20th International Deans’ Course: Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences welcomes higher education leaders from Southeast Asia Donnerstag, 18. Juni 2026
Thirty university deans from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam meet in Osnabrück and Berlin for the 20th DIES International Deans’ Course focused on strategy, quality, finance and leadership.
Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences welcomes 30 deans from Southeast Asia to the 20th DIES International Deans’ Course (IDC). The IDC is a joint initiative by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), the Centre for Higher Education (CHE), Freie Universität Berlin, and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.
The IDC program includes modules on higher education systems in Germany and Asia, strategic faculty management, and quality and financial management. Workshops also strengthen leadership and soft skills. This year’s participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam are attending the first part of the training in Osnabrück and Berlin.
“In light of global challenges, sustaining our joint international activities is more important than ever,” says Yvonne Visarius, Representative of the German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD. “The IDC builds leadership capacity and long-term partnerships.” Also Dr. Kai Handel, IDC Project Director and member of the Competence Center Higher Education and Research Management, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences says: “While contexts differ, many challenges in university management are similar worldwide. Learning from one another is what makes the IDC so valuable – for our German hosts and the international participants.”
The International Deans’ Course is based on the MBA program “Higher Education and Research Management” at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. Held annually since 2007, it has become a well-established forum for networking and capacity building among deans from Asia and Africa. By combining comparative insights on higher education systems with practical tools for strategic, quality and financial management, the IDC equips participants to lead change in their faculties and fosters long-term international cooperation.
Learn more: www.international-deans-course.org
More information:
Dr. Kai Handel
Higher Education and Research Management (MBA)
Hochschule Osnabrück
Phone: +49(0)173 9619398
E-Mail: k.handel@hs-osnabrueck.de
Von: Josefine Freese