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This was the second annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). Last year's meeting in Banff in Canada resulted in the "Banff Principles" to broadly guide international collaboration in graduate education; this year's summit focused on "best practices" specific to promoting scholarly integrity. Leaders in higher education agreed on issues and actions that have to lead to strengthen scholarly integrity because of the growing globalization of graduate education and research, and discussed on "best practices" to promote scholarly integrity.

Different rules in different countries often make it harder for international students to understand what is and what isn't allowed. While a student may understand plagiarism, it can be difficult for them to grasp the concept of cheating.

Members of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity discussed their latest set of proposals to overhaul the accreditation process and the way the committee assesses the accreditors. Soon after, the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released a somewhat similar set of proposals in a white paper written by committee staff members.

33 youths from South-East Asia gathered in January at the first ever International Youth Camp on Youth Empowerment for Transparency and Integrity (YETI) in Cambodia, to learn and exchange on the negative impact of corruption in their countries and across the region, and brainstorm how they could combat the scourge together. The event sought to enhance the young participants’ sense of belonging to a community, inspire them to stand up to corruption and equip them with the tools to do so.

The Ministry of Education has launched a new curricula for both primary and secondary schools in Iraq. The aim is to raise awareness and understanding of the concepts of integrity, transparency, human rights and honesty. The new curricula was designed by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the UNDP. This innovative initiative is the first of its kind to be introduced in Iraq.

The University of Düsseldorf has withdrawn the doctoral title of Germany's Minister of Education and Research, claiming that she lifted material for her thesis. While the Minister is seeking to contest the university's verdict, the opposition in parliament has called for her resignation. A Bonn academic and law expert has claimed that the case may have damaged higher education as a whole in Germany.

The "bad men" of today seem to get around. They also seem to have a certain weakness for schools and universities. According to 2011 survey data by Transparency International, globally, 35% of the population in 100 countries has no trust whatsoever in the integrity of their education institutions.

A summer school entitled "From Principles to Practice: Higher education policy and research project management" was organized in Cape Town for masters and PhD students in the field of higher education studies. Practical examples and tips were given on how to navigate the field of competitive funding applications, the so-called "dirty" world of research.

The acting Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has called for increased budgetary allotment to the education sector to adequately prepare Liberian youths for future challenges. According to the Chairperson, the assessment report in the education sector indicates that lack of integrity on the part of students and teachers was "extremely high" due to the low budgetary allotment to the sector.

The agent debate is dead. Long live the integrity debate. For some time now, the discussion about whether American colleges could use commission-based agents when recruiting students abroad has been the hottest of hot-button issues in international admissions, with each camp staking out fiercely partisan positions.