Office of the
Secretary General

The International Universities Bureau is the IAU’s permanent Secretariat and its major instrument of programme implementation, along with the Administrative Board, its various Committees, and thematic Working Groups. Created by UNESCO in 1949, the Bureau was instrumental in preparing the International University Conference in Nice, 1950, at which the IAU was founded. The Secretary General is the head of the Secretariat.

Message from the Secretary General

Dr. Hilligje van’t Land,
IAU Secretary General

If your university or association is already a Member of IAU, I look forward to soon meeting with you at an IAU event online or face to face. If your university or association is not yet a member of the IAU, please encourage your decisionmakers to consider joining. We are open to membership by recognised not-for-profit universities and university associations from around the world with an inclusive membership fee structure. Consequently, we have a unique and much needed diversity of membership, providing universities with the opportunity to work with like-minded institutions from all regions of the world. Learn more about IAU Membership here.

Past Secretaries General

2017-Present, 5th Secretary General: Hilligje van’t Land

2002-2017, 4th Secretary General: Eva Egron-Polak

1987-2001, 3rd Secretary General: Franz Eberhard

1978-1986, 2nd Secretary General: Douglas J. Aitken

1952-1978, 1st Secretary General: Roger Keyes

More IAU Governance