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15 September 2003
ACA Newsletter n° 31
Academic Cooperation Association Rue d'Egmontstraat 15, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium CONTENTS
1. News from the ACA Secretariat and ACA MembersACA conference ‘Networks and Networking in European Higher Education’ issues “Hanover Statement”The ACA–organised Bologna Process conference “Networks and Networking in European Higher Education” took place 1-2 September 2003 at the University of Hanover, Germany. The conference was organised in cooperation with the University of Hanover and was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. With 180 enthusiastic participants - academics and practitioners of internationalisation - and several high calibre speakers the event turned out a real success. The aim of the conference was to reflect on the role that higher education associations, consortia, and networks have to play in the Bologna process, namely through involvement in mobility, joint curriculum development (joint Masters and Ph.D. programmes), quality assurance, and credit systems. With a view to these activities, the achievements and future opportunities of institution-wide, discipline-base, and regional cross-border networks were explored. The conference took also a look at some recently created consortia and the latest initiatives. The conference was addressed by several high-level speakers from the European Commission, national government and European higher education associations and networks, like Dr. Hermann Müller-Solger, the Bologna Coordinator from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Mr. Philippe Mouraux from the European Commission DG Education and Culture; Prof. Andrew Hamnet, the Chairman of ECIU; Prof. Noel Whelan from the University of Limerick; and Prof. Barbara Kehm from the University of Kassel, just to mention a few. The results of the two-day conference were formulated into a ‘Hanover statement’, which underlines the specific and important role that the Networks have had, and will continue to have, in reaching the aims of the Bologna Process, to which the participants confirmed their full support. The statement proposes also some concrete actions, like the mapping of Bologna-related activities of the European Networks, in order to better identify the remaining needs and share tasks between Networks. The statement underlines also the importance of a strong role of Europe’s higher education institutions in the world-wide arena beyond intra-European context, and calls for an increased involvement of European networks in the future Bologna decisions. The Hanover statement will be brought to the attention of the Berlin ministerial meeting of 18-19 September 2003, and thus the results of the conference will be fed directly into the next stages of the Bologna Process. The conference was very successful and the ACA Secretariat received a lot of positive feedback from participants. ACA would like to express its gratitude to everybody who contributed to the success of this event, with special thanks to the University of Hanover and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
ACA comparative international study on the admission of foreign students to higher education institutionsAll over the globe, marketing of higher education is booming. Be it for economic reasons or for the academic dream to attract the brightest, more and more countries and higher education institutions recruit their students not only at a national, but at a global level. Nevertheless, the actual admission of foreign students is a different issue: some institutions are being overrun by a number of applications they cannot handle, in other countries a central agency is coordinating applications, in others visa regulations represent a significant obstacle, some ask for higher fees than they would for nationals. The systems differ widely – and so do the numbers of incoming students. Is there a causal link between policies and instruments concerning the admission of foreigners and the actual number of incoming students? Are some admission systems more successful than others? This is what we want to find out. The aim of the study is therefore to examine policies and instruments in selected countries (Australia, the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and to identify best practice in the admission and selection of foreign students. The results of the preliminary research that is currently being carried out will contribute to a publication by the German Academic Exchange Service, the DAAD, on the admission of foreign students, planned for September 2003 (DAAD (ed.) Betreuung, Zulassung, Ausländerrecht, series Die internationale Hochschule, volume 7, Bertelsmannverlag, Bielefeld). The actual study will be carried out in depth during the following months and will be published in the series ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education. The project is financed by the Stifterverband der Wissenschaft in Germany.
