2021 Global Conference
December 10-12, 2021
Virtual Conference
Hosted by O.P. Jindal Global University in collaboration with the Indian Association of Universities.
Higher Education for the Greater Good
Leadership and Institutional Resilience
नेतृत्व और लचीलापन Liderazgo y Resiliencia القيادة والمرونة Kepimpinan dan Ketahanan Лидерство и устойчивость
O.P. Jindal Global University will be hosting the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR) 2021 Global Conference virtually from India focused on the theme Higher Education for the Greater Good: Leadership and Institutional Resilience.
The Global Conference is a refereed academic conference and the premiere annual event of our society. Many academic conferences help you build connections with people in your own network, but the Global Conference of the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR) will expand your network by building human-to-human relationships with scholars across the world.
Join us in reimagining the possibilities for an academic conference that spans borders, celebrates cultures, facilitates critical conversations, builds global connections, forms lifelong relationships, and welcomes everyone. Conference registration is now open thru 15 November 2021.
Join us in reimagining the possibilities for an academic conference that
spans borders celebrates cultures facilitates critical conversations builds global connections forms lifelong relationships welcomes everyone
Over 500 members from universities, NGOs, think tanks, and government sectors have registered for the conference so far. Presentations and conference participants include scholars and leaders from over 37 countries, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam.
Keynote Speakers
Prof. K K Aggarwal, Chairman National Board of Accreditation, India
Dr. Philip Altbach, Research Professor and Founding Director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College
Dr. Rajika Bhandari, Author, America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility
Joseph G. Burke, Senior Fellow, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)
Prof. A. Noam Chomsky, Department of Linguistics, University of Arizona
Kurt Larsen, Senior Education Specialist, The World Bank
Aditya Malkani, South & East Asia Representative, The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
Dr. Rajani Naidoo, Professor and Director of the International Centre for Higher Education Management at the University of Bath in the UK, UNESCO Chair of Higher Education Management and Visiting Professor at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa
Dr. Joanna Newman, Secretary General, The Association of Commonwealth Universities
Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, President, Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Dr. Glenda Prime, Dean for the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University
Dr. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Founder-President of PRIA and UNESCO Co-Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education
Dr. Dawn Michele Whitehead, Vice President, Office of Global Citizenship for Campus, Community and Careers, Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Highlighted Sessions
The conference will also feature daily cultural events, a Virtual Arts Exhibition focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards presentation, roundtables with the 2021 Millennium Scholars, opportunities to meet with Country Directors, and networking opportunities to build human-to-human relationships across borders.
Registration Fee
Registration is free for all members of the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR) as one of the many benefits of membership. If you need to register as a member of the STAR Scholars Network, please visit Become a Member and register before completing the conference registration form.
Registration is free for all members of O.P. Jindal Global University (host institution) and all faculty, staff, and students at colleges and universities in India (host country). Membership in the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR) is encouraged but not required for these participants.
Conference Theme
This year’s conference theme, Higher Education for the Greater Good: Leadership and Institutional Resilience, will focus on leadership, resilience and equity in a post-pandemic world. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have their particular system of governance even though they need to follow certain government regulations. It is the responsibility of HEIs to bridge the gap between their strategies of governance and government regulations to ensure academic freedom, quality education, support for research, diversity, and inclusion, contribution to the local community to prove themselves as resilient institutions.
Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced HEIs to transition to online modes of instruction, drastically transforming the teaching and learning experience. In addition, institutions have needed to reimagine their grading and assessment methods. HEIs, students, and faculty with strong financial resources have managed this situation but it is not the same for most HEIs located in developing and under-developed countries.
This scenario has raised the following questions.
- How has the crisis illuminated the significance of innovative and resilient institutions, that also prepare students and faculty to be innovative and resilient themselves?
- How challenging is it for higher education leaders to introduce something new into the culture and operations of the higher education system?
- How has the pandemic exposed fundamental disparities between privileged and non-privileged HEIs, and how can governments and HEIs address this issue?
- How can HEIs contribute to their local communities and tackle their financial challenges during such a crisis?
Conference Subthemes
We invite submissions that address any of the following subthemes including intersections between these issue reshaping global higher education.
Session Formats
Based on the above themes and topics, we invite researchers, educators, and leaders from universities, associations, NGOs, and global organizations to submit proposals (750-1,000 words) in one of three formats: roundtable discussion, research presentation, or thematic forum.
Roundtable Discussion
Roundtable discussions are organized where 4 to 6 presenters share for 10-minutes each followed by a 30-minute facilitated conversation among presenters and session attendees. The purpose of a roundtable is to build human-to-human connections, discuss critical issues in context, and encourage attendees to share their own experiences, challenges, and successes with active facilitation to stimulate discussion. The emphasis is on getting participants engaged in a robust conversation and knowledge exchange. Roundtable proposals should describe what the presenter would like to share and discuss with others at the conference, including the perspectives they will bring to the conversation.
