OSUN Annual Report 2020–21

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EDUCATION IN A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER OSUN was launched with an announcement by George Soros in January 2020. It triggered a wave of anticipation for the potential of the new network. Partner meetings and campus visits were planned to solidify old relationships and initiate new collaborations. Our first meeting in Budapest was scheduled for March 2020, and we watched anxiously as the outbreak of COVID-19 began to move across the globe. As the pandemic unfolded, we wondered if OSUN would be able to emerge as a significant and viable project. Little did we know that the network would be instrumental, not only in helping us all successfully navigate the uncharted waters of teaching, research, and learning during a pandemic, but also in launching some daring endeavors.

The challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need for OSUN in a manner we did not anticipate. The crisis accelerated collaboration in teaching and learning that allowed us to introduce hundreds of OSUN-sponsored online courses throughout the summer and academic year, bringing thousands of students and faculty from across the network into shared classrooms, from Bogota to Bishkek and from Accra to East Jerusalem. Our students demonstrated tremendous initiative in leading civic engagement projects that reflect their commitment to their communities and to addressing local and global issues. In response to racial, social, and economic inequalities, programs such as the OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning and the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison are working to expand access to higher education for refugees, displaced persons, and incarcerated individuals. New networkwide programs, such as the OSUN Global Public Health Initiative and the Executive Education Hub, are training and preparing OSUN members to address new and continuing challenges while providing access to services for excluded or marginalized individuals. In addition, the newly established OSUN Global Observatory on Academic Freedom and the Open Society Research Platform are working at full speed to further OSUN’s commitment to the advancement of knowledge and research while tackling real-life problems. Quite simply, in the face of potentially overwhelming obstacles, OSUN has flourished.

OSUN partners are deeply engaged in the ambitious work of creating a new model of higher education.

At a time of growing ideological polarization, OSUN seeks to foster skills and habits in research, teaching and learning that are vital to the formation, consolidation, and preservation of open societies. Faculty and students have found new ways to work together in a virtual environment that will influence how we might learn and collaborate in the years ahead.

We can all take pride in our shared successes. With more than 40 partner institutions across five continents, we are building a diverse network that advances our unwavering commitment to excellence in critical thinking, scholarship and research; to the defense of democratic practices and academic freedom; and to the ideals of an open society.

Thank you for joining us on this journey that is OSUN.

Leon Botstein Chancellor, OSUN Bard College

Jonathan Becker Vice Chancellor, OSUN Bard College

Liviu Matei Vice Chancellor, OSUN Central European University

FROM CRISIS

TO COLLABORATION: LEVERAGING CONNECTIVITY

“ This workshop provided me with new ideas for how to use technology to enhance my teaching and interactions with students. It helped shift my thinking of tech as a hindrance to seeing it as useful.”

— OSUN Connected Learning Working Group Participant

When the pandemic forced OSUN institutions to shift to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester, the OSUN Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy (CLASP) deftly helmed the Blended and Connected Learning Working Group, tasked with supporting network faculty and staff during the emergency. Over 55 workshops were held, helping more than 929 faculty across 21 campuses to adapt their interactive, studentcentered teaching methods to online environments. The working group also developed a robust website to showcase lesson plans and assignments for blended or connected learning, as well as a toolkit of educational resources designed specifically for OSUN campuses. CLASP’s innovative expertise allowed the working group to efficiently support faculty and staff and also accelerate OSUN’s strategic mission to provide accessible means of collaboration in teaching and curricula. The working group laid the essential groundwork for a sustainable and truly global community of educators.

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OSUN grew out of a longstanding ambition to strengthen global higher education through deep reciprocal partnerships across geographic and disciplinary boundaries.

THE MAKING OF OSUN On January 28, 2020, George Soros announced the creation of the Open Society University Network and made a generous pledge of one billion dollars to support it. The founding of OSUN underscored a long history of collaboration between Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF), Bard College, and Central European University (CEU), along with their respective national and international networks.