SAIA / SAAIC: International Student’s Guide to the Slovak RepublicSAAIC, the Fulbright Commission, the Slovak Rectors’ Conference, and SAIA have published a short guide in English for international students interested in study possibilities in the Slovak Republic. The guide contains information on higher education, admission requirements, entry and residence regulations, history, culture, nature, and other aspects related to living in the Slovak Republic, as well as some practical pre-departure advice. For the short guide for international students coming to the Slovak
Republic see:
IIE: An Internet discussion forum on the influence of the new visa and entry processes on foreign students entering the US.The IIENetwork has opened a discussion forum on their website, to provide an opportunity for the higher education community to share their experiences and perspectives on the drops in foreign student enrollments on U.S. campuses and obstacles faced by students applying for visas and trying to enter the country. Two related articles have appeared recently in the San Francisco Chronicle and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The IIENetwork welcomes comments on these articles, as well as information about students' experience with the new visa and entry processes. To access the two articles and to participate to the forum, please see http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=34512
Two new members of staff in the ACA secretariatThe ACA secretariat is pleased to announce that two new Senior Officers have recently joined the secretariat team in Brussels. Franziska Muche, a German national, started at the secretariat at the beginning of June 2003. Before her appointment she had been working at the European Commission as a trainee for the Unit for Higher Education in DG Education and Culture, where she was dealing with several Bologna issues. She has also a broad experience in journalism. Franziska has studied International Business and Cultural studies, as well as applied languages at the Universities of Passau, Granada, and Thames Valley (London). Maria Kelo joined the secretariat in September 2003 from the
Eurydice information network, where she worked as a researcher. Previously
she had worked as a trainee at the European Commission DG Education and
Culture, the Unit for Horizontal Action. Maria is Finnish. She has studied
European Studies at the University College London, and completed an MSc in
Philosophy and Policy at the LSE. She also spent one year at the Scuola
Normale di Pisa. 2. European PolicyThe European convention – the unchanged position of Community action in educationOn 18 July 2003 the Convention on the future of Europe submitted to the President of the European Council the ‘Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe’, intended to replace the exising treaties. The project drawn up by the Convention preserves the traditional form of an international treaty, and its revision requires the unanimity of the Member States. The competences of the European Union have remained virtually unmodified from the previous treaties, but they are now more clearly presented and divided into three categories: exclusive competences of the Union (like commerical policy); competences shared with the Member States (agriculture, transport, environment, social policy); and competences of supporting, coordinating and complementray action (like, for example, in education), which excludes any harmonisation of the laws of the Member States. The articles related to the fields of action of the European Commission DG Education and Culture are situated in Part III (provisions relating to the policies of the Union) of the draft constitution, under Title III (Internal policies and action), Chapter V (Areas where the Union may take coordinating, complementary or supporting action). Article III – 182, which is to replace the article 149 of the 2002 ‘Treaty Establishing the European Community’ has remained virtually unchanged. Only a sentence regarding sports has been added and states that ‘the Union shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues, given the social and educational function of sport.’ The draft treaty has therefore left the legal framework for Community action in the field of education (the Socrates program) as is was before. Also the content of the article III – 183, which regards vocational training, has remained the same as that of the 2002 article 150. The Part III refers also to the "open method of coordination" (without calling it so) in several fields of action, namely social policy, research and technological development, public health, and industry (respectively articles 107, 148, 179 and 180). The draft states that "in close cooperation with the Member States, the Commission may take any useful initiative to promote coordination […], in particular initiatives aiming at the establishment of guidelines and indicators, the organisation of exchange of best practice, and the preparation of the necessary elements for periodic monitoring and evaluation” (article III –148). The draft treaty does not, however, give any specific provisions for such coordination in the field of education. It will however hopefully emerge gradually as an effect of the strengthened integration. http://european-convention.eu.int/bienvenue.asp?lang=EN
Pan-European Researcher’s Mobility Portal onlineResearchers planning a stay abroad can now find career opportunities, information and assistance on the Pan-European Researcher's Mobility Portal recently launched by the European Commission. The portal will provide general information about research grants at EU, international, national or regional level, as well as available opportunities and job offers published by the different actors of the European research community (Universities, Industry, Foundations, etc). The portal will also provide information on administrative and legal issues (conditions of entry, social security and tax schemes etc) as well as on cultural/intercultural and family related aspects. http://europa.eu.int/eracareers/index_en.cfm
