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25 October 2004 n°43

ACA Newsletter

October

Academic Cooperation Association
Rue d'Egmontstraat 15, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

The Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) is proud to announce a new book in the series ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education.

Franziska Muche, Maria Kelo, Bernd Wächter: The Admission of International Students into Higher Education. Policies and Instruments. Bonn: Lemmens 2004. ISBN 3-932306-62-7. €24.80 (print version), €12.00 (pdf).

Universities and other higher education institutions operate in an increasingly international environment. Many of them run international marketing campaigns and recruit students on a global scale. Even those which do not engage in such activities are sometimes flooded with student applications from all over the world. Therefore, policies and instruments for the admission of international students are rapidly gaining in importance. In this situation, institutions are looking for admission models which will both help them get the “right” students and rationalise their administrative procedures. But there is hardly any literature to guide them in this endeavour.

The study carried out by ACA tries to change this. It examines admissions policies and tools in different countries, in order to identify a range of models and procedures for the effective and efficient handling of international student admissions and selection.

Lemmens Verlag, Matthias-Grünewald-Str. 1-3, D-53175 Bonn, Tel.: +49 228 421 370; Fax: +49 228 421 37 29, e-mail: info@lemmens.de or from

ACA Secretariat, Rue d’Egmontstraat 15, B-1000 Brussels, Tel: +32 2 513 22 41, Fax: 32 2 513 17 76, e-mail: info@aca-secretariat.be.

The ACA-organised conference “Opening up to the Wider World: The External Dimension of the Bologna Process” took place in Hamburg, Germany from 17 to 19 October 2004. The conference was organised in cooperation with the University of Hamburg, and supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the European Commission. With 200 enthusiastic participants - academics and practitioners of internationalisation, the conference turned out a real success.

The event featured a number of high calibre speakers from Europe, such Peter Scott (ACA President, Kingston University, UK), Peter van der Hijden (European Commission), Sjur Bergan (Council of Europe) or Ulrich Teichler (Centre for Research on Higher Education and Work, University of Kassel). A number of renowned non-European experts, such as Catharine Stimpson (New York University) or KB Powar, the former Secretary General of the Indian Association of Universities, delivered an interesting perspective of the impact and perception of the Bologna reforms in other world regions.

The conference was guided by the overarching question if and in which way exactly the Bologna reforms (BMD structure, ECTS, recognition, quality assurance, etc.) would help to improve the reputation and attractiveness of European higher education in the world. The impact of the Bologna reforms on cooperation and competition between Europe and other world regions was questioned and investigated by both European and non-European experts. The event also looked at additional measures, e.g. European-level information and marketing measures in non-European countries or immigration policy.

The ACA Secretariat received a largely positive feedback from conference participants and speakers. The main comments stressed on the high quality of speakers and chairs, and on the need to further investigate the external dimension of the making of the European Higher Education Area, looking at the reforms from another but an exclusively Eurocentric perspective. In the words of a participant, the conference is “to be looked back on as a turning point in Bologna discussion”. The most important contributions will be published in the ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education in the first half of 2005.

ACA would like to express its gratitude to everybody who contributed to the success of this event, with special thanks to the University of Hamburg, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the European Commission, to the speakers and, last but not least, to the participants.

We are happy to announce the birth of the second ‘ACA baby’, Sami, on 21st October. His mother, Maria Kelo, joined the Secretariat as a Senior officer in September 2003. The first ‘ACA baby’, Kobe, was born on 22nd February 2004, and is the son of Maaike Dhont, our Office Manager.

IIENetworker, IIE’s international education magazine, invites submissions for publication in its upcoming Spring 2005 issue. Published twice a year, IIENetworker is a magazine for international education professionals and publishes pieces on all aspects of international education in the United States and around the world. IIENetworker features new research, as well as articles that deal with everyday practice.

The aim of the spring issue is provide perspectives on the opportunities for EU/US academic cooperation especially in light of the recent enlargement of the European Union, but also on the challenges related to the Bologna process and its impact on U.S. higher education.