OSUN builds on the accomplishments of several major initiatives in higher education catalyzed by OSF. In the 1990s, OSF’s Higher Education Support Program effectively served as a Marshall Plan for higher education in Central and Eastern Europe. CEU, founded by George Soros in 1991, became a unique model in graduate education, combining cutting-edge research and teaching with a focused social mission. For almost 30 years, OSF supported innovative cooperation between Bard, CEU and their respective networks. OSUN bolsters these partnerships by creating a horizontal network that strengthens academic integration, advances open societies, and achieves a global reach.

“ OSUN is the most transformative initiative in higher education I have witnessed in my career.”

—Leon Botstein, Chancellor, OSUN and President of Bard College

“ Overnight, the liberal arts offerings at Ashesi have quadrupled after joining the network.

Nothing internally had changed at Ashesi University concerning faculty capacity, curriculum development, or course offerings to bring about this valuable change.

One word, OSUN!”

WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER THAT WE CANNOT DO ALONE? Our Shared Vision

• T o create a new model of global higher education—a long-lasting network with deep partnerships among diverse institutions committed to addressing global challenges collaboratively • To build a network that is global in demographic and geographic scope and extends to places where it is needed most • To integrate curricula and research across institutions in different countries and incorporate civic engagement into higher education

What the Network is Doing

• Cultivating a new generation of globally engaged citizens

• E xpanding creation of knowledge for open societies • Uniting researchers worldwide to address global challenges • Increasing opportunities for refugees and displaced persons to enter or resume university • Strengthening professional skills of educators to provide studentcentered learning • Creating new pathways for underserved communities into higher education

—Angela Owusu Ansah, Provost, Ashesi University, Ghana 5

The Open Society University is a global network that integrates teaching, research, and co-curricular activities; promotes civic engagement on behalf of open societies; and creates pathways for learners from underserved and marginalized communities to enter and succeed in higher education.

A NEW MODEL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Education

OSUN institutions engage students from across the globe, providing a rigorous and challenging liberal arts and sciences education grounded in critical thinking and open intellectual inquiry. Integrated curricula bind OSUN institutions together, facilitate mobility across the network, and immerse students in different perspectives throughout their learning experience.

Research

OSUN promotes the co-design of research projects that emphasize social engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration across partner institutions. OSUNsupported fellowships also foster cross-network collaborations, giving new generations of researchers the preparation they need to address fundamental global challenges.

ADVANCING DEMOCRACY THROUGH RESEARCH AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT The Democracy Institute (DI) explores democracy as a way of life practiced and perfected by citizens, activists, and politicians. The Hotspots of Democracy series amplifies the voices from the front lines of the struggle for democracy from Belarus to Burma; Borderless Knowledge events open science and innovation to public debate; and the Review of Democracy is an open global platform to develop and analyze solutions to the challenges to democracy. DI co-organized 25 public events that included 115 distinguished scholars and policymakers and produced 29 publications and 32 podcasts.

“ Working with my students allowed me to critically re-evaluate my own knowledge and assumptions about international relations as a research field and as a discipline to be taught.”

—CEU postdoctoral fellow, Margaryta Rymarenko, on her experience as a Global Teaching Fellow in Myanmar

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BUILDING SKILLS AND EXPANDING ACCESS The Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives in Eastern Africa held its first Oral History and Literature Research Seminar in fall 2020, where participants explored the oral traditions of marginalized communities throughout the region.

Students received research methodology training to expand their higher education opportunities and increase access to sustainable livelihoods.

Access

Through academic integration and connected learning, OSUN forges new pathways to higher education and professional development for underserved communities, reaching beyond the traditional classroom. Initiatives educate teachers to promote student-centered instructional practices and serve learners in countries and environments affected by crisis and displacement.

Civic Engagement

With an ardent commitment to the public purpose of higher education, OSUN promotes initiatives that link coursework with engagement activities, helping students, faculty, and institutions realize their full potential as community actors and educators.

ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITY 40+PARTNERS 50+PROGRAMS 5 CONTINENTS 157 OSUN COURSES 1650+ STUDENTS 13 CAMPUSES 800+ STUDENTS 10 CAMPUSES 9 NETWORK COURSES co-created and delivered by faculty teams

“ Seeing the change that this extraordinary group of young people is making in their communities is incredible. Coming from Afghanistan and getting to know these young leaders inspires me to work harder and makes me hopeful for a better future and a better world. This network of leaders is the change we need.”

