Blogs

The Center for Governmental Studies of Northern Illinois University (NIU) has welcomed its resident scholar in a fledgling program that promotes community engagement in sustainable regional development through a cohort of international researchers.  Hugo Gutierrez, serves as head of Social Programs in the Social Development and Citizenship Department at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico.  He is co-founder of Mexico Rural and Mexico Urbano community outreach programs. 

A number of projects within PASCAL, including currently THEMP, are concerned with the benefits of lifelong learning for older learners. A briefing report from CEDEFOP entitled, Silver workers - golden opportunities - Exploring the benefits of investing in an ageing workforce, provides a useful backdrop to that debate and is featured below.

Greetings Friends,

First thank you all so very much for your support in getting information about the GUNi Call for Good Practices out last week; the deadline has been extend to February 10.  With your help the number of 'good practices' has more than doubled from around 45 to 94 as of today. There is still a need to receive short student videos and there is an opportunity to present posters as well.

A few conference alerts and other items people have passed to us. Hope you are well. We are particularly keen that you and your colleagues put in a proposal in to share your innovative practices and take part in the Barcelona event.  This will be the only event in the coming years with a global mandate and a focus on Knowledge, Transformation and Higher Education.  PLEASE pass this on to others in your networks.

Thank you

Rajesh Tandon and Budd L Hall

Co-Chairs

Dear Friends,

As the new Chair of PASCAL, I want to wish each of you a happy holiday season - be it in the darker and wetter north or the warmer and sunnier south. The new year  brings with it  great prospects for our collaboration.  There is a vacuum for PASCAL to fill.  The 2012 conference in Brest was demonstration, if proof were needed, that our mission is timely, evidence-based, and forward-loooking. Tragically, Jarl Bengtsson died just at the time when we could celebrate the ten years of leadership he has given PASCAL. (An obituary will appear on the website soon). His wise counsel and good humor will be missed, but his values - our values - endure.  In some ways 2013 could be more difficult, globally, than 2012: the geo-political situation along the 30th parallel North is even more fraught with risk, and the long-term social consequences of the crisis will become more apparent.  Let's  bring the expertise and enthusiasm of PASCAL as a global network to bear on policy and practice, to develop the  Observatory and generate new projects.   

May you and your families enjoy continued good health.  With best wishes,

Josef Konvitz