<<20091207-B>>
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P. Tapio Varis, Ph.D., Professor
Acting President, Global University System
UNESCO Chair in Global e-Learning with applications to multiple domains
Professor and Chair of Media Education
Research Center for Vocational Education & Hypermedia Laboratory
University of Tampere
P.O.Box 229
FIN-13101 Hameenlinna
FINLAND
+358-3-3551-3608
Tel: +358-3-614-5608--office in Hameenlinna
Tel: +358-3-215 6243--mass media lab in Tampere
GSM: +358-50-567-9833
Fax: +358-3-614-5611 or +358-3-3551-3611
tapio.varis@uta.fi
tapio.varis@hamk.fi
tapio.varis@helsinki.fi
http://www.uta.fi/~titava
www.ecml-eu.org -- about ECML project.
http://www.uta.fi/conference/mediaskills/


Dear Tapio:

(1) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT I).

My whole hearted congratulations to your becoming a member of the Governing Board of the UNESCO’s Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) for a period of 2009-2013.

(2) As mentioned elsewhere, we are now forging ahead to create Global Early Warning System (GEWS) as constructing national socio-economic, energy, environment simulation models of each participating countries, which will then be interconnected to form a global scale simulation model.

(3) Along the construction of the model, we plan to establish Global University System (GUS) to assist the model building, maintenance, administration and gaming execution, etc.

This is because we need to emphasize the importance of educating young would-be decision makers who are now in the teens and twenties who would become real decision makers at their 50 to 70 years ages around 2050s, when most of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MSGs) would not meet their targets, and hence would become fierce, severe resource competitions and conflicts issues.  Their training in crisis management, conflict resolution, and negotiation techniques should be basing on "facts and figures."  Their understanding gained with scientific and rational analysis and critical thinking with the gaming/simulation would be the basis of world peace, and hence ought to provide the basic principle of global education for peace.

(4) Our GUS is a project of your UNESCO/UNITWIN Networking Program, which you chaired at the University of Tampere.

Subsequently, our GUS activities would go well with your new UNESCO/IITE activities.

Dear E-Colleagues:

(5) Pls feel free to contact Tapio if you have any idea for the joint initiatives.

Best, Tak

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ATTACHMENT I

From: Tapio Varis <tapio.varis@uta.fi>
Date: Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:48:40 +0200
To: Tak Utsumi <utsumi@columbia.edu>
Subject: Message from Tapio Varis

Dear Tak,

Feel free to circulate the information below. I want to hear from you how could GUS be connected to this.

Best wishes,

tapio



Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to inform you that the Director-General of UNESCO, in accordance with article III.1 of the Statutes of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), has decided to invite me to become a member of the Governing Board of IITE for a period of 2009-2013. The new Board had its first session at the IITE Headquarters in Moscow, Russian Federation, 3-5 December 2009, with the presence of Deputy Minister Alexander Yakovenko from the Russian Federation and UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Qian Tang,

With this brief note I want to invite my colleagues to consider using this opportunity to promote our mutual educational, communication, and research interests as UNESCO Chair network with UNESCO/IITE new role.  The global strategy of literacy, teachers and work skills fall within the competence of the institute and I want to promote intellectual  
work in the following three fields:

1. Digital competence (ICT, technology, computers, information, e-learning, OER)
2. Communication skills (media competence, media literacy, media education)
3. Multicultural competence (civilizations, multiple identitities,)

These views were well received by the Board, UNESCO, and the host country. I look forward to developing joint initiatives with interested colleagues.


Professor Tapio Varis
UNESCO Chair in Global e-Learning
University of Tampere, Finland
6 December 2009

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* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA                           *
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.)          *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education           *
* Founder and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of                         *
*   Global University System (GUS)                                            *
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-5913, U.S.A.                        *
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-795-1655; Skype: utsumi                         *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/         *
* U.S. Federal Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 <http://tinyurl.com/534gxc>          *
* New York State Tax Exempt ID: 217837 <http://tinyurl.com/47wqbo>            *
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