Finnish Delegation Visits North Carolina

A delegation of fourteen Finnish University Presidents was in North Carolina from March 28-April 1 as part of a study tour to look for best practices in governance and funding of U.S. higher education. The tour was supported by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the Fulbright Center, and Universities Finland, or Unifi, formerly the Finnish Council of University Rectors.

The participants visited several institutions across the state to discuss financial and leadership structures, strategic planning and decision-making processes, and the management of the universities. One of their goals is to identify ways to apply American practices to the Finnish system of higher education.

Chancellor Brady with Finnish representative

The group started at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for introductions and a seminar to discuss a variety of topics, such as trends and challenges, strategic planning, and fiscal management of U.S. higher education. On the second day, they conducted site visits to Wake Forest University and the North Carolina School of the Arts. Day three included a site visit to NC State University followed by a seminar and debriefing.

On March 31, the delegation visited UNCG to meet with Chancellor Linda Brady, Provost David Perrin, Vice Provost Alan Boyette, and Dr. Rebecca Adams, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment. Both Drs. Penelope Pynes and C.K. Kwai were present to answer questions. Together they had a roundtable discussion in order to take a close look at governance and funding at UNCG. The group ended their seminar with a similar roundtable discussion and site visit to UNC Chapel Hill.