The ACU Conference of University Leaders is taking place this month. More than 200 university leaders from over 30 countries across the Commonwealth and beyond will attend the event in Accra, Ghana, from 27-29 July 2016.

Under the theme of 'Defining the responsible university: society, impact and growth', we have assembled an outstanding range of international speakers and expertise. Below are some highlights of the programme:

• Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the newly-appointed Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland QC, will provide the political context to the debate over what makes a responsible university, along with ministers from three African countries.
• International funders from Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States will talk about their funding priorities.
• Leading figures from the Universities of Cambridge (UK), Hong Kong, and Otago (New Zealand) will discuss strategies for the responsible use of scholarships.
• University heads from China, India, Nigeria, South Africa, and the UK will debate what constitutes a ‘responsible university’, and how to embed social responsibility.
• Vice-chancellors from Pakistan, Australia, and Canada will discuss the factors behind good international partnerships.
• Strategies for maximising research uptake will be shared by vice-chancellors from across Africa, as well as from Canada and the UK.
• New initiatives to improve graduate employability will be presented by vice-chancellors from the UK, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, and India, as well as representatives from the private sector and the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education.
• The Secretary-General of the University Grants Commission in Sri Lanka and an Australian vice-chancellor will discuss initiatives to protect students on university campuses.
• Vice-chancellors from the Universities of the West Indies and the Witwatersrand (South Africa) will consider how universities respond to historic injustice.

There will be huge potential for participation, not least through the conference debate, which will be the finale of the conference on Friday 29 July. The motion will be ‘This house believes that society expects too much from higher education’.

Senior colleagues responsible for the leadership and management of higher education institutions are invited to register as soon as possible.

Find out more about the conference here.