—Zarlasht Sarmast, AUCA Class of 2020 and Global Engagement Fellow Coordinator

900+ FACULTY 21 INSTITUTIONS 55 WORKSHOPS

in best practices for online learning and student-centered pedagogy

76 MICRO-GRANTS 20 INSTITUTIONS

to further students’ civic engagement, humanities, and human rights projects

300 EVENTS, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS SPONSORED 144 STUDENTS 16 CAMPUSES

participated in the 2021 virtual Get Engaged: Student Action and Leadership Conference

20+ WORKING GROUPS across education, research, access, civic engagement, and administration

2 NEW JOINT MA PROGRAMS

launched in Human Rights & the Arts and in Transnational Politics

FLAGSHIP PROGRAM

Threatened Scholars Integration Initiative was launched to integrate scholars-at-risk across the OSUN network

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GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS CROSSING BOUNDARI AL-QUDS UNIVERSITY/AL-QUDS BARD COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES (Palestine) AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT (Lebanon) AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BULGARIA AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ASIA (Kyrgyzstan)

BARD COLLEGE BERLIN (Germany)

CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY (Austria)

BARD EARLY COLLEGES (United States)

CHATHAM HOUSE (United Kingdom)

BARD PRISON INITIATIVE (United States)

EUROPEAN HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY (Lithuania)

BIRKBECK, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (United Kingdom)

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY (United States)

BLACK MOUNTAINS COLLEGE (United Kingdom)

ASHESI UNIVERSITY (Ghana)

BOCCONI UNIVERSITY (Italy)

BARD COLLEGE (United States)

BRAC UNIVERSITY (Bangladesh)

BARD COLLEGE AT SIMON’S ROCK: THE EARLY COLLEGE (United States)

CARNEGIE COUNCIL FOR ETHICS IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (United States)

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE (Italy) GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES (Switzerland) HAITIAN EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (Haiti) HERTIE SCHOOL (Germany)

IES INSTITUTE FOR NEW ECONOMIC THINKING (United States and United Kingdom) INSTITUTE FOR PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL THEORY, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE (Serbia) INSTITUT FÜR DIE WISSENSCHAFTEN VOM MENSCHEN (Austria) LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS (United Kingdom) NATIONAL SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY (Taiwan) NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF POLITICAL STUDIES AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Romania)

PARAMI INSTITUTE (Myanmar) PICKER CENTER FOR EXECUTIVE EDUCATION, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (United States) PRINCETON GLOBAL HISTORY LAB (United States) RIFT VALLEY INSTITUTE (Kenya) SCIENCES PO IN PARIS (France) SOAS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (United Kingdom) THE TALLOIRES NETWORK OF ENGAGED UNIVERSITIES (United States) TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY (United States)

UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES (Colombia) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER (United States) UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTE (United States) UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND (South Africa)

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Democratic Practice

Democratic Practice programs explore the principles, progress, and setbacks of democracy at a time of authoritarian resurgence.

THE DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE

Housed at CEU, the institute plans collaborative teaching, research, and training activities with OSUN REDEFINING partners EDUCATION that are GLOBAL dedicated to enabling Network courses are the renewal and designed by faculty from strengthening of multiple OSUN partner democratic institutions andsocieties. offered Programs range from simultaneously on several scholar exchange to campuses.

Nine network courses explored various developing and teaching OSUN themes short facultythis courses year, students onexposing democracy and to diverse ideas and democratization. perspectives. Over 800 students from 10 partner campuses shared common readings and assignments and worked collaboratively to critically examine the conceptual and theoretical foundations of each topic.

Participating partner institutions: Al-Quds Bard College, American University of Central Asia, Bard College, Bard College Berlin, BRAC University, Central European University, European Humanities University, Princeton Global History Lab, Rift Valley Institute, and Sciences Po.