Commission has launched “Regions of Knowledge” pilot actionAnother step towards the achievement of the Lisbon objectives has been taken by the European Commission: On August 1st, the Commission launched the "Regions of Knowledge" pilot action with a budget of €2.5 million for 2003, the first year. The initiative will support innovative projects that demonstrate the central role of knowledge (know-how, human resources, R&D and other "intangible" production factors) in the development of regional economies. Among the projects to be supported there are initiatives to promote university involvement with the local economy or awareness-raising actions focusing on the role of knowledge as a booster of regional development. According to the Commission, dynamic regions can contribute to turning Europe into the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 - the goal set by the March 2000 Lisbon European Council. They are also expected to fully participate in efforts across Europe to raise EU average R&D spending (public and private) from 1.9 now to 3% of EU average GDP by 2010. This aim was endorsed by the March 2002 Barcelona European Council, and the Commission presented a detailed Action Plan to this end on April 29, 2003. The performance of different European regions in research activities and realising the economic benefits of the knowledge-based economy varies enormously. For instance, the regions of Baden Württemberg (Germany), Ile de France (France), Uusimaa (Finland), Vaestsverige (Sweden) and Easter England (United Kingdom) spend well over 3% of their Gross Domestic Product on research and development, while in many regions this figure is less than 0.5%. The "Regions of Knowledge" initiative is a pilot action called for by the European Parliament. The call for proposals published on 1 August sets a deadline for proposals by 17 September 2003. Proposals must involve participants from at least three current EU Member States. The call is available at http://www.cordis.lu/era/knowreg.htm. http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/press/2003/pr3107en.html
Taking action to stop EU brain drain: Commission proposes measures to improve researchers' careersThe European Commission has proposed a range of measures to help prevent Europe's best scientists abandoning their careers in Europe in favour of more attractive opportunities in the US and elsewhere. Based on a thorough analysis of career prospects in the EU, the Communication “Researchers in the European Research Area: one profession, multiple careers” identifies factors that impact on the development of careers in R&D, namely training, recruitment methods, employment conditions, evaluation mechanisms, and career advancement. The Communication proposes concrete steps to encourage and structure improved dialogue and information exchange with researchers and to establish a genuinely competitive research labour market at a European level. Recommended actions include a “European Researcher's Charter”, a “Code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers”, a common way of evaluating and recording researchers' skills, qualifications and achievements, advanced training tools, access to adequate funding, and minimum social security benefits for PhD students.
ALFA Programme: 18 projects approved in sixth selection roundThe selection carried out in the project proposals submitted by the deadline of 30th October 2002 of the Programme ALFA II lead to a total of 18 projects whose activities will be co-financed by the European Community. The selected projects involve the participation of 130 institutions from Latin American countries, the European Union Member States, and a number of other countries whose institutions participate as associate members of the project networks. The average size of the project networks is 8.6 institutions (minimum: network of 6 higher education institutions, 3 from Europe and 3 from Latin America). The estimated cost of the activities to be carried out in the framework of the 18 selected projects is 4.93M EURO, the European Community contribution amounting to 74.4% of the total. Alfa (América Latina - Formación Académica) is a co-operation programme between higher education institutions of the European Union and Latin America. Around 1 200 mobility grants were awarded during the first phase (1994-99) of the Alfa programme involving 1 300 HEIs from the European Union and Latin America. It is expected that another 1 200 mobility grants will be awarded during the second phase (2000–05) of the programme.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/alfa/publications/alfa_flash_8.pdf
The Commission steps up the drive for language learning and linguistic diversityThe Commission has adopted an action plan for 2004-2006 with a view to boosting language learning and linguistic diversity. The idea is to make better use of existing education and training programmes to underpin a range of specific measures. The action plan is based on wide-ranging public consultations. The Commissioner for Education and Culture Viviane Reding said that the EU Education Ministers and the Commission were working on a system of joint indicators and objectives with a view to improving young people's language skills, which is one of the priority tasks in terms of the new coordination arrangements between the Member States in the field of education. The Commission is in favour of a European indicator for language skills, and of creating more opportunities for Europeans to use and improve their language skills. The range of policies will include schemes to promote all languages, including regional and minority ones, making better use of bi- or trilingual people's skills for the good of the community at large, increase use of the Internet for language teaching and learning, increase the number of venues for learning languages, and spread the use of subtitles on television and in the cinema. In putting the action plan into effect, it is important to make more and better use of existing financial resources: the two major Community education and training programmes, Socrates (general education) and Leonardo da Vinci (vocational training), already provide support for language teaching and learning projects by some EUR 30 million per year. In addition to these two programmes, the Structural Funds and the European Investment Bank likewise provide backing for specific language-related projects. Measures targeted under the action plan include mainly a range of actions at pre-school, primary and secondary education level. Other measure include:
