as a reminder that some may call for short PURE briefing papers and for regular consideration as the project proceeds. They include:  The meaning of third mission and its relation to teaching and research as missions.  The possibility of developing a global doctoral programme through PURE.  Forms of affiliation that might wider the learning and benefits of PURE beyond fully subscribing participant regions.  ‘Philosophical’ issues concerning the wider social and civic (‘civilising’) roles of universities.  The influence of different kinds of responsibilities of university governing bodies on the reality of engagement.  The meaning and energising of creativity and innovation in both universities and regions.  And more generally the messiness of the reality of different policy contexts and kinds of functions of regions, as well as different types of higher education institutions.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions D.5 Outputs, outcomes, and shape of final report It was recognised that some regions might appreciate a draft outline of the likely structure of the final project report in the context of other ‘outputs and deliverables’, to help explain the nature and utility of PURE to colleagues in their regions, and agreed that such a draft should be produced promptly. See appendix (c). D.6 Next Steps, and Next Full Meeting in Vancouver, May 2009 In the remaining weeks of 2008 individual contracts will be finalised between each participating region and the University of Glasgow for Pascal. Regions need to identify their key contact person (the region’s project leader) prior to agreeing to the membership of a review group and dates for a first visit, following initial data review and collecting, initial benchmarking activity, agenda-building for priorities, and/or other appropriate in-region activity. It was confirmed that the first 2009 PURE meeting (Workshop 2 in the first briefing paper) will be associated with the 2009 Pascal International Conference in Vancouver on the Third Mission of Universities, 18-20 May, and will take place on the afternoon of Wednesday 20 and all day on Thursday 21 May. See appendix (d) for invitation and call for papers. It was suggested that PURE participants may wish to submit papers for the main Conference associated with their work in PURE.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Appendix A - Those who took part in the Glasgow workshop
Title First name Prof Jarl Dr Amanda Mr Lennart Mrs Alison Prof David Mr Dermot Prof Chris Mr Joe Prof Susan Dr Dr Mr Prof Bob Bud Keith Palmira
Surname Bengtsson Benjamin Blomquist Bowerbank Charles Coughlan Duke Galloway Geertshuis Gleeson Hall Hammond Juceviciene
Organisation Chairman of Pascal University of Glasgow Karlstads Universitet Department for Communities and Local Government, Thames Gateway Executive Newcastle University University of Limerick PASCAL - PURE Academic Director University of Glasgow The University of Auckland
Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] v.uk [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Country France UK Sweden UK UK Ireland Australia/ UK UK New Zealand USA Canada UK Lithuania UK Sweden UK UK UK Norway Belgium Sweden UK Australia France Italy UK UK Norway Ireland USA South Africa UK UK Australia UK Sweden
Northern Illinois University University of Victoria University of Glasgow Institute of Educational Studies, Kaunas University of Technology Dr Liam Kane University of Glasgow Dr Fumi Kitagawa Lund University Dr Vivian Leacock University of Glasgow Prof Norman Longworth University of Stirling Ms Sarah McCullough University of Glasgow Dr Etty Nilsen Buskerud University College Annegreet Olijve Mrs Flamenco Mr Anders Olsson Region Varmland Prof Mike Osborne University of Glasgow Prof Glen Postle University of South Queensland Ms Mireille Pouget PASCAL Associate Dttr Ettore Ruggiero CSEI Universus Ms Kate Sankey PASCAL Associate Mr Chris Shepherd PASCAL Board Mr Amarjit Singh Buskerud County - Norway Prof Maria Slowey Dublin City University Dr Larry Swanson University of Montana Dr Kamilla Swart-Arries Cape Peninsula University of Technology Mr Mr Prof Prof Dr John Stuart Bruce Tibbitt Turner Wilson Stephanie Young Henrik Zipsane University of Glasgow, CEO PASCAL Events Scotland RMIT University Skills Development Scotland Jamtli Museum
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Appendix B - Regions firmly committed and/or keenly interested  Botswana/Lesotho  Buskerud  Cape  Dublin  Flanders  Groningen  Hungary  Illinois  Jamtland  Kaunas  Kent  Melbourne  Oresund  Puglia  Scotland  South of England  Southern Keralia  Tasmania  Toowoomba  Thames Gateway  Varmland
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Appendix C - Project Outputs and Draft Contents of Final Report C.1 Outputs from PURE Project The following outputs are expected from the 2008-10 PURE project (cohort 1):  A series of working notes and working papers documenting progress and addressing practical issues to do with regional engagement and development, including glossary of key terms, tool for benchmarking the impact of engagement, alternative methodologies, practical steps to circumvent barriers to collaboration for regional development Detailed regional reports Guidance book on impact assessment International inter-regional workshops/network New and ongoing development-related action in participating regions Arrangements for future network activity including linking network members and widening of PURE cohort 1 network as a second cohort is developed. Synthesis Report
     
C.2 Synthesis Report: The final synthesis report will draw together issues and findings, to the theme of ‘getting and staying engaged’. It will draw lessons at different levels from the work conducted within participating regions, locating this within established knowledge and understandings of regional/local development and the role of higher education. C.3 Draft Contents: Executive Summary Preface, acknowledgements, glossary, contents and list of tables etc Part 1  The need for region-university engagement for regional development  The diversity of needs and the connections between different development domains – connecting economic and other targets and purposes  The changing global context, drivers and barriers to greater engagement - regions  The changing global context, drivers and barriers to greater engagement – universities  PURE in the context of increasing inter-regional collaboration and its outcomes Part 2  Work in the PURE regions – summary outcomes and implications for regional development.
Part 3      Case studies of successful innovation and the overcoming of barriers The use of metrics for accountability and quality enhancement: indicators, benchmarking and other forms of peer support; balancing audit with improvement The social and civic underpinnings of economic development Sustainability - new agendas for managing regional development under 21st century conditions of social, economic and environmental risk Evaluation of PURE (1st cohort) project and agenda for future work
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Appendix D - Pascal Vancouver International Conference May 2009
Seventh Annual PASCAL International Observatory Conference Call for papers, panels, and poster sessions The Third Mission of Universities University of British Columbia in Vancouver May 18th – 20th, 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. Bob Gleeson, Center for Government Studies, Northern Illinois University. Budd Hall, University of Victoria. Judy Rogers, City Manager, Vancouver.
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. D.1 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
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions 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. D.2 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. D.3 The conference venue Vancouver is seen by many as one of the world’s most liveable and beautiful cities. That reputation is not only owed to the spectacular physical setting with its beaches and mountain but also to the multicultural 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. D.4 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 a development project 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.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions 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 January 31, 2009 to the following address: [email protected]. For further information about Pascal and this conference, please consult: http://www.obs-pascal.com/. For conference details see also http://www.chet.educ.ubc.ca/Conferences1.html
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