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  • Education sub-menuEducation

    With a strong emphasis on student-centered learning, critical literacy, and liberal arts and sciences education, OSUN creates diverse global classrooms of students who learn from each other and collectively develop a culture of dialogue and debate.

    • Teaching
      • Birkbeck Summer School
      • Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences Pedagogy (CLASP)
      • Developing Teaching Professionals
      • Global History Lab
      • Global Teaching Fellowship Program
      • GLOBALED
      • Hannah Arendt Humanities Network
      • Network Collaborative Courses
      • OSUN Courses
    • Threatened Scholars
      Initiative

    • Mobility

    • Certificate Programs
    • Curricula
      • CORUSUS
      • Economic Democracy Initiative
      • Economic Policy Addressing Inequality and Poverty
      • Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network
      • Human Rights Program
      • Liberal Arts and Sciences Collaborative
      • Policy Labs
      • Professional Development Program for University Administrators
      • Public Health and Human Rights
      • Strengthening the Core
      • Transnational Politics
      • Transnational Feminism, Solidarity, and Social Justice
  • Research sub-menuResearch

    OSUN promotes collaboration across its partner institutions, including the codesign of research projects, to explore issues of global and local relevance through socially engaged research, interdisciplinary collaboration, or comparative research.

    • Research Projects
      • The Democracy Institute
      • Economic Democracy Initiative
      • Engaged Scholarship
      • GEOHUB
      • Global Institute of Advanced Study
      • Global Observatory on Academic Freedom
      • Interruptrr
      • Open Society Research Platform
      • Research Creation Initiative
      • Senior Projects
    • Fellowships
      • Chatham House Academy Fellowships
      • Global Scholars Academy
      • Modular Doctoral Program
  • Access sub-menuAccess

    OSUN expands access to higher education by creating new pathways for underserved communities. Academic integration and connected learning bring educational opportunities to students beyond OSUN’s brick-and-mortar campuses.

    • Teacher Education
      • Enhanced Network Teacher Education Capacity
      • Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives
    • Education Pathways
      • Collaborative for Liberal Education for Adolescents
      • Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison
      • English Learner Success in Content Classrooms
      • Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives
      • Microcollege for Just Community Leadership
      • OLIve
      • Roma Equity in Higher Education
      • The Socrates Project
  • Civic sub-menuCivic Engagement

    With a belief in the public purpose of higher education, civic engagement across OSUN promotes best practices and bold new initiatives to help students, faculty, and institutions realize their full potential as community actors and educators.

    • Student Engagement
      • Global Commons
      • Global Debate Network
      • Global Engagement Fellows
      • Get Engaged Conference
      • Online Arts Workshop
      • Student-Led Initiatives
      • Student Life Initiatives Project (SLIP)
    • Engaged Learning
      • Certificate in Civic Engagement
      • Community Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences
      • Engaged Scholarship
      • Engaged Senior Projects
      • OSUN Science Shop
      • Solve Climate by 2030
  • News sub-menuNews + Opportunities

    OSUN offers myriad opportunities and events to undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and scholars, and faculty. News and features provide updates on project impacts and the people involved.

    • Newsroom
      • Current News         
      • News Archive
    • Events
      • Current Events
      • Events Archive
    • Opportunities
      • Current Opportunities
      • Student Opportunities
      • Faculty Opportunities
      • Opportunities Archive
  • Resources sub-menuResources

    OSUN faculty and institutions have worked collectively to assemble this dynamic collection of student-centered teaching methodologies and instructional strategies. Whether working online, in person, or in a blended context, establishing a clear and consistent communication plan with students is central to all of these practices.

    • OSUN Resources
      • Academic Technology Guides
      • Blended Learning Toolkit
  • About sub-menuAbout

    OSUN aims to educate students for tomorrow’s global challenges, fostering critical thinking and open intellectual inquiry to strengthen the foundations of open society amid the current authoritarian resurgence.

    • About OSUN
      • Our Vision
      • Who We Are
      • What We Do
      • Member Institutions
      • Themes
      • Annual Report
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About OSUN

About OSUN Menu
  • Our Vision
  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Member Institutions
  • Themes
  • Annual Report
  • About Home
The Open Society University Network (OSUN) is a global network of educational institutions that integrates learning and the advancement of knowledge—in the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences and the arts, on undergraduate and graduate levels—across geographic and demographic boundaries, promotes civic engagement on behalf of open societies, and expands access to higher education for underserved communities.