The spring issue of IIENetworker will include articles on EU/US cooperation, on accreditation and international admissions issues related to, for example, the development of new three year Bachelor degrees in Europe; on growing international study opportunities through new programs such as Erasmus Mundus; as well as on international student mobility issues such as competing for market share, promoting higher education overseas, recruitment strategies; and a range of other potential issues.

Most articles in the magazine will be between 2 and 4 pages (between 1000 and 1500 words).

42-year-old Gunn Mangerud from Bergen is the new director at SIU. She was previously working as Chief Professional in Geology in Norsk Hydro's Technology and Research Division which serves the entire Oil & Energy area within Hydro. She has a cand scient degree (Master's degree) from the University of Trondheim and a dr. scient degree (Ph.D) from the University of Bergen.

Anne-Marie De Jonghe has become the new director of VLIR. Her previous posts include member of the board and quality coordinator in the bank sector, director of research development at INSEAD (The European Institute of Business Administration) and consultant for European and national projects. Anne-Marie De Jonghe is also an independent researcher and a participant at the executive doctorate programme in Higher Education Management at the University of Bath.

During her visit to Turkey in October 2004, Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds announced the creation of the Swedish-Turkish Scholarship for Human Rights Law, a new scholarship for Turkish students in memory of her late predecessor Anna Lindh.

Eligible are Turkish students who have been accepted to a master's programme in human rights law at a Swedish university. The first scholarship will be available for the academic year starting in the second half of 2005. The programme will be administered by the Swedish Institute (SI).

Together with The Nordic Council of Ministers, SI is one of the organisers of a conference for university lecturers in Nordic languages in Central and Eastern Europe. The conference Norden i det nya Europa (The Nordic countries in the New Europe) will be held in Krakow, November 4-6.

As part of the activities surrounding the celebration of the Year of France in China, EduFrance and the French Embassy are organising a major event to promote French higher education in China. In addition to education fairs in Beijing and Shanghai, activities during this weeklong event starting on 23rd October 2004 will include meetings between Chinese and French higher education institutions in three provincial cities, seminars and debates, as well as the dissemination of numerous brochures in Chinese presenting study opportunities in France. At the Shanghai fair, a dozen French businesses with branches in China will present their recruitment needs and policies.

With over 150 French institutions participating in the event and more than 30000 students expected at each of the fairs, this is the largest overseas event promoting higher education yet to be organised by France. It aims to give maximum exposure to French higher education institutions and businesses and will provide the French representatives with important opportunities for creating partnerships and setting up cooperation programmes with their Chinese counterparts.

In its third Action Programme on the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions (2004 – 2010) the DAAD continues supporting the German higher education institutions in their competitive efforts to attract the top students from all over the world. After an impressive success in the quantity of incomings the main emphasis is now put on improving quality, for example by offering selection and guidance of international students, by overcoming language barriers and increasing the number of students who complete their studies successfully.

Part two of the Action Programme puts up for discussion Germany's future role within the international education market. The discussion is based on the prediction that the number of international students in Germany will quadruple within the next 20 years. The public is invited to join the debate.

For highly qualified students from abroad who are interested in studying in Germany DAAD collected actual information on the current discussion regarding tuition fees. On its website you can find details about master studies programmes in Germany which are tuition free and others which charge fees.

The Website Campus Germany has developed into the focal information tool for international students and scientists. Campus Germany, actually informing about study and research in Germany in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian and German, will soon expand its service to Arabic and Japanese. Campus Germany offers portraits of all German university towns, a dictionary with relevant technical terms, an interactive forum, video clips with reports from international students in Germany and many more.

Since May 2004, Jan Figel, the Commissioner designate for Slovakia, has shared the portfolio ‘Enterprise and Information Society’ with Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. Having been retained as a candidate for the new Commission, he has now been offered the ‘culture, education, training and multilingualism’ portfolio.

During his hearing at the European Parliament on 27 September, Jan Figel expressed his belief that the Lisbon strategy, under which the EU should become the best performing knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010, will be the main priority of the new European Commission and the EU as a whole. Claiming to hold a "strategic portfolio", the former chief negotiator for the accession of Slovakia to the EU notes that he will be part of the high-level working group on the Lisbon agenda. To help create a knowledge-based Europe, the Slovak said Europe needs more investment in education and training, and mutual recognition of qulifications and skills. "Mobility must be greatly improved, both between geographical regions and sectors of activity, in order to create a dynamic European labour market", he stressed.

