Post Delivers Two Keynote Addresses at Conference in Ecuador
by Joe Savrock (March 2012)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – David Post, professor of comparative and international education at Penn State and senior scientist in the Center for the Study of Higher Education, gave two keynote addresses recently in Cuenca, Ecuador, at a national conference on higher education reform.
The conference, titled New Trends of Higher Education in Ecuador, was held March 7 and 8 at the University of Cuenca. The dean of the university’s Hospitality School, Mateo Estrella Durán, is a former Fellow of the Hubert H. Humphrey program at Penn State.
Post’s two talks, delivered in Spanish, were titled “¿Cuál es el Rol del Gobierno en la Educación Superior? Una agenda para la investigación de la educación superior en Ecuador y el mundo” (meaning, "What is the Role of the Government in Higher Education? An Agenda for research on Higher Education in Ecuador and the World") and “Las Reformas Constitucionales en el Ecuador y las Oportunidades para el Acceso a la Educación Superior desde 1950" (meaning, "Constitutional reforms in Ecuador and opportunities for access to higher education after 1950").
The conference drew some 130 attendees, including the rectors of 20 Ecuadorian universities. The event addressed quality management, access, challenges, and opportunities of university administration regarding research, postgraduate programs, and instruction, as well as the role of government.
Post has done extensive research on Latin American education. He has evaluated higher education access by students across various national policy contexts and cultures. His research on poverty and social status in Mexico, Peru, and Chile has prompted a reassessment of government finance and lending programs, and has illuminated student political movements.
