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ACA Newsletter nr 1104 October 2001
After more than five years in ACA, Deputy Director Brigitte Hasewend left the Secretariat on 30 September. Brigitte, so far the ACA staff member with the longest period of service in ACA, joined the European Commission's Directorate General for Research, as an Austrian "detached expert", for an initial period of one year. ACA wishes her well for her professional and personal future, and thanks her for her contribution to the work of the Association. The ACA Secretariat is happy to welcome Anita Kardos, who joined the office on 1 September, seconded from the Tempus Public Foundation (TPF), ACA's Hungarian member organisation. Anita is the Head of the Information Department at TPF. For an overall period of six months, Anita will work with ACA in the same area as her predecessor Ingrid Dreyer (SIU), namely on information and PR issues. In addition, she will support ACA's project work. We hope that Anita will benefit from her experience in the ACA Secretariat and that she will enjoy her stay in Belgium. She can be contacted at anita.kardos@aca-secretariat.be
Between 5 to and 8 December, ACA's sister organisation, the European Association for International Education (EAIE) will organise its 13th Annual Conference, on the theme of "International Education: Realising Human Potential", in Tampere/Finland. This conference, which regularly attracts between 1,500 and 2,000 participants from Europe and other continents, will again see a substantial ACA input. Next to the many sessions, workshops and panel discussions organised by or involving ACA member organisations, the Secretariat itself is involved in four events. Very important among them is the (3rd) joint "ACA/EAIE Research Seminar", which will be devoted this year to a theme very close to our own work, that of "European networks" in higher education. Co-organised and chaired by Hans de Wit (EAIE) and Bernd Wächter, and with EUA Secretary General Andris Barblan and Coimbra Group Director Koen Deleare among the speakers, this research-meets-practice event will give an overview of European higher education networks, it will present case studies of different types of associations, and it will identify what differentiates strong and relevant associations from others. More information, also on registration for the seminar, can be found under: http://www.eaie.nl/CONF2001/workshops2.asp?Title=Third+joint+EAIE%2FACA+research+seminar%2E+Academic+networks%3A+putting+research+into+practice%2E+Studies+on+a+rising+phenomenon+in+international+higher+education ACA Director Bernd Wächter will also be involved in a session on the NORDPLUS programme, organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers, and he will chair a session in the "Internationalisation at Home" track of the conference. Finally, ACA will again hold its by now traditional "ACA Dinner", this year organised in conjunction with CIMO, for staff members from ACA member organisations, and for the Association's wide circle of friends.
Three members of ACA, the Austrian Exchange Service/Österreichischer Austauschdienst (ÖAD), the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO, Finland) and the Centre for International University Cooperation (SIU, Norway) celebrate anniversaries in 2001. As reported in this newsletter and elsewhere, SIU celebrated its 10-year anniversary with the ACA/SIU Conference on "physical and virtual mobility", which took place this spring in Bergen and in the mountains and fjords of Norway. ÖAD is going to celebrate its 40th birthday on 14 and 15 November, by means of a Festakt, and a symposium on "international mobility in education", with key figures from ACA member organisations and from the Secretariat among speakers. CIMO, which "turned 10" this year, will, among other activities, come out with a publication on European and international cooperation. In March 2002, the Netherland's Nuffic will have its 50th anniversary, on which occasion it is going to hold a large-scale high-level international conference "Shifting roles, changing rules"on major trends in higher education world-wide.
On 12 October, Italian member organisation CONICS will host the traditional ACA "autumn meetings", during which the General Assembly and the Administrative Council convene. Important items on the agenda include the priorities for the Association's work in 2002, and the 2002 budget. A part of the "meetings" will also be devoted to recent developments in Italian higher education.
Since September 1st, Peter William is the new Chief Executive of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), an independent body that reviews the quality and standards of UK higher education. This appointment follows the announcement, in August 2001, of the resignation of the former chief executive John Randall. After five working years with the agency, John Randall said "There are challenges and opportunities that I would like to pursue outside the Agency". Peter William, who was the Agency’s Director of Institutional Review, has been appointed for his extensive background in the quality assurance of higher education and brings to the task an exceptional expertise in the field. More information on the QAA on http://www.qaa.ac.uk
The "Bologna train" is moving on. A recent example are the Netherlands, already a reform-friendly country in the past, which will, in order to adapt to internationally-oriented structures, switch to the to the Bachelor-Master (Ba-Ma) or "Anglo-Saxon" degree system, as the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science announced. This is a two-tier system involving an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree, which are obtained separately from one another. The main objectives of the BA-MA structure are to increase students' educational options during their studies, facilitate study abroad programmes, increase student mobility at home and abroad and improve possibilities of lifelong learning. The majority of institutions of higher education reacted positively. The transition period is expected to last some three to five years.
The "Directory of ACA Member Organisations", which came out a few weeks ago, has been well received by the members and friends of the Association. It is obviously perceived and used as what it was intended to be: an easy-to-gain overview of the main activities of ACA members. However, there are no publications without some mistakes. In the case of the portrait of the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), the number of information items which have in the meantime undergone change or which were simply wrong was so high that the Secretariat has decided to publish the "corrigendum" below. The Secretariat asks members to report any other inaccuracies. Page 35 - Contact details and organisation
The African Virtual University's (AVU) e-learning project is officially underway as of 31 July 2001. Since AVU started its pilot operations in 1997, 26 AVU learning centres have been established in 15 sub-Saharan countries in Africa, providing students and professionals with over 2,500 hours of interactive instruction in English and French. The AVU is now launching its full operations and will be facilitating the delivery of accredited degree and diploma programmes to students at African University campuses. Its courses will be fully available to the students through the AVU Learning Centres, as of 31 October 2001. The AVU, which aims at substantially improving access to and provision of quality higher education offers in Africa, has received support from different partners, among which the World Bank is of particular importance. "With such support, the AVU will be able to meet its objectives and make a major contribution to higher education and university students in Africa" commented one of its professors. For further information on the AVU's centres, the partners and courses, please contact the Interim Deputy Executive Director of AVU, Peter Materu, by email at PeterMateru@avu.org or visit the AVU web site at http://www.avu.org
The European League of Insitutes of the Arts' (ELIA) Secretariat announces that its Bologna website with special focus on arts education in the tertiary sector is now on-line ! This website has recently been launched in the framework of the ELIA-driven SOCRATES Thematic Network "Innovation in Higher Arts Education", and its purpose is to allow any interested actor in the field of higher arts education to access relevant information about the Bologna process both at European level and at national level. The site is also an interactive tool for exchange of information and debate on issued linked to the Bologna Process.
One of ACA's US-based members, the "Institute for International Education" (IIE), has announced the launch, in early October, of the International Education Knowledge Network ("IIE Network"). IIE Network, which is to become on of the world's leading higher education associations, with a global brief and membership, addresses international education policy makers, administrators and researchers. In the current context of the globalisation of higher education, IIE offers through this new network an opportunity to forge partnerships and build relationships that strengthen professional practice. The IIE Network will be animated by topical and regional "Working Groups" and by a website. The IIE Network website will offer a partner board for networking, an academic job service, a searchable database of grants and events in international education, discussion boards, chats and much more. The print magazine, "The IIE Networker", will feature member news and initiatives, articles on international education, and other items of relevance. Information on how to join the network can be obtained by sending a message to membership@iie.org or to Peter Kerrigan at pkerrigan@iie.org or Daniel Obst at dobst@iie.org
Universities and Regional Development in the Knowledge Society Netd@ys Week Comenius Week 13th EAIE Annual Conference: "International Education:
Realising Human Potential"
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