De La Salle University - Manila

IAU Mission

As stated in its Founding Charter, IAU's mission is based on the fundamental principles for which every university should stand, namely the right to pursue knowledge for its own sake, to follow wherever the search for truth may lead, the tolerance of divergent opinion and freedom from political interference.

The Association aims to give expression to the obligation of universities as social institutions to promote, through teaching and research, the principles of freedom and justice, of human dignity and solidarity, and contributes, through international cooperation, to the development of material and moral assistance for the strengthening of higher education generally.

IAU Goals

The overall goals of IAU are both internal and external. First, IAU links up its members, offers them quality services and provides a forum for the universities of the world to work together. Second, the Association speaks on behalf of universities, and of higher education in general, and represents their concerns and interests in public debate and to outside partners. Both of these complementary goals are pursued through future oriented collective action, including information services, informed policy discussion, research and publications.

By encouraging members to work together, IAU

• facilitates the exchange of experience and learning;
• restates and defends the values that underlie and determine the proper functioning of universities;
• upholds and contributes to the development of a long-term vision of universities' role and responsibilities in society;
• voices the concerns for higher education with regard to policies of international bodies such as UNESCO, the World Bank and others;
• contributes to a better understanding of current trends and developments through analysis, research and debate;
• provides comprehensive and authoritative information on higher education systems, institutions and qualifications worldwide;
• fosters university cooperation and academic exchange through linkages and networks.

IAU Activities

As a cooperation and service-oriented organization, IAU aims to promote the exchange of information, experience and ideas, to facilitate academic mobility and international collaboration among universities, and to contribute, through research and meetings, to informed higher education policy debate.

Programmes and Services

• Conferences, round tables and seminars
• Comparative studies and higher education policy research
• Cooperation and clearing-house activities
• IAU/UNESCO Information Centre on Higher Education
• International information networks
• Consultancy, credential evaluation and advice

Publications

• International Handbook of Universities
• World List of Universities and other Institutions of Higher Education
• World Academic Database (CD-ROM)
• Higher Education Policy (Academic Quarterly Journal)
• Issues in Higher Education (Monograph Series)
• IAU Newsletter
• Occasional papers and reports