Newsletter, October 2006

Campus Europae takes off
Fast Facts

St Petersburg and Campus Europae establish ties
Greifswald celebrates its University 550th anniversary
Natural Sciences Subject Committee Meeting
Bologna meets Lisbon… in Hamburg
The views of the European Commission and OECD on higher education
Learning less taught languages online
Welcome Packs for Campus Europae students
News from the members

Turning the spotlight on... Kaunas
Upcoming events

Campus Europae takes off

Following two years of experimental piloting tests the General Assembly (GA) of the European University Foundation convened in Luxembourg on the 9th of October for stocktaking on the 2005/2006 exchange activities and established guidelines regarding the current and upcoming academic terms.

The Rectors and their representatives started by noting enthusiastically the results of the secretariat’s evaluation of the student exchanges occurred in the last study year, which is intended to complement the ongoing monitoring provided by Professors, CE Coordinators and student representatives. All respondents found their participation in Campus Europae to be “very satisfactory” or “satisfactory”, with more than two thirds giving the programmes the highest score in the ranking and considering CE to be is a well thought out and mature development in European International exchange scene. The evaluation also highlighted that the recognition mechanisms that are in place work almost flawlessly, and the few cases where prolongation of studies have occurred will be analysed in detail by the respective Subject Committees.

Regarding the current academic year the GA welcomed the progress in the number of CE movers attained in the academic year 2007/2008: mobility among CE universities amounts now to 108 students, which represents more than double the number of students exchanged during the previous years. Along with the increase in the number of CE movers, the diversity of the flows in terms of destinations, participating universities and active fields of study have also increased. The noticeable increase of the number of participating students reflects the high interest the project has generated among the academic community of the participating universities and the continuous efforts that the Campus Europae Subject Committees have been putting into high quality planning and preparation of the student’s mobility.

Last but not least the General Assembly decided on the immediate issuing of CE Certificates for all students who participated in the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 exchanges. This exciting new development is intended to confirm the completion of an academic year abroad, the successful completion of the study requirements, an excellent command of the English language and that the respective CE-mover has acquired sufficient knowledge of the languages of the host countries to be able to communicate on a scientific level in their academic subjects. The Certificate will be issued to CE students by the European University Foundation / Campus Europae secretariat in Luxembourg, in articulation with the respective offices of all participating universities.

External links:
Campus Europae Communiqué from the 9th of November 2006 General Assembly of the European University Foundation - Campus Europae (pdf file)

Fast Facts

St Petersburg and Campus Europae establish ties

On Monday September 11th Professor Dr. Noel Whelan President of the European University Foundation Campus Europae met with Rector Ludmila Verbitskaya upon the invitation from the Vice Rector of International Affairs Prof. Stanislav L. Tkachenko in St Petersburg State University. Following these talks St Petersburg State University signed a letter of intent with Professor Dr. Noel Whelan with a view to them exploring their possible membership of the EUF. St Petersburg State University was represented by Vice Rector of International Affairs Prof. Stanislav L. Tkachenko who attended the last General Assembly of the EUF, on the 9th of October. Subsequently the St Petersburg University officially applied for membership and its representatives will be engaged at once in the work of the CE Subject Committees.

cenews_october_01

Picture 1: Noel Whelan President of Campus Europae meets with Prof. Verbitskaya, Rector of the State University of St Petersburg

St Petersburg State University currently encompasses 20 faculties, 11 Scientific Institutes, over 25000 students, 2000 Postgraduate students, 5000 lecturers & researchers and over 40 members of Russian Academies of Science and Education.

Greifswald celebrates its University 550th anniversary

Founded in 1456, the University of Greifswald is celebrating its 550th anniversary this year, which makes it the second-oldest university in Northern Europe and in the Baltic region. The anniversary celebrations have reached their climax yesterday with the official ceremony, which was held in the presence of Queen Sylvia of Sweden and Bundespräsident Horst Köhler. Queen Silvia officially reopened the restored Baroque assembly hall in the main university building.

Founded as a Pomeranian university, Greifswald went to Sweden after the Thirty Years’ War in 1648 and was then until 1815 the oldest Swedish university (even older than Uppsala). Greifswald University is currently in a very difficult phase of reorientation and consolidation of its traditionally wide range of academic fields, trying to develop further an interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching in main areas such as Life Sciences. Besides, Greifswald was one of the first German universities to introduce the BA-programmes after the Bologna Process and has thus been putting it into practice since 1999 already. The aspect of internationalization is now for Greifswald one of the biggest challenges and Campus Europae is seen as a future cornerstone of its Europe-wide relations.

External links:
Greifswald University 550th anniversary website (in german)

Natural Sciences Subject Committee

The Natural Sciences Subject Committee meeting took place at the University of Łódź on the 6th of October. The presence of representatives from a number of partner universities fructified significant decisions.

The members discussed in detail academic recognition of the study abroad that should be guaranteed to all the CE students. Since there have been a few minor problems regarding this matter the Committee proposed an extra policy that is to insure a student the recognition before leaving to the host university. The power of making such decisions should be given to a small group of representatives from each faculty at partner universities. The great part of the Subject Committee meeting was dedicated to the discussion on the compatibility matrices. As study programmes have been changing recently quite fast in the whole Europe, the process of matrices preparation has become more difficult. Nevertheless, the matrices in the field of Physics are already in the advanced stage and the one from the area of Biochemistry will follow soon.