3. Public Tenders and Calls for Proposals in the EUCall for proposals DG EAC/45/03 – Language learning and linguistic diversityTwo kinds of projects will receive funding: 1) projects to disseminate information on the potential of European programmes to promote regional and minority languages; projects that involve the organisation of information relays, publications, seminars or conferences covering a large number of fields will be particularly welcome. 2) projects to set up networks of actors working in language learning and linguistic diversity. It is important that key groups (such as school inspectors; teacher trainers, language testers; teachers of foreign languages, or municipalities involved in promoting language learning) understand European objectives in this field, and are organised in such a way that their experiences can be shared. The contracting authority: European Commission, DG Education and
Culture
Socrates – General call for proposals 2004 (EAC/41/03)The contracting authority: European Commission, DG Education and
Culture
Call for applications with a view to constituting a list of experts to assess the proposals received in connection with the Community actions in the field of educationThe Commission is inviting applications with a view to constituting a list of experts to assess the proposals received in response to the annual general Call for Proposals and specific calls for proposals published under the programme. Whilst the main recourse to this list of experts will concern the Socrates programme, it may also be used for other actions in the field of education. The task of the experts will be to assist the Commission in the appraisal of proposals with reference to the objectives of the programme, the priorities and criteria laid down in the respective Guidelines and calls for proposals. For more information see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/call/expertsoc/call_en.html
Call for applications with a view to constituting a list of experts to assess proposals and carry out other activities in the framework of the trans-European cooperation scheme in higher education (Tempus III).For more information, see:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2002/c_244/c_24420021010en00110013.pdf 4. News from other sourcesGermany: Barbara Kehm has accepted call to KasselThe renowned researcher Barbara Kehm has accepted a call to the Centre for Research on Higher Education and Work at the University of Kassel, where she will take over a chair in higher education research. One of her tasks will be the creation of a master and subsequent doctoral programme in higher education studies, to be taught in English. In one way, Barbara Kehm is coming home: she had been working as an assistant lecturer (wissenschaftliche Assistentin) at the University of Kassel from 1990 till 1996. From 1996 onwards she was active as a senior researcher at the Institute for Higher Education Research of the University of Halle-Wittenberg, and from 2001 she was coordinating research projects at the same institution. She is a member of the EAIR executive committee and of the editorial boards of four international higher education journals. She has carried out several large-scale projects for practically all international organisations, like UNESCO, OECD, and the Council of Europe.
Spain: shrinking student numbers force universities to get familiar with higher education marketingToo few students and too many places are forcing Spanish universities to work harder than ever to attract entrants. “In most state universities five years ago the word 'marketing' and the concept of students as clients was unheard of," said Jorge Dorado, director of marketing at Madrid's Carlos III University. Demographic change coupled with a much-expanded higher education system has coincided with shrinkage in the student-age population. Over the past ten years, the number of Spanish universities has risen from 46 to 66, as state universities were set up in provincial capitals and private universities appeared in big cities. In October 1994, 305,000 new students entered Spanish universities whereas by October 2000, the new intake had shrunk to under 250,000. Universities are now busy forging links with secondary schools. The Technical University of Catalonia has 200 staff liaising with schools and Madrid's Carlos III is encouraging students and staff to act as ambassadors for the institution. Universities are also investing more in services and facilities for students. Silvia Benaiges, a consultant at the Technical University of Catalonia, believes the next step will be to focus on non-typical students. The University of the Basque Country is pioneering this approach with its "experience classes" for people over 55. THES, 8 August 2003, http://www.thes.co.uk/
International Union of Students marks its comeback with a “Global Student Day of Action for Public Education"The International Union of Students, largely moribund since the fall of communism, is seeking to re-establish itself with a call for a "Global Student Day of Action for Public Education", to take place on 13 September 2003. The day of action coincides with the WTO meeting in Mexico and is a follow-up to student action earlier this year against the war in Iraq. Founded in 1946 as a continuation of wartime student struggle against the Nazis, the IUS had once been the world's biggest international student organisation. Global opposition to the World Trade Organisation and the arrival of low-cost electronic communication have now revitalised the organisation, which has regained contact with every one of its 150 student organisations from 115 countries. THES, 8 August 2003, http://www.thes.co.uk/ 5. PublicationsReal-Time Systems. Reflections on higher education in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia, File, J. and Goedegebuure, L., Brno (Czech Republic), Vutium, Brno University of Technology, 246 p. / isbn 80 214 2384 6This book contains the reflections of CHEPS on a four-year dialogue with colleagues from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. The dialogue took the form of 12 policy workshops held between 1999 and 2002. The introduction, written by Guy Neave, places this dialogue in a historical and European perspective on higher education. After a concise overview of the infrastructure, trends and policy issues in higher education in the four countries, the book focuses on four key policy areas: institutional funding and change; cost sharing; quality assurance and degree recognition; and governance, management and system change. A brief comparative reflection on the four systems completes this book.
