Transcript Higher Education and Research: Mission and Interaction David Crosier CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH WORK ON A MASTER PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN ALBANIA Tirana, March 22

Higher Education and Research:
Mission and Interaction
David Crosier
CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH WORK ON A MASTER PLAN FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION IN ALBANIA
Tirana, March 22 - 23, 2006
European University Association (EUA): Mission and
Interaction
EUA: main representative organisation of universities
(c750) and their national Rectors’ Conferences (34) in 45
countries across Europe
Mission: to promote coherence in European higher
education and research
Interaction: through
 Policy development
 Support to members (projects & services)
…2…
Increasing demands on higher education institutions
-
-
Increase participation & widen access but cut costs
be more competitive / be more socially inclusive
be more local, more regional, more European, more global
increase mobility within Europe / attract more students and
scholars from outside Europe
improve academic quality / be more responsive to labour
market providing graduates with more employable skills
provide compatible curricula across Europe / maintain
cultural diversity & be more learner-centred
be more autonomous / conform to set framework
concentrate research / respond to regional needs
do it all with decreasing public funding...
…3…
Bologna and Lisbon
 The Bologna Process: Governmental push for
convergence in 1999  legislative reform and
implementation in universities across Europe.
EHEA by 2010.
45 countries
 The Lisbon strategy: -> to make Europe the most
competitive knowledge based society also by 2010: shared
expertise, knowledge and resources with priority on
research training, through FP7 - including ERC & now EIT.
EU 25 countries
 HEIs increasingly recognised as central actors if the Lisbon
& EHEA goals are to be reached
…4…
A changing higher education landscape
Every institution cannot do everything
Need for re-thinking and refocusing HEI missions
around societal needs and institutional strengths
Maintain commitment to research-based higher
education, but...
Recognise and value excellence in all aspects of
institutional missions – teaching, services to society,
as well as research
How to do it?
…5…
Reforming higher education and research at the same time
Step 1: Societal / stakeholder debate about higher education
system: recognise the need for multiple institutional missions
Step 2: Encourage institutions to differentiate their profile and
missions:
Some competitive output-based funding incentives
can help
Step 3: Rethink governance: To whom are higher education
institutions accountable? How? What kind of governance
structures best support institutions? Role of leadership &
effective management…
…6…
Doctoral studies – at the crossroads of higher education
and research
Berlin Communiqué: Doctoral Programmes as the third cycle
EUA Doctoral Programmes Project 2004-2005: aim to link its
activities to policy debate and to feed into the preparation of
recommendations for Bergen 2005
- Maastricht conference on research training
- Salzburg Bologna Seminar and the Salzburg priniciples
- Final project report
Bergen Communiqué: BFUG asked to invite EUA and its
partners to prepare a report on the further development of
the Salzburg principles, to be presented to Ministers in
London 2007.
…7…
EUA Project on doctoral studies (2004/5)
MAIN CONCLUSION:
Need for stronger institutional involvement in organisation
of doctoral programmes built on closer collaboration with
partners (education and research, industry/ employers,
students, governments)
…8…
Other cross-cutting issues
Mobility as a part of doctoral programmes and a recognised
added value (important for career development)
European dimension in doctoral programmes – more joint
programmes needed built on high quality standards and
mutual trust
Funding – diversity of financial sources, new ways of
collaboration with other partners (e.g. industry),
employment contracts etc.
…9…
Some open questions
How to make doctoral education a part of institutional
policies and strategies?
How to support new structures of doctoral programmes
offering wider generic skills training or cross-disciplinary
training linked to further career prospects in all sectors?
What should graduate (postgraduate) education cover?
What is the role and link with Masters in this context?
Supervision: how to persuade universities (and supervisors)
about the importance of further training of supervisors or
new models of supervision?
…10…
New EUA-BFUG Doctoral Programmes Project
Objective: to prepare the report and
recommendations on doctoral programmes for the
ministerial meeting in London 2007
Activities:
 2 workshops focused on specific aspects of doctoral
programmes (23-24 March and 12-13 October 2006)
 WG on doctoral programmes at the conference « A
Researchers’ Labour Market – a Pole of Attarction », Vienna,
1-2 June 2006
 Final Bologna Seminar, December 2006, France
 Final report – beginning of 2007
…11…
Some issues to consider in addressing reform
Reform doesn’t begin at point zero: need to take account of
current environment, socio-economic situation, culture etc
Much to learn from the experience of others: all
countries/institutions are in a process of (permanent)
reform and innovation, and there is no need for everyone to
make the same mistakes...
Body of European experience to draw upon – through
CoE/EUA/ESIB/EURASHE/ENQA etc
Some clear evidence in Europe: quality and effectiveness of
reforms enhanced when institutions are empowered
(effective autonomy), and when all who should be involved
are properly consulted (cf Trends IV)
…12…