Presenting several specific plans, Figel said he intended to see the new programme of lifelong education approved as soon as possible. There should be wider discussion next year on the importance of universities, and Figel also wants to make Europe more attractive for foreign students and teachers by means of the Erasmus Mundus programme. As for multilingualism, Figel wants to see every student being taught in two more languages at school in addition to their mother tongue.

In the area of culture, Mr Figel wants to play an important role within UNESCO, talks on cultural diversity, paying attention to dialoge between the cultures and, especially, with Muslim countries. He believes that culture and education are vital aspects of European identity, citizenship and quality of life. "European integration is more than just an economic or geographical challenge, it is also a question of values, civilisation and cultural heritage," he said.

Parliament sources said his performance had been greatly appreciated and all political groups agreed to support his appointment as Commissioner.

The European Commission has selected the first 19 Erasmus Mundus masters courses, involving 82 European universities, which will start at the beginning of this academic year (2004-2005). The aim of the programme is to strengthen European cooperation and international ties in higher education by supporting high-quality masters courses and encouraging exchanges between students and academics from all over the world and the European Union. A total of 230 million euro will be spent on the programme between now and 2008.

Having finally been adopted at the beginning of 2004, the Erasmus Mundus programme issued a call for proposals, which prompted 128 applications for masters courses (Action 1 of the programme), involving hundreds of European universities.

The applications were assessed by independent experts, and a list of the 19 best courses was produced by a Selection Board consisting of 12 leading figures from European academia.

Of the 19 courses chosen for a period of five years, 14 will come into operation fully in 2004/2005, while the other 5 will have the status of a preparatory year. 82 European universities in 17 countries are participating in the courses selected. The countries most prominently represented are Germany (13 universities), France (12), Italy (10) and the United Kingdom (8).

From this autumn, these universities will welcome the first recipients of Erasmus Mundus scholarships (Action 2): 140 students and 42 academics, all with excellent academic records and chosen by their universities, from about 80 countries all over the world, will come to study in Europe for up to two years. The masters courses cover a very wide variety of disciplines: law, economics, social sciences, politics, environmental sciences, management, sociology, education, industrial relations, mathematics, health, new technologies, etc.

The fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 5) was held in Hanoi on 8-9 October 2004. The Heads of State and Government of thirteen Asian and twenty-five European nations, with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg acting also as the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission, attended the Summit. The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Phan Van Khai chaired this momentous Meeting.

The Leaders acknowledged the importance and potentials for Asia-Europe cooperation at all levels in various fields such as social development, labor and employment, education and training, public health and environment. They agreed to further expand and strengthen ASEM cooperation in these fields, and tasked Ministers to work out action- and result-oriented programs to this end.

EURASHE, the European Association of higher Education institutions has a new Director. Stefan Delplace, a Belgian living and working in Gent, has been involved in International Relations since 1989, as a senior staff member in two Flemish hogescholen. He was trained in Languages and Business Studies, taught Germanic languages, and was in charge of twinning projects for the Gent Junior Chamber of Commerce. In the past few years he was mainly active as a project manager and an academic expert, for projects in Central and East European countries.

The first Best Practice Award was presented to Kirsi-Marja Marnela at the Closing Event of the 16th Annual EAIE Conference. 16th Annual EAIE Conference, 15–18 September2004 in Torino, Italy

This Price was designed for a professional in the field of international relations who has been exceptionally active and effective in the development of international academic relations. The Awards Committee chose Kirsi-Marja Marnela as the first recipient of the Best Practice Award because she exemplifies all these qualities and has dedicated a lot time and skilled energy to both the EAIE and international relations in general.

Dr Marnela was among the first officials working in international affairs in Finnish higher education. Currently, Dr Marnela is the Director of international education services at the University of Tampere. She is responsible for operational administration and planning of educational and mobility programmes, and international relations and new bilateral agreements. She is also the institutional SOCRATES coordinator. Dr Marnela is an active member of the EAIE, taking part in annual conferences and furthering her work in several of the Association’s subgroupings. She played an absolutely crucial role on the local committee when the higher education institutions of Tampere organised the EAIE Annual Conference in 2001. In addition, Dr Marnela is active in the Tempus Programme, is a NAFSA member, and an active participant in the Nordplus programme for Nordic cooperation.

EAIE members voted Fiona Hunter as the 2004–2006 Vice-President of the European Association for International Education (EAIE).

Fiona Hunter obtained her first degree in languages after studying in three universities in Scotland, Germany and France, an experience that set her on an early international path. She taught languages at universities first in France and then in Italy where she also ventured into yacht charter business. In 1996 she combined her academic and business experience and developed the international office for the Università Carlo Cattaneo-LIUC in Italy where she now works as Director of International Relations.

Within the EAIE, Fiona is a very active member. She is a member of the Executive Board, chair of the Training Committee, member of the Conference Programme Committee and member of the Editorial Committee. Fiona is therefore familiar with many of EAIE’s activities and publications as a result of her direct involvement. In addition to serving as chair of the Training Committee and putting together summer courses each year, Fiona also taught one of the courses.

The previous Vice President Antoinette Charon Wauters becomes President of the EAIE. Antoinette Charon was born and educated in Brussels. She worked as an assistant in Archaeology at the University of Lausanne and became scientific collaborator for the Swiss Archaeology School in Greece in 1978. In 1991, she was fully employed to deal with the international relations of the University of Lausanne, and she has been in charge of student affairs from 2000 onwards. She has worked as a European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) counsellor for the European Commission and the Federal Office for Education and Science (OFES). Antoinette Charon-Waulters is in charge of international relations, student affairs and Bologna reforms at the University of Lausanne.

4. Other Sources

Sweden is almost certain to introduce tuition fees for students from outside the European Union within the next year.

A spokesman for Thomas Ostros, the Education Minister, said legislation was "likely" to be put before Parliament soon.

In 2003, 10,600 exchange students came to Sweden, according to the National Agency for Higher Education. But this may account for only two thirds of the total number of foreign students.

The Tidningarnas Telegrambrya news agency suggested that the figure was nearer 14,000 as many so-called free movers - students who have come to Sweden under their own steam - are not taken into account.

Helena Mähler of the research and policy division of the National Agency for Higher Education said: "It's hard to know the exact number of foreign students because the figures we receive from the universities relate to exchange students. There are no official national figures for the number of free movers yet."

Free tuition is a key reason for students coming to Sweden, suggests research by Anna Sjökvist and Lisa Wedin at Umea School of Business and Economics.

Mike MacIssac, an American studying at the Stockholm Institute of Education, said that it "was certainly a factor".

Eldridge Adolfo, a British/Zimbabwean masters student in political science at Stockholm University, said: "The minimal cost of education here compared with the UK, where I took my first degree, was a significant draw - that, and the fact I could study in English." In Sweden, many degrees and masters programmes are taught in English.

Top European academics are increasingly turning their backs on the United States and returning to Europe as their discontentment grows with the policies of President Bush. The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich recently made two such appointments – but opinion is divided over whether this is the start of a trend.

“As much as it pains me, I must – out of selfish reasons – welcome Bush’s re-elections”, said Olaf Kübler, president of the Zurich institute. Kübler was referring to the fact that Europe seems to be benefiting from a reverse brain drain, as its top scientists return to the continent after time spent in the US.

According to the European Union, around 400.000 European researchers are currently working in the US and three-quartes of them have no intention of returning.

However, this might all be set to change if discontentment with the Bush administration continues.

Viola Vogel, who has been working in the Zurich institute since April as professor in the department of materials after spending 16 years in the US, says she never intended to leave America. German-born Vogel spent 14 years at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she was also director of the Center for Nanotechnology. She says that one of the main reasons for leaving was an excellent offer from Zurich, including a fixed research budget – which was an attractive proposition after years of petitioning for money in the US.

However, it was the change in the political climate and the policies of the Bush administration that pushed her to make a definite decision to leave. Vogel says she was particularly concerned that the Bush administration’s rising debts could lead to a sharp decrease in the money available for research. The trend can already be seen in this year’s budget for the National Institute of Health in the US.

Lars-Erik Cederman is another academic to have made the break with the US. Since May last year, Cederman has been professor at the department of international conflict and research at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

The Swede, who spent 10 years in the US, his latest post there being at Harvard University, also intended to make his career in America. However, Bush’s controversial speech on the “axis of evil” in which he named Iran, Iraq and North Korea, changed everything for him. He says that the political centre in academic circles collapsed leaving Cederman, who had always been on the left side of the political spectrum, branded as a radical leftwinger.

The tightening of US visa rules following the September 11 attacks has also affected the number of foreign researchers being admitted to the US.

Robert Gates, president of the Texas A&M University, told the “New York Times” that 90 per cent of US universities had seen the number of foreign applicants fall in 2004. Overall, said Gates, the number of Chinese applicants fell by 76 per cent, whereas the number of applications from India fell by 58 per cent.

The new German law on immigration enters into force on January 1st, 2005. From then on international students will meet improved residence conditions. Graduates will get the chance to collect first job experience in Germany and even the right of residence for dependants will be less strict. For more information: http://www.bmbf.de/press/1193.php

5. Publications

‘Culture matters’ is the title of the latest book in the EAIE’s Occasional Paper series. Published at the 16th Annual EAIE Conference held recently in Torino, Italy (15 to 18 September 2004), it explores intercultural competencies and the theory that provides a framework for understanding cultural differences and their impact on individuals.

The authors, Jeanine Hermans and Margaret D Pusch intend ‘Culture matters’ to be practical but also to provide a theoretical framework within which to organise and understand the intercultural experience especially as it applies to international education. The EAIE believes it can be useful in any situation where culturally different people come together, and assist a broader understanding of how we can contribute to international education.

Copies of ‘Culture matters’, EAIE Occasional Paper 16, can be ordered from the EAIE at http://www.eaie.org/publications/order.asp and cost EUR 10 per copy (plus postage and packing).

More information regarding the EAIE and its publications can be obtained from the EAIE website, http://www.eaie.org, or contact the EAIE Secretariat, PO Box 11189, 1001 GD Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel +31-20-525 49 99, fax +31-20-525 49 98, e-mail eaie@eaie.nl.

6. Upcoming Conferences

October 28-30
EUA Conference “Research Training as a Key To a Europe of Knowledge”
Maastricht, The Netherlands
http://www.eua.be/eua/

November 4-6
Bologna-seminar: "New Generations of Policy Documents and Laws for Higher Education: Their Thrust in the Context of the Bologna Process"
Organised by the Institute of Knowledge Society, UNESCO-CEPES, the Council of Europe, the European University Association (EUA) and the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP)
Warsaw, Poland
http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/

November 18-19
European Seminar for Bologna Promoters, organized by the European commission
Bruxelles, Belgium
http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/

November 19-20
“Quality assurance, Accreditation, and European Legal Education”
Organised by the QUAACAS Committee of the European Law Faculties Association (ELFA) in co-operation with the Faculty of Law
Further details can now be found at www.elfa-afde.org and www.elfa.bham.ac.uk

November 22-23
OEAD Conference “Internationalisation process at the Austrian Institutions of Higher education”
Responsibility for international students and chances for international development goals
Vienna, Austria
http://www.oead.ac.at/_start/index_english.html

November 25-26
“Bachelor’s degree: What is this?”
St Petersbourg, Russia
http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/

November 25-30
Worldconference on the Right to and Rights in Education",
Organised by European Association for Education Law and Policy in cooperation with the SAELPA, ANZELA, ELA (USA) and regional ELAs in Europe
Amsterdam, Tilburg, The Hague, The Netherlands
http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/

December 1-3
Online Educa Berlin – 10th International Conference on Technology supported Learning and Training
Berlin, Germany
http://www.online-educa.com/en/

December 3-4
“Improving the Recognition System of Degrees and Periods of Studies"
Riga, Latvia
http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/

December 13-16
Bologna seminar “Strengthening European co-operation in vocational education and training: The Way Forward ”
Maastricht, The Netherlands
http://www.bologna-bergen2005.no/

CONTENTS

4. Other Sources

5. Publications

6. Upcoming Conferences