News

University of Latvia celebrates its 90th anniversary

As part of the celebrations of its 90th anniversary the University of Latvia organised the conference “University in a small country and a global world – the influence of the financial crisis” which took place on the 26th of September.

“In today’s world of knowledge, innovation more than ever before, is directly related to economic development...” And vice versa: “The modern economy does not depend on capital, natural and human resources, but on knowledge and innovation. Innovation matters because ideas have an economic power”. Prof. Stavros A. Zenios, Rector of the University of Cyprus, pointed out that therefore the creation of a critical mass of knowledge in a region would be the necessary precondition for development. And such a creation would not be possible without a university reliably supported by society.

Rectors and deputies from Vilnius, Tartu, Toronto, Nicosia, Iceland and Ireland drew the attention to the possible outcome of the actual financial crisis in their countries and the decrease of the state grants to universities for research and teaching which could lead to a dangerous situation in spite of the “creation of a critical mass of knowledge” especially in the small countries they represent. The slogan of the University of Latvia underlined this role of the university: “Scientiae et Patriae”. Universities in small countries have to serve simultaneously for the development of science and for the cohesion - sometimes even for the creation - of the nation. They embody at the same time a scientific and a moral institution as Prof. Zenios underlined: “Reliability of the universities and their members is the social capital of the nation”. It is fundamental for the survival of these values that during the financial crisis, universities – not only in small countries - are not put under strains which favour mafia-style influences and corruption.

Prof. Ellen Hazelkorn, Director of Research and Enterprise and Dean of the Graduate Research School of the Dublin Institute of Technology, referred specifically to the budget situation in Ireland and Latvia when she mentioned that higher education has a vital role to play in building the smart economy: “This can be lost, particularly during difficult times when politicians and the public use simple indicators to measure value-for-money and returns-of-investment. The contribution higher education makes is not always predictable or manageable, and not all inputs have a direct linear output. Its most important contribution is through human capital – deepening expertise, knowledge and skills – and making the society and economy attractive to international talent and investment.”

Fast facts

Winds of change in the European Higher Education Area

Somewhat surprisingly October has seen a number of forthright remarks about the European  Higher Education Area (EHEA) and its strategic development.

Firstly European University leaders gathered in Giessen for EUA’s Autumn conference engaged in a in-depth reflection about internationalization strategies and have noted that the Bologna Process must stimulate international cooperation beyond the European borders, bearing in mind that there is much more to such kind of cooperation than “business opportunities”. While this admittedly raises complex issues concerning quality and trust it was also emphasized that student mobility plays a crucial role in international efforts, whereby universities are asked to further their efforts in this area.

Who also expressed its views about student mobility was Franck Biancheri, an influential stakeholder in the implementation of the Erasmus programme more than 20 years ago. According to Biancheri (quoted by the University World News portal) the programme is outdated and needs to address new needs while reviewing its excessively bureaucratic procedures, perceived here as excessive.

Another blunt warning was voiced by the Board of the European Research Area in its “Preparing Europe for a New Renaissance” report. The Board calls for the EU and national governments to triple the resources allocated at HE and Research, whereas the latter would amount to 5% of the gross domestic product by 2030. Another objective set forth is that of duplicating the percentage of EU population with tertiary education.

Link to ERAB’s “Preparing Europe for a New Renaissance” report.

President of the European Parliament visits EHU

European Parliament President Mr. Jerzy Buzek met with students and lecturers of European Humanities University on the 2nd of October during an official visit to Lithuania. He emphatically called EHU students the “future leaders of Belarus”. Mr. Buzek also reaffirmed the European Parliament position towards the process of building democracy, human rights and free market economy across Europe, with a particular attention towards Belarus. The visit allowed students to pose questions on EU attitudes towards liberalization and democratization in Belarus, the interplay of relations between Belarus, Russia, and the EU and the outcome of the recent visit of Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenko to Lithuania.

The EHU remains, even if at the distance, a “beacon of intellectual integrity” in the convoluted Bielorussian Higher Education landscape and has recently celebrated another important milestone: in the 27th of July the first BA graduates since the establishment of the University in Vilnius have received their diplomas in a ceremony whose keynote speaker was Dr. Valdas Adamkus, president of Lithuania.

University of Novi Sad elects new Rector

The Council of the University of Novi Sad elected Prof. Miroslav Veskovic as the new Rector, following a session held on the past 12th of June 2009. Prof. Veskovic is a nuclear physics who lectures at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Novi Sad and who has been assistant minister at the Serbian Ministry of Science and Technological Development since 2008.

Outcomes of Engineering Subject Committee meeting in Aveiro

The last meeting of Engineering Subject Committee took place in the University of Aveiro Portugal on 18th/19th of September 2009. The committee expressed its satisfaction that in 2009/2010 twenty two Engineering students are being exchanged under its aegis and sought solution to any difficulties that may have arisen in the begging of the study year, notably concerning the academic aspect of the exchange. New course information from the University of Nancy and the Technical University of Lodz is currently being added to the ex-ante recognition database in the areas of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and expand its work towards Mechanical Engineering and Architecture. With regards the next academic year preparation will take place in the University of Ankara in March 2010 and amongst other issues the members will seek ways to further increase the number of exchange students.

Upcoming events

Humanities Subject Committee meeting

Aveiro, 23-24 October 2009

Hook Up! meeting

Aveiro, 25-27 October 2009

CE Coordinators meeting

Luxembourg, 6 November 2009

Student Council Plenary Meeting

Aveiro, 4-6 December 2009