The participants of the Subject Committee proposed to extend the Bio-chemistry sub-committee for Biology, what will give more opportunities for the further exchange. Therefore, a need to ensure a full recognition of the disciplines made at the partner university arises once again.
The Chair of the Natural Sciences Subject Committee, Prof. Estela Pereira, presented a paper prepared by the Grading Group, concerning problems of the differences in national systems and traditions in grading that Campus Europe faces. The professors discussed the uniqueness of their universities, their attitudes and experiences so far. The members present at the meeting also decided also to set up a multinational project and apply with it to the Tempus Office.

Bologna meets Lisbon... in Hamburg

The Bologna meets Lisbon project is intended to enhance the European employability of Campus Europae movers by providing them with study-related working positions during their stays abroad. An important recent development regards the establishment of a consortium constituted by the University of Hamburg, the Hamburg Student Affairs Agency, “Arbeit und Leben”, a non-profit organisation with long term experiences in European exchange programmes for workers and students and the Northern Germany Employers Union.

The consortium will be active in positioning CE exchange students visiting the University of Hamburg in companies and organizations during their stay abroad from the academic year 2007/2008 on, as well as managing grants and loans for outgoing students of the University of Hamburg. The cooperation of the above mentioned institutions will allow for increasingly closer cooperation of the University of Hamburg with companies and organizations, in view of future knowledge transfer projects.

The views of the European Commission and OECD on higher education
The European Commission has put forward a new Communication regarding the “efficiency and equity in European Education and Training Systems”. The paper discusses needs and priorities that are to be taken into account by all political and educational stakeholders and opens an interesting debate on the interplay of free access to higher education with equitable access and participation.

Also of interest is the OECD Education at a Glance 2006, a thorough collection of indicators on the performance of education systems. The report is particularly important as it allows an immediate comparison of variables such as educational investments, returns and attainment rates.

External links:
EC Communication "Efficiency and equity in European Education and Training Systems" website
OECD Education at a Glance 2006 website

Learning less taught languages online

The Regional Studies Department of the Vytautas Magnus University is a member of a consortium of Lithuanian, Estonian, Finnish, Portuguese and Polish partners named "ONENESS – on-line less used and less taught language course". The project aims at promoting the teaching and learning of less widely taught languages in order to encourage and support linguistic diversity throughout Europe and to stimulate an interest in the cultures of the countries where these languages are used.
The website is target to exchange students and migrants and will help learners to achieve the A1 level of communicative competence.

External links:
ONENESS website

Welcome Packs for Campus Europae students

The Campus Europae Student Council, in cooperation with the Luxembourg Secretariat, has prepared a Welcome Pack for all CE movers who started exchange in the current academic year. The Welcome Packs have arrived to the universities by early October and all those who still haven’t yet received it will be able to retrieve it from their respective CE Coordinator.

News from the members

Along with the start of the academic year the Vytautas Magnus University has appointed a new Rector’s Council presided by Prof. Dr. Zigmas Lydeka, who was represented at the last Campus Europae General Assembly by Prof. Dr. Vaidoras Viliunas, Vice-Rector for Infrastructure. Prof. Viliunas has a longstanding international experience in the fields of international cooperation and mobility. Another new appointment concerns the University of Alcalá, who has inaugurated Dª. Josefa Toro Nozal as Vice-Rector for International Relation.

Also worth noting are the new websites of the University of Luxembourg and the European Humanities University, which have been comprehensively upgraded.

External links:
University of Luxembourg
European Humanities University

Turning the spotlight on… Kaunas

The history of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) mirrors the history of Lithuania. The VMU was first established in 1922, shortly after Lithuania regained its independence. Kaunas was then the temporary capital of the country and VMU was the only university operating in the country. In 1940 it played a pivotal role in reestablishing the University of Vilnius, as its Faculties of Humanities and Law were transferred to Vilnius in the winter. In the summer of 1941 the Faculties of Mathematics and Sciences followed. Shortly after, the German occupation government closed the university in March 1943. The Faculties of History-Philology, Medicine, Construction and Technology reopened in 1944, but transfer of the Faculty of Philosophy to Vilnius prompted the closing of VMU in the autumn of 1949.

cenews_october_02

Picture 2: St. Michal’s Church, Kaunas

It took forty years for Vytautas Magnus University to reopen - it was the second in the then Soviet-occupied Lithuania, and the first independent higher education institution. The core principle of the university is academic freedom, while its main purpose is to prepare graduates with a broad humanistic orientation for Lithuania's needs in research, culture, education and for its economy.

cenews_october_03

Picture 3: Kaunas old town

Following an exponential growth during its first decade the University adopted, as early as in 1991, a system of study based on Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Another exceptional feature of the VMU is that students themselves put together their study plans and make a final choice of their programme after the first two years of study. These are but examples of the crucial contribution VMU has been making to the development of higher education and research in Lithuania.

cenews_october_04

Picture 4: view of the Neris river, Kaunas

Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania and was founded back in 1030. Its trademark is the 2km long Laisvés street, which connects the imposing St. Michal’s Church to the beautiful old town. The city is renowned by its bustling student life, its passion for basketball and the Devil’s Museum, a 2000 piece collection of sculptures and carvings of devils from all over the world (including one portraying Hitler and Stalin, doing the dance of death over a playground littered with human bones). The city is located in the very centre of the country, making it an ideal starting place for those who wish to see more of Lithuania: no visit to the country would be complete without a trip to the Baltic seaside in Klaipêda, as well as to the historical towns of Vilnius and Trakai.

cenews_october_05

Picture 5: Kaunas City Hall

External links:
Vytautas Magnus University website
Overview of the educational reform in Lithuania, by Prof. Margarita Teresevičienė (word doc)

Upcoming events:

Campus Europae Fair at the University of Hamburg

until the 20th of October

Limerick University CE International Day

on the 26th of October

University of Nancy CE International Day