How to build an European Higher Education Area

lessons learnt

Michael GaebelEuropean University Association (EUA)

ASAIHL Conference Penang, 14 Dec. 2008

European University Association (EUA)•Independent membership organisation•Secretariat in Brussels•Goals: Strengthen the European universities

•Representing the European university sector: •Shaping HE and Research policy at European level•Institutional development (seminars, workshops, publications on policy development + institutional good practices)

EUA - « the Voice of European Universities« 34 national Rectors’

Conferences770 individual universitiesAffiliated university

networks + organisations in 46 European countries

EUA Membership - 2007

By the way: Is it Europe or Europes?

Learning outcome 1: Learn to distinguish: Council of Europe from European Council

Council of Europe

Strasbourg, France 194947 member statesMinisterial CouncilParliamