Statements, perceptions and conceptions about the inevitability, or the importance of, of Higher Education internationalization and Academic Globalization are increasingly being generated. An increasing number of authors are pointing to complexity of this multi-phenomenon, including technological and cultural dimensions. This is why the multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary nature of the World Multi-Conference of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics provides an adequate forum for the organization of an event, in its context, related to Academic Globalization and Inter-Cultural Communication: AGIC.

There are, or might be, cybernetic loops: 1) co-regulative negative feedback and feedforward and 2) co-amplificatory positive loops, between “Academic Globalization” and “Intercultural Communication”. Each part of this cybernetic relationship as well as the whole might be supported (for more effectiveness and/or efficiency) by Systemic approaches/theories/methodologies, by cybernetic tools (communication and control) and by Informatics (especially in the areas of information systems and informing sciences). See figure below.

References
Altbach, P. G., 2007, “Globalization and the University: Myths and Realities in an Unequal World;” in Forest, Philip, J. J.F. and Altbach, G. (Eds): International Handbook of Higher Education: Part One: Global Themes and Contemporary challenges, Springer.
Lee, Jeong-Kyu ,2004, “Globalization and Higher Education: A South Korean Perspective;” Globalization, Vol. 4, No. 1, June. Accessed on January 25^th, 2016 at http://globalization.icaap.org/content/v4.1/lee.html and at http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED490410.pdf.

Major Themes (sets of topics):

• Academic Globalization
• Inter-Cultural Communication
• Relationships between “Academic Globalization” and “Inter-Cultural Communication”
• Systemics, Cybernetics or Informatics support for:
• Academic Globalization
• Inter-Cultural Communication
• Relationships between “Academic Globalization” and “Inter-Cultural Communication”

The purpose in organizing AGIC is to bring together researcher, scholars, educators and practitioners with the objective of exploring, reflecting and sharing ideas regarding:

• The impact that the Globalization Phenomena is having or might have on universities (research, teaching and continuing education), and vice versa: the impact that academia is generating, or could generate, on the phenomenon of globalization.
• The importance of Inter-Cultural Communication, especially regarding its impact on Academic Globalization, and vice versa.
• The Importance of Systemics, cybernetics, and Informatics in providing conceptual and instrumental support for both Academic Globalization and Inter-cultural Communication as well as for the relationships among them.

• Will Academic Globalization emerge as part of the Globalization Phenomenon?
• How necessary is Inter-disciplinary Communication for Academic Globalization and Inter-Cultural Communication  
• Will Academic Globalization serve as a catalyst for General Globalization Phenomena? Will it be the inverse way? Will it be both ways catalyzing each other in a positive feedback loop?
• How important in Inter-cultural Communication for the effectiveness of Academic Globalization processes?
• Are Academic Internationalization and/or Transnational Education parts of the forces driving and accelerating Academic Globalization? Are they in opposite and dialectical relationships with each other? Does Inter-cultural Communication required for increasing the effectiveness of both of them? Do both of them necessarily generate actual Inter-Cultural Communication? 
• How strongly related are Academic Globalization, the Knowledge Society and Inter-Cultural Communication?
• What kind relationships exist among Academic Globalization, Information and Communications Technologies and the Knowledge Economy?
• How is the Globalization Phenomenon transforming academic objectives and activities?

Suggested Topics for Academic Globalization

• Impact of the Globalization Phenomena on Higher Education
• Impact of Higher Education on the Globalization Phenomena
• Case Studies in Academic Globalization
• Case Studies in Higher Education Internationalization
• Ethos, Pathos, and logos of Academic Globalization or Higher Education Internationalization
• Relationships of Academic Globalization and Internationalization of Higher Education
• Inter-Disciplinary Communication and Academic Globalization
• Globalization, Regionalization and Higher Education
• Globalization and Scientific Research
• Relationships between Academic Globalization and Knowledge Society/Economy
• Research, education and Consulting in Academic Globalization
• International Academic Networks and Alliances
• Academic Cooperation
• Academic Associations
• Academic Consortia
• Institutional Networks
• Success and failure factor in Higher Education Internationalization
• Comparative Higher Education Research
• Transnational Education
• Quality and the Internationalization of Higher Education
• Research and Global Networks
• Research and Global Knowledge Infrastructures
• Strategies and Organizational Models
• Applications of Systemics (System approach and Systems Science and Engineering), Cybernetics (Communication and Control) and Informatics for a) Academic Globalization and 2) its relationships with Inter-Cultural Communication