Research Presentation
Research presentations pose and grapple with critical questions, share empirical quantitative and qualitative research, synthesize divergent bodies of literature, and/or elaborate new theoretical or conceptual frameworks. Presentations will be grouped by topic with other research papers and assigned a discussant who will comment on the papers in the session. The purpose of a research presentation is discuss the latest research in the field as well as explore critical questions related to global higher education. Research presentation proposals should include five elements: objectives or purposes of the paper; theoretical/conceptual framework utilized; research design and data sources; results and/or conclusions; and significance of the study.
Thematic Forums
Thematic forums are interactive sessions that feature discussion between and among expert presenters and the audience to advance knowledge of a particular research problem, theory, or higher education issue. Rather than present the results of discrete research studies as in a paper session, participants in a Thematic Forum draw from research and/or experience to foster dialogue and interactions. A typical session might begin with brief presentations from the panelists (or interactive Q&A between the moderator and panelists) about the session’s topic, followed by ample time for discussion and activities among the panelists and between the panelists and attendees. Thematic forum proposals should describe a clear focus for the session and a detailed plan for interaction among expert panelists and participants.
Submit Proposal
The proposal deadline (31 July 2021) has passed and the submission portal is now closed.
Call for Volunteers
We believe in the potential of everyone to contribute. Volunteering is a great way to build new relationships and make global connections. Let us know how you would like to contribute to this year’s conference. We welcome graduate students and colleagues to assist with welcome and registration, as well as multimedia and communications. We invite volunteers to serve as Session Chairs and Discussants. Session Chairs facilitate the session by introducing speakers, keeping time, and moderating post-presentation discussion. Chairs do not need to be a doctoral degree holder; this is especially a great volunteer opportunity for graduate students. Discussants play an integral role in the quality of the annual conference. They provide feedback to authors at the session, and offer comments that inform and integrate the papers in the larger session.
The volunteer deadline (31 July 2021) has passed and the volunteer system is now closed.
A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards Nominations
Key Conference Dates
- 1 June 2021: Proposal submission and volunteer system opens
- 31 July 2021: Proposal submission deadline
- 1 August 2021: Registration opens
- 1 August 2021: A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards nominations open
- Early September 2021: Proposal notifications
- 30 September 2021: A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards nomination deadline
- 1 November 2021: Full paper submission (optional) — see ‘Publication Opportunities’ section for details
- 15 November 2021: Registration closes
- 10-12 December 2021: Global Conference and A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards
Publication Opportunities
The 2021 STAR Global Conference is a refereed academic conference hosted by the the Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR).
Conference proceedings with abstracts of all presentations will be published. Suggested citation for conference presentations:
Given Name X. Last Name (2021, December). Title of your presentation. Society of Transnational Academic Researchers Global Conference (Sonipat, Haryana, India). December 10-12, 2021.
Participants with accepted proposals have the option to submit a full paper by 1 November 2021 to be considered for publication; there also will be an opportunity to submit a full paper after the conference by 1 February 2022. The paper must be an original work that has not been published or submitted elsewhere. It must be 4,500-5,000 words all-inclusive of article text, references, tables, and figures; and it must adhere to APA 7 stylistic and bibliographic requirements. Any paper that does not meet these requirements will not be considered. Papers will undergo initial review in accordance with the review guidelines of respective publications. Authors of select papers may be invited to publish their paper in special issues of the journals or books published by the STAR Scholars Network. Authors may accept or decline the publication opportunity specified in the invitation. Revisions may be required prior to publication, and some papers may undergo further peer review in accordance with the policies of the publication.
Conference Host
The 2021 Global Conference is hosted by O.P. Jindal Global University in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
Conference Committee
The 2021 Program Committee is responsible for soliciting, reviewing, and selecting proposals and volunteers for the Global Conference. The Organizing Committee provides logistical, technical, communication, and member support.
Programme Committee
Dr. C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice-Chancellor,
O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU)
Dr. Mousumi Mukherjee, Fellow & Country Director (India)
& Conference Host (JGU)
Dr Tatiana Belousova, Conference Host (JGU)
Dr. Nisha Nair, Conference Host (JGU)
Dr Deepak Maun, Conference Host (JGU)
Dr. Uttam Gaulee, President
Dr. Chris R. Glass, VP Research and Policy
Dr. Krishna Bista, VP Education Services
Dr. Anthony C. Ogden, A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards Chair
Dr. Edward Valeau, Conference Chair Emeritus
Dr. Keith Wright, Director of Cultural Affairs
Ishita Jain, Virtual Exhibition Coordinator
Organizing Committee
Raju Karjigi, Chair
Prerna Sharma
Sandal Agarwal
Tenzin Dolma
Tenzin Nawang
Amar Mali
Bhuvaneswari M
Gauri Khanna
Sayani Chatterjee
Urvashi Shahi
Vaishali Sharma
Solicitation inquiries and conference logistical questions should be directed to starscholar.network@gmail.com.
Conference Sponsors
We count on our sponsors to make the Global Conference energizing and open to everyone. If you would like to sponsor the conference, share your ideas or to set up a Zoom meeting with Dr. Uttam Gaulee at uttam.gaulee@morgan.edu. We’re eager to learn how we can work with you to leverage the power of transnational connections to support the advancement of new generations of scholars working across borders.
Press Coverage
Media inquiries should be directed to starscholar.network@gmail.com.