The Hanseatic League of Universities -- a group of 10 universities in the US, Asia, Europe, and Africa -- held a joint conference Thursday to discuss educational reform measures and university evaluation systems.

The conference, hosted by Incheon National University, was attended by some 200 personnel from 70 universities from the regions and their ambassadors to Korea.

Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations who chairs the national committee on climatic environment, said in his keynote speech that “universities must pursue change and reform in order to achieve sustainable development in a rapidly changing international environment.”

Ben Nelson, the founder and CEO of Minerva Schools, said the traditional way of university education cannot meet the needs of students today and argued that universities must go beyond simply transferring knowledge and teach practical skills.

The university presidents discussed ways to innovate university evaluation systems through collaborative efforts among universities, corporations and local communities.

Incheon National University President Cho Dong-sung said, “The existing university evaluation agency by the Times Higher Education magazine is more favorable towards research-oriented universities, failing to reflect more innovative education institutes.”

The Hanseatic League of Universities is a university alliance formed by Hanze University in the Netherlands last year.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)