Suggested topics for Inter-Cultural Communication

• Research, education and Consulting in Inter-Cultural Communication
• Higher Education Across Cultures
• Case Studies in Higher Higher Education Across Cultures
• Case Studies of Inter-Cultural Communication
• Ethos, Pathos, and logos of Inter-Cultural Communication
• Ethos, Pathos, and logos of Higher Education Across Cultures
• Inter-Disciplinary Communication for Inter-Cultural Communication
• Inter-Cultural Communication for Academic Globalization
• Inter-Cultural Communication for Collaborative Research, Education and Consulting
• Education for Inter-Cultural Communication
• Cross-Cultural Adaptation
• Cross-Cultural Interaction
• Digital Communication Across Cultures 
• Inter-Cultural Communication Competence
• Inter-Cultural Communication for Multi-Cultural Societies
• Ethos, Pathos, and/or Logos for Inter-Cultural Communication
• Second Language Education and Second Culture Education         
• Communication among Corporate Cultures
• Communication among Academic Cultures and Disciplines: Inter-Disciplinary Communication
• Applications of Systemics (System approach and Systems Science and Engineering), Cybernetics (Communication and Control) and Informatics for a) Inter-Cultural Communication and 2) its relationships with Academic Globalization

Technical and Plenary keynote speakers will be selected from early submissions because this selection requires an additional evaluation (besides to the quality of the paper assessed by its reviewers) related to the authors' CV and the paper's topic.

All Submitted papers/abstracts will go through three reviewing processes: (1) double-blind (at least three reviewers), (2) non-blind, and (3) participative peer reviews. Final acceptance depends of the three kinds of reviews but a paper should be recommended by non-blind reviewers AND blind reviewers in order to be accepted for presentation at the conference and to be included in the respective conference proceedings. A recommendation to accept made by non-blind reviewers is a necessary condition, but it is not a sufficient one. A submission, to be accepted, should also have a majority of its double-blind reviewers recommending its acceptance. This double necessary conditions generate a more reliable and rigorous reviewing than a those reviewing methods based on just one of the indicated methods, or just on the traditional double-blind reviewing. More details regarding this issue can be found at https://www.iiis-spring24.org/imcic/Website/Peer-ReviewMethodology.asp?vc=62.

The three kinds of reviews mentioned above will support the selection process of those papers/abstracts that will be accepted for their presentation at the conference, as well as those to be selected for their publication in JSCI Journal. Details regarding the Acceptance Policy can be found at https://www.iiis-spring24.org/imcic/Website/AcceptancePolicy.asp?vc=62.

Authors of accepted papers who registered in the conference can have access to the evaluations and possible feedback provided by the reviewers who recommended the acceptance of their papers/abstracts, so they can accordingly improve the final version of their papers. Non-registered authors will not have access to the reviews of their respective submissions.

Submissions for Face-to-Face or for Virtual Participation are both accepted. Both kinds of submissions will have the same reviewing process and the accepted papers will be included in the same proceedings. Pre-Conference and Post-conference Virtual sessions (via electronic forums) will be held for each session included in the conference program, so that sessions papers can be read before the conference, and authors presenting at the same session can interact during one week before and after the conference. Authors can also participate in peer-to-peer reviewing in virtual sessions.

Registration fees of an effective invited session organizers will be waived according to the policy described in the web page (click on 'Invited Session', then on 'Benefits for the Organizers of Invited Sessions'), where you can get information about the ten benefits for an invited session organizer. To propose the organization of an Invited Session, please visit the conference website, and go to the menu option “Invited Sessions” and then to the menu sub-option “Invited Sessions Organiziers.”

Authors of the best 25%-30% of the papers presented at the conference (included those virtually presented) will be invited to adapt their papers for their publication in the Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics.

One best paper of each session included in the program will be selected by the respective session’s co-chairs after consulting with the session’s audience. Invited Sessions organizers will select the best paper of the session they organized. If there is a tie in a given session, the paper that will be selected as the best session’s paper will be the one which have had the highest quantitative evaluations average according to its double-blind and non-blind reviews.

The selection process of the best 25%-30% to be also published in the Journal, will be based on the sessions’ best papers and the quantitative evaluation average made by its anonymous and non-anonymous reviewers.

Integration is a main purpose of the international Institute of Informatics and Systemics (IIIS)

Consequently, IIIS organizes multi-disciplinary conferences where 1) disciplinary presentations are made by disciplinarians who can also get immersed in a multi- and inter-disciplinary intellectual environment, and 2) Inter- and trans-disciplinarians provide and are provided with the intellectual environment that might generate analogical thinking which supports the production of novel ideas, working hypothesis, more comprehensive understanding, and the kind of collaborative research that might integrate disciplines, understanding and action, science and design, academy and Industry. Read more...