Directory of International Organisations 2003, International Foundation Directory 2003 and International Research Centers DirectoryPublished by the Asia Pacific Infoserv, these three publications provide a guide to organizations, foundations and research centres that are active on the international stage. The Directory of International Organizations brings together contact details on over 1,700 international and regional organizations, covering a spectrum of organisations from the UNO to the League of Arab States (5th Edition. 640pp. US$ 275.00 including delivery, 1-85743-1944. Hardcover.) The newly revised directory of international foundations, trusts, charitable and grant-making NGO's and other similar non-profit institutions provides a picture of foundation activities on a world scale. It includes detailed up-to-date information on some 2 100 institutions, the coverage spanning 120 countries (12th Edition. 620pp. US$ 345.00 including delivery, 1-85743-1405. Hardcover). The International Research Centers Directory provides access to almost 10 000 government, university, independent, non-profit and commercial research and development activities in more than 175 countries worldwide (Hardcover. 1500 pp. US$ 570.00 including delivery) Distributor: Asia Pacific InfoServ, GPO Box 2987, Sydney 2001,
Australia,
Managing Crisis, David Warner and David Palfreyman (eds), Open University Press, 192 pp./ isbn 0 335 21058 9 (paperback, £ 19,99), 0 335 21059 7 (hardback, £ 60,00)The last two decades have been marked by several high profile crises in higher education. This study draws together a number of senior academic managers to prepare a series of detailed institutional case studies, which identify the nature of the crisis, describe the action taken to put it right, and consider the lasting consequences.
The teaching profession in Europe: Profile, trends and concerns, Report 3: Working conditions and pay, Eurydice, 216 pp / isbn 2 87116 355 3Eurydice (The information network on education in Europe) has now published the third report of a comparative study on the attractiveness, distinctive features and occupational content of the teaching profession in general lower secondary education. The study covers the 30 European countries part of the Eurydice Network. This third report is concerned with various aspects of the professional status of teachers, as well as their working conditions, working time, duties and pay. It also seeks to describe the position and content of in-service training and to examine formal arrangements for assisting teachers in difficulty. http://www.eurydice.org/Doc_intermediaires/analysis/en/teachers_frameset_EN.html
Literacy Skills for the World of Tomorrow: Further Results from PISA 2000, OECD, Co-edited with UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), isbn 9264102868 (paperback, € 21)With this report OECD and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics extend the picture that PISA provides to additional countries that have recently joined the programme: Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, Hong Kong-China, Indonesia, Israel, FYR Macedonia, Peru, Romania, and Thailand. In addition to a wider geographic coverage, the report also provides new insights into the individual characteristics and family backgrounds that students bring to the learning process and how these interact with the resources and practices that characterise the schools they attend. It also shows that some countries have managed to mitigate the influence of social background and that some have achieved this while reaching a high overall level of performance.
http://oecdpublications.gfi-nb.com/cgi-bin/OECDBookShop.storefront/EN/product/962003071P1 6. Upcoming ConferencesSeptember 17 - 20
September 23 - 26
September 28 - October 01
September 29 - 30
October 13 - 14
October 16
October 20 - 24
October 23 - 25
October 30 - 31
November 03 - 04
November 06 - 07
November 07 - 10
November 09 - 12
November 14 - 16
November 27 - 28
December 3 - 5
Internet: www.aca-secretariat.be, Phone +32 2 513 2241, Fax +32 2 513 1776 Questions and replies to info@aca-secretariat.be
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