Task Forces

Task Forces play an important part in the furthering of the goals of the Groningen Declaration Network. Task Forces are set up by the Board of Directors and are headed by a Groningen Declaration Signatory, who may recruit Task Force members from among the invited Participants to the Annual Meetings.

Currently, the following Task Forces are active:

Coordinated by Jelger de Boer, Consultant on Business Management and on Quality Assurance, DUO (Netherlands) 

and with members 

  • Tessa Mouha, AHOVOKS, Department of Education and Training, Flanders (Belgium);
  • Per Zettervall, Director of the System Management and Operations Department at the Swedish Council for Higher Education UHR (Sweden) 
  • and Cheryl Darrup-Boychuck, INTCAS USA.

Co-chairs: Margaret Wenger, Director of Evaluation Methodology, ECE Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (USA) and representing TAICEP (The Association for INternational Credential Evaluation Professionals); and Navin Vasudev, Deputy Director Foreign Qualifications Evaluation & Advisory Services, SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority); 

and with members

  • Ms Baiba Ramina, Chair of the Board, AIC Academic Information Center (Latvia); 
  • Neil Robinson, Executive Director, Academic Services and Registrarm University of Melbourne (Australia); 
  • Ms Amee Shroff, Head, International Relations & New Projects, CDSL/NAD National Academic Database (India); 
  • Rick Torres, CEO & President, National Student Clearinghouse (USA); 
  • Ms Li Xiaoshu (Susan), Project Supervisor in the CHSI International Promotion Department, CHESICC China Higher Education Student INformation and Career Center (China); 

and with as observers 

  • Andy Dowling, CEO, Digitary (Ireland); 
  • Patrick Corcoran, Senior Specialist, Department of Migration Management, IOM International Organization for Migration (Switzerland); 
  • and Mr Kwame Dattey, Executive Secretary, National Accreditation Board (Ghana).

For more details, read this article that appeared in the January 2016 TAICEP Newsletter, page 15-18

Acknowledging previous Task Forces

The GDN Board of Directors would like to graciously acknowledge the following Task Forces that have already produced their deliverables:

Chair: Ricardo Torres, CEO/President, National Student Clearinghouse (USA).

Chair: Victoriano Giralt, Past President, Groningen Declaration Network, Universidad de Málaga (Spain);

    • Members: 
      • Cheryl Darrup-Boychuck, Chief Architect, FundsV (USA_; 
      • Jacqui Elson-Green, Higher Ed Services (Australia; 
      • and with as resource person Joy Leighton, Director of Communications and Web Strategy Stanford University (USA)

The Task Force Mid Term Vision 2020 served an important function in broadening support among the participants of the network for the transition of the GDN from a virtual network to the present foundation. Starting on 20 December 2016, when the Board of Directors legally came in its own right, the work of the Task Force has been transferred to the Board fo Directors. It is with gratitude that the Board recognizes the work undertaken by the Task Force

Chair: Michael Sessa, President/CEO, PESC;
Members:

      • Mikael Berglund, Umea University/Ladok system architect (Sweden); 
      • Doug Falk, CIO, National Student Clearinghouse (USA); 
      • Valère Meus, Coordinator, Erasmus without Paper project & International Relations Expert, University of Ghent (Belgium); 
      • Neil Robinson, Chair, DSD (Digital Student Data) Reference Group & Executive Director, Academic Services and Registrat, University of Melbourne (Australia) 
      • Michael Zhang Zhiyuan, CHESICC and member of the GDN Executive Committee; and as observers: 
      • Victoriano Giralt 
      • Herman de Leeuw.

The Pilots Task Force managed the I.D.E.A. Hub, an online moderated self-service self-description database that serves as a depository of ongoing pilots and initiatives world-wide. The I.D.E.A. Hub showcases these pilots with a view to facilitating the connection between piloting arganizations and interested stakeholders.

Co-chairs: 

      • Dik van der Wal, Manager International Services, Duo and Head, Netherlands Europass consortium; 
      • Kathleen Massey, Associate Vice President (Students), University of Lethbridge, Canada.

This was the first GDN Task Force to have produced its deliverable, the Statement of Ethical Principles which can be consulted here. The Groningen Declaration Executive Committee would like to express its deep gratitude to the Task Force.

Chair: dr. John Yopp, CIEE, Council on International Educational Exchange (USA); 

Members:

      • Mtro. Guillermo Pablo Lopez Andrade, Secretaría de Educación Pública (Mexico); 
      • Andrew Cormack, JISC (United Kingdom); 
      • Mike Reilly, AACRAO (USA)
      • Michael Zhang Zhiyuan, CHESICC (China)