Below is a report of the symposium at UCEA Convention in Anaheim. It will appear in UCEA Review and Management in Education. We welcome your comments . . .

Recently, colleagues in the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and the British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) have been discussing how the two organisations might work together more closely.  Whilst many individual members of the two organisations have long and well-established links, in the recent past there has been little formal collaboration between BELMAS and UCEA.  One tangible manifestation of this new relationship has been the commitment to a Memorandum of Understanding between BELMAS and UCEA that identifies a number of ways in which co-operation can be developed, and in the coming years it is to be hoped that a number of exciting initiatives will emerge from this agreement.  One early indication of the potential is a small but significant project that seeks to promote international research links, and build capacity within each organisation to undertake international comparative projects.

Research undertaken within UCEA (previously reported in UCEA Review 50(1) indicated a strong desire amongst members to undertake international research projects; however, it was clear that networks do not always exist that can facilitate this international collaboration.  From this initial research, members in UCEA and BELMAS committed to developing a small project, from which it was hoped more significant and longer term initiatives would flow.

The project conceived by the two organisations was launched formally at a symposium at UCEA’s annual convention in Anaheim in November.  At this session a panel of five scholars with considerable experience in undertaking international collaborative research spoke briefly about their experiences conducting such work, with a particular focus on what had helped and hindered them in their research.  The panel comprised colleagues from UCEA (Margaret Grogan, Paula Cordeiro and Charlie Slater) and BELMAS (Philip Woods and Alison Taysum).  The panel’s contributions proved very thought provoking and were used to develop further discussion amongst the participating delegates who were asked to consider what steps UCEA and BELMAS might take to promote and develop international collaborative research.  The session benefitted greatly from having a variety of participants from many countries, and this diversity of perspective was also reflected in the quality of ideas and suggestions reported in the symposium’s plenary.

Specific ideas proposed by the discussion groups included:

• The need for UCEA and BELMAS to act as clearinghouses to promote international networking.  In particular it was considered important to establish a database of international projects, and those involved them – highlighting resources that support international collaborative work.  There was recognition that websites could be used more effectively to promote international issues, for example, publicising each other’s conferences and deadlines for submissions of proposals.
• Support for assistance with internationalising our curricula.  Some colleagues particularly wanted to enrich their curricula through a range of international inputs.  It was proposed that UCEA convene a workshop at its Convention for those interested in this work, where colleagues with success in this area would discuss their work and how they made progress in this area.
• Collaboration between UCEA Centres.  UCEA has a number of Centres focused on specific issues related to educational leadership. It was acknowledged that these Centres play a vital role in the life of UCEA, and that they might become more international in scope.  It was suggested that Centres might learn from each other about internationalising their work.  For instance, the Centre for the Study of Leadership and Ethics at Pennsylvania State University has created leadership development courses with assistance from colleagues from Sweden, Fiji, Australia, Denmark, and Hong Kong.  Their work might be particularly relevant to assisting other centres in beginning to internationalise their curricular and instructional materials.
• Promote international research projects. It was suggested that UCEA and BELMAS might identify issues of common interest, perhaps by analysing dominant themes of recent conferences, and promote collaborative research in these priority areas.  Project participants would then provide their research results at future conferences and in written documents and publications.

Throughout all these discussions, and in the planning prior to the session, there was recognition that this UCEA-BELMAS collaboration needs to be only the first step in a new phase of working together.  Colleagues were keen to extend the network beyond its current US-UK beginnings and embrace a much broader constituency, for example, working with the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM) to ensure that so-called developing nations are an integral part of the projects that develop.  Several colleagues highlighted the particular problems faced by our fellow researchers in other countries, ranging from a limited access to resources, through to the denial of visas permitting access to countries such as the USA.

The ideas that emerged from these discussions set out a substantial agenda for both UCEA and BELMAS to develop our joint efforts by working within and beyond our two own organisations.  Each organisation is committed to moving this project forward.  However, the symposium in Anaheim was always conceived as the start, not the end, of a dynamic, member-driven conversation about further internationalising our work.  To this end the conversation will continue with a second symposium, which will be hosted at the BELMAS Conference in Reading, England 9^th-11^th July 2010.  At this event we hope that our original panel will re-visit the issues raised in Anaheim, and we can discuss progress on moving our ideas forward.  In the meantime, and crucial to the project’s commitment to dialogue and member engagement, a blog has been established to continue the conversations from Anaheim to Reading, and beyond.  The blog is available at https://uceabelmasjointproject.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/. Here you will find details of the project, the people involved in it, and podcasts of the presentations made in Anaheim.  We very much hope the blog will provide a space in which anyone interested in the issues raised by this project can see what has been done to date, and can contribute to shaping how the project develops in the future.

The project organisers have always said that we do not have preconceived ideas about where this project will lead.  It was established in response to a need identified by UCEA’s initial research, and has very broad objectives: (1) to develop networks of researchers across national boundaries and (2) to create the conditions in which international collaborative research projects may flourish.  How the project develops, and what practical outcomes it generates are very much in the hands of members who seek to become involved.  The symposium in Anaheim was a promising beginning in this process.  We now hope that members within and beyond both organisations will take it forward in new and exciting ways.

For more information about this project, please contact:

Howard Stevenson, University of Lincoln (hstevenson@lincoln.ac.uk)

Bruce Barnett, University of Texas at San Antonio (bruce.barnett@utsa.edu)