OSUN THEMES UNITING LOCAL AND GLOBAL PROGRAMS ADVANCING ACADEMIC FREEDOM The Threatened Scholars Integration Initiative (TSI) actively supports the academic careers of scholars who are forced to seek alternative teaching, research, or advanced study positions due to threats from authoritarian regimes, persecution for their views and identities, or other risks. TSI inaugural activities began in January 2021 with the placement of 15 fellows across nine OSUN partner institutions.

TSI is developing a range of responses to challenges such as political upheavals, escalating conflicts, and the deterioration of academic freedom around the world.

Democratic Practice

Democratic Practice programs explore the principles, progress, and setbacks of democracy at a time of authoritarian resurgence.

Human Rights

OSUN programs share a commitment to the interdisciplinary critical exploration of human rights discourse and practice, while actively supporting the development of skills needed to defend and advance human rights.

Global Justice

Global justice programs explore ways to organize within and across state borders to develop new mechanisms of global governance, advocate for social change, hold power accountable, and build more just and inclusive societies.

BUILDING CRITICAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS The ExEd Hub gives OSUN members access to world-class executive and professional education to advance their careers and leadership skills. The new Professional Development Program for University Administrators, tailored to the needs of OSUN partners, launched its first course on Strategic and Inclusive Management of Higher Education Institutions in May 2021 with 25 participants from 12 OSUN institutions.

“ The fact that we could be discussing Russian or Persian poetry with people for whom this was their native tongue and the breadth of different experiences and voices made this a phenomenal experience.”

—Anonymous student, on taking the OSUN course “Something Old, Something New.”

Inequalities

OSUN is committed to exploring and addressing the causes and consequences of inequalities within and between societies, including disparities in income and wealth related to social and political injustice, gender, race, ethnicity, or forced displacement.

Arts & Society

Arts and society programs promote cross-cultural study and presentation of works across the full range of artistic expression, connecting the arts to politics and society, with a focus on dissent and difference and the struggle against oppressive regimes.

Sustainability & Climate

Sustainability and climate science programs provide a distinctive combination of interdisciplinary study across environmental, social, economic, and governance dimensions.

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Liberal arts and sciences education fosters student-centered teaching, innovative, interdisciplinary curricula, and robust co-curricular life—all which help shape a future generation of engaged citizens.

Global Public Health

OSUN is developing a range of education, research, and advocacy initiatives that foster a rights-based approach to public health policy, emphasizing the interconnections among science, policy and practice, knowledge, access, and sound communications on global health.

OSUN WORKING GROUPS Faculty and staff across OSUN have created more than 20 working groups to bring together diverse voices and build new connections across themes and areas of common interest.

Academic Technology Advancement Artificial Intelligence Arts Awards Management Blended and Connected Learning Certificate in Civic Engagement Chief Academic Officers Civic Engagement Coordinators Community-Based Learning and Civic Engagement Decolonizing Knowledge Disability Justice Engaged Research Global Debate Network Human Rights & the Arts Library Directors Preparatory Programs Refugee Higher Education Access Curriculum Development Social Entrepreneurship Student Affairs Student Mobility Coordinators Sustainability Translation and Translatability Unemployment, Inequality, and Economic Policy Writing/Tutoring Centers

“WE ARE LOOKING FOR FARSIGHTED PARTNERS WHO FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CIVILIZATION, PEOPLE WHO ARE INSPIRED BY THE GOALS OF OSUN AND WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS DESIGN AND REALIZATION. I CONSIDER OSUN THE MOST IMPORTANT AND ENDURING PROJECT OF MY LIFE AND I SHOULD LIKE TO SEE IT IMPLEMENTED WHILE I AM STILL AROUND. I HOPE THAT THOSE WHO SHARE THIS VISION WILL JOIN US IN MAKING IT A REALITY.” –George Soros, on the announcement of OSUN at the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2020

info@opensocietyuniversitynetwork.org opensocietyuniversitynetwork.org

Photos: Cover, CEU/Daniiel Vegal; Page 3, John Ryle/Michael Oyoo; Page 4, José Manuel Infante; Page 6, Karl Rabe; Page 8, top, Junior Lukambo Luundo; bottom, Xenia Muth; Page 12, Matyas Szabo; Page 13, Tania El Khoury; Page 14, Pete Mauney