Dear Colleagues,
It is my distinct honor and highest privilege to usher the global platform for tertiary education providers into its 30th Anniversary – a major milestone in INQAAHE’s history. What started as a modest project by visionary scholars back in 1991 has today become a global enhancement platform for all QA providers in tertiary education, one that embodies the community spirit and ownership in its purest form. INQAAHE’s history is a cerebral asset we all cherish and a building block upon which the next 30 years and beyond of quality assurance will be built.
Launched with eight members, today INQAAHE has over 350 members globally and we are proud to have formed and serve such a bright community of professionals united by a common cause – quality and quality assurance of tertiary education provisions. As per the vision of the founders, INQAAHE has always been working with and for its members and the tertiary education community at large in pursuance of a better and enhanced education for all. As the QA culture matured and was shaped by local custom and cultures, INQAAHE’s unique DNA evolved as it served its members by guiding and bridging this diversity of QA systems worldwide.
Throughout its 30 years of existence, and right up to the present, INQAAHE has made significant contributions to the promotion of international dialogue and cooperation in the QA of higher education by facilitating wider learning from a variety of cultures with diverse approaches to QA. In an increasingly globalized world, this has served to build on and enhance the quality cultures within higher education.
Today, we have come together to celebrate this major achievement in higher education by looking at the last 30 years and looking forward to the next 30 years of success! And I am extremely happy to see all the familiar and new faces who, after the major spike of the pandemic, have travelled from all over the globe to celebrate these precious moments with us. Thank you!
- Some of the key achievements throughout the last 30 years have been:
- Expanding beyond information exchange to also contributing to the body of knowledge through researching internal and external quality assurance provisions;
- Setting quality hallmarks leading to international standards for quality assurance providers, thus contributing to trust and credibility;
- Strengthening the regional component through establishing/a proactive support in establishing regional QA networks. At some point, with the emergence of regional networks some discussions unfolded questioning the relevance of INQAAHE. I am proud to say now, that the INQAAHE’s role is undeniable, especially given the criticality of the era we are in – experiencing a major learning paradigm shift, disruptions, globalization, internationalization, massification and diversification trends - calling for more coordination between the regions.
- Capacity building of member organizations;
- Bridging diversity of cultures to share QA practices thus contributing to learning and enhancement.
- What to expect in the next 30 years is:
- Proactive contribution to setting structures and mechanisms that support and promote sustainable education driven by sustainable quality assurance;
- Contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals implementation;
- Periodic research of internal and external quality assurance through our global studies;
- Setting directions for promoting relevance of higher learning and, thus recognition of qualifications, thus contributing to the UNESCO Global Higher Education Qualifications Recognition Convention implementation;
- Implementing and constantly enhancing International Standards and Guidelines of Quality Assurance in Higher Education to promote trust and credibility in higher education provisions, thus, contributing to enhanced trust and mutual recognition;
- Embracing diversity to ensure no one is left behind.
We have a major and most important agenda ahead and it is only through the joint efforts with our members and stakeholders globally that these Great Expectations can be met. INQAAHE is definitely always ready to lead, support and promote.
With this I would like to cordially acknowledge all those outstanding professionals who have invested into this exceptional organization throughout the last 30 years and wish the leaders for the next 30 years lots of stamina, passion and dedication to the cause we all believe in.
I want to acknowledge each and every Board member, Secretariat and Secretaries under the lead of the INQAAHE Presidents – Jacques L’Écuyer, David Woodhouse, Richard Lewis, María José Lemaitre, Carol Bobby, Jagannath Patil and the Boards and Secretariats under my lead– who made this extraordinary organization and its invaluable contribution possible.
I extend my personal sincere gratitude to all that contributed to this initiative in honor of the 30th anniversary of the INQAAHE – a truly global, independent and inclusive enhancement platform for quality assurance in higher education.
Last, but not least, I would like to humbly extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every person for any minute of their precious time invested in shaping INQAAHE into its current form and infusing the values it brings to the community.
Here are the links to INQAAHE's 30-year history book and the key milestones for the past 30 years.
Congrats, INQAAHE, for the 30 years of remarkable achievements and off for success for the next 30 years!
Yours sincerely,
Susanna Karakhanyan
INQAAHE 7th President