Catalogue

Overview

opensocietyuniversitynetwork.org

The Open Society University Network (OSUN) is a global partnership of educational institutions that integrates learning and the advancement of knowledge across geographic and demographic boundaries, promotes civic engagement on behalf of open societies, and expands access to higher education for underserved communities.

Cofounded by Bard College and Central European University, OSUN develops its programs jointly with partner institutions and the Open Society Foundations, its main philanthropic partner.

OSUN is creating an integrated network that supports partners as they form collaborations to:
• Foster critical thinking, open intellectual inquiry, and fact-based research to strengthen foundations of open society amid authoritarian resurgence
• Expand access to higher education at a time of growing inequities, with specific focus on systematically disadvantaged and minority populations
• Educate students to address tomorrow’s global challenges by getting to know other societies from the inside
• Counteract polarization by promoting global research collaboration and educating students to examine issues from different perspectives and advance reasoned arguments
• Bolster efforts by universities in challenging environments to build their own capacity to make greater contributions to their societies

The OSUN model of global higher education features 1) integrated curricula with virtual and in-person courses that enable students to learn together regardless of distance; 2) blended learning that provides educational access to underserved and remote communities; 3) student and faculty mobility across the network; 4) collaborative exploration of global issues such as inequality and climate change; 5) civic engagement in teaching, research, and cocurricular activities; and 6) student-centered teaching methods that focus on active learning and critical thinking.