Welcome to GoLive CyberStudio 3

November 10, 1999

Dr. Federico Mayor
Director General
UNESCO
PLace de Fontenoy
75007, PARIS
FRANCE

Dear Dr. Mayor:

Albeit very belated, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your providing us with a very stimulating greeting during our international workshop and conference on "Emerging Global Electronic Distance Learning (EGEDL)" which was held from August 9th to 13th at the University of Tampere in Finland. Your greeting was one of highlights of the event and greatly encouraged our attendees.

Experts on Distance Learning from 14 nations discussed practical ways to harness the emerging electronic technological evolution to provide affordable, global distance education across national and cultural boundaries. The group formulated specific pilot projects focussed on five major regions of the world to reduce the growing digital divide between information rich and information poor populations, as reaching out to the massive numbers of people who are deprived of opportunities to learn. The conference chairman, Dr. Tapio Varis of the University of Tampere, was asked to lead the effort to seek funding and carry out the projects as Acting President of a newly formed Global University System. Dr. Marco Antonio Dias, former director of Higher Education of your UNESCO, has also kindly accepted to serve as the Vice President for Administration of the GUS. The GUS will facilitate connectivity among current Distance Learning efforts around the world and will provide support and guidance to selected pilot projects intended to serve as models for adoption around the world.

The conference proceedings, including the transcripts of your greeting, photos and audio/video clippings, is available for your peruse at our web site <http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL>. The final report of the event with draft proposals of the pilot projects is now under construction at <http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS>.

Thanks to our highly successful event with extraordinary supports and cooperations of many funding sources and colleagues around the world, substantial momentum for our Global Initiative is now building up to have follow-up workshops and conferences to forge ahead the establishment of the GUS with global broadband Internet and Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF) by multilateral collaborations. We would like to realize the motto of your UNESCO, “education (and healthcare) for all,” at anytime and anywhere.

We understand that, after many years of substantial contributions to the people of the world, you are soon to pass the baton of the Director Generalship to Mr. Matsuura. We would like to whole-heartily congratulate your accomplishments. On the other hand, as recalling your inspiring videotape greeting for our “Global Lecture Hall (GLH)” videoconferencing in the fall of 1995, we would like to keep in touch with you so that we can ask your guidance to our project.

We hope that you are pleased with the results and we would gladly provide additional information on request. We would appreciate your continued support and participation during some of the future events.

Very sincerely yours,

P. Tapio Varis, Ph.D.
General Chairman, Tampere event
Acting President, Global University System
University of Tampere, Finland
tapio.varis@uta.fi; http://www.uta.fi/~titava

Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D.
Program Chairman, Tampere event
President Emeritus, Global University System
Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
utsumi@columbia.edu; http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS