Looking Back at the Forum 2025: Shared Insights, New Directions
This year's Forum, held under the theme “New Realities, New Roles: Higher Education Management in Challenging Times,” took place across two sessions.
The first session, on November 3rd, opened with a keynote by Prof. Dr Frank Ziegler, titled “Authentic Universities: Higher Education Institutions in Times of Transition.” His talk explored the diverse profiles of higher education institutions and the potential pathways they can take to achieve their goals. He also raised thought-provoking questions about the future of higher education. The keynote was followed by a lively discussion with panellists from South East Asia, Africa, and Latin America, offering participants a chance to hear firsthand about the challenges HEIs face in different regions and to better understand the contexts in which they operate.
The second session, on November 6th, featured case presentations prepared by DIES Alumni. Their contributions highlighted some of the most pressing issues in higher education today, including community engagement, diversity and inclusivity, international collaboration and innovation, and student well-being.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the speakers, panellists, presenters, and participants for their active engagement in the Forum 2025.
We look forward to seeing you again next year!
The DIES Forum is meant to bring together DIES and NMT Alumni to share views and perspectives on recent developments in higher education, exchange practices, and discuss pressing issues in the dynamic field of higher education management. The Forum was hosted by the University of Potsdam in Germany and carried out in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), and the German partner institutions who are implementing training courses in the DIES Programme, i.e. Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Leibniz University Hannover, and University of Applied Science Osnabrück.