The Network

Member Institutions
  • University of California, Berkeley Human Rights Center (United States)
  • Arizona State University (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: New Orleans (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Cleveland (United States)
  • Tuskegee University (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Hudson Valley (United States)
  • Bard Prison Initiative (United States)
  • Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (United States)
  • Picker Center for Executive Education, Columbia University (United States)
  • Institute for New Economic Thinking (United States and United Kingdom)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Manhattan (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Queens (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Newark (United States)
  • University of Connecticut Human Rights Institute (United States)
  • Bard College at Simon’s Rock: The Early College (United States)
  • Princeton Global History Lab (United States)
  • The Talloires Network of Engaged Universities (United States)
  • The Afghanistan Project at the Center for Governance and Markets, University of Pittsburgh (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Baltimore (United States)
  • Bard Early Colleges: Washington D.C. (United States)
  • Haitian Education and Leadership Program (Haiti)
  • University of the West Indies (Kingston, Jamaica)
  • Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)
  • Birkbeck, University of London (United Kingdom)
  • London School of Economics (United Kingdom)
  • SOAS University of London (United Kingdom)
  • Black Mountains College (United Kingdom)
  • Chatham House (United Kingdom)
  • Institute for New Economic Thinking (United States and United Kingdom)
  • Sciences Po in Paris (France)
  • European University Institute (Florence)
  • Bocconi University (Italy)
  • Bard College Berlin (Germany)
  • Hertie School (Berlin)
  • Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva)
  • Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (Austria)
  • European Humanities University (Lithuania)
  • Kyiv School of Economics (Ukraine)
  • Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade (Serbia)
  • American University in Bulgaria
  • National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Romania)
  • Ashesi University (Ghana)
  • University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
  • Rift Valley Institute (Kenya)
  • Al-Quds University / Al-Quds Bard College of Arts and Sciences (Palestine)
  • American University of Beirut (Lebanon)
  • American University of Afghanistan (Afghanistan)
  • American University of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan)
  • BRAC University (Bangladesh)
  • Parami University (Myanmar)
  • National Sun Yat-sen University (Taiwan)

A New Model

  • Our Vision
  • What We Do
  • Members
  • Themes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OSUN?

The Open Society University Network (OSUN) is a new model of global higher education. It integrates learning and knowledge creation–in the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences and the arts, on undergraduate and graduate levels–across geographic and demographic boundaries; promotes civic engagement to advance open societies; and expands access of underserved communities to higher education.

Why was OSUN created?

OSUN aims to educate students to address tomorrow’s global challenges, fostering critical thinking and open intellectual inquiry to strengthen the foundations of open society amid the current authoritarian resurgence. OSUN counteracts intellectual monocultures and polarization by uniting institutions around the world in collaborative research projects and by encouraging students to examine issues from different perspectives and through reasoned arguments. In addition, OSUN addresses inequality by expanding educational access to neglected and minority populations, such as incarcerated persons, the Roma, and refugees.

OSUN is designed to:

  • Expand access to higher education at a time of growing inequities
  • Educate students to address tomorrow’s global challenges by getting to know other societies from the inside
  • Foster critical thinking, open intellectual inquiry, and fact-based research to strengthen the foundations of open society amid authoritarian resurgence
  • 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 through global partnerships to make greater contributions to their societies

Who leads OSUN? And who else is part of the network?

The Central European University and Bard College cofounded OSUN, with the support of the Open Society Foundations, and run the network. They collaborate closely with a wide range of institutions, including universities, such as Arizona State University, American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, Ashesi University in Ghana, BRAC University in Bangladesh, Sciences Po in Paris, and SOAS and Birkbeck, University of London; and think tanks and research institutions, such as the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, Chatham House, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, and Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen. OSUN is actively seeking the participation of additional partners that share its values and principles.

What does OSUN do?

OSUN integrates curricula, teaching, and research across partner institutions; embeds civic engagement into the learning environment and the creation of knowledge to prepare students to become engaged citizens; creates new pathways for underserved communities into higher education; and creates a dynamic ecosystem of long-term partnerships that will generate innovation and amplify the impact of individual institutions.

Where does OSUN operate?

With a geographically and demographically global network, OSUN stretches from Bangladesh and Central Asia to Palestine, from South Africa to Colombia, and from leading universities and research institutes in Europe and the United States to New York State prisons, inner-city high schools in Baltimore and Newark, and Syrian and Somali refugee camps.

When did OSUN start up?

The launch of OSUN was announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2020 and programs began later that year.

What makes OSUN distinct?

OSUN consists of deep, long-term partnerships based on reciprocity, not vertical integration. Partner institutions come together in their shared commitment to advance open society and address fundamental global challenges, such as inequality and climate change. They integrate curricula, courses, and research initiatives across different countries and incorporate civic engagement into higher education. OSUN builts a vibrant network of diverse institutions, including think tanks, museums, and artistic and cultural centers.

What is OSUN’s added value?

The Central European University and Bard College have established a long-standing partnership approved and registered by the Regents of the State of New York. They have integrated courses and curricula across academic institutions, promoted civic engagement, and created pathways into higher education for underserved communities. OSUN builds on these successes by combining their elements in a single network, strengthening academic integration across partner institutions and achieving a truly global reach.

What impact is OSUN expected to make?

OSUN endeavors to transform global higher education and make significant impact in communities around the world, including to:

  • Build a new model of global higher education
  • Cultivate a new generation of globally engaged citizens
  • Unite researchers worldwide to address global challenges
  • Expand the creation of knowledge for open societies
  • Create new pathways for underserved communities into higher education
  • Scale up opportunities for refugees to enter or resume university
  • Enhance the professional skills of K–12 teachers and university faculty to design and implement student-centered learning

How can philanthropic partners contribute?

Philanthropic partners may support particular programs, enhance OSUN’s reach and impact in specific countries or regions, or collaborate with OSUN in building new programs via its unique platform of global higher education. OSUN coinvestments can reinforce the commitments philanthropic partners have made elsewhere to advance their aligned missions.

Contact Us

[email protected]
Open Society University Network
For more information contact: 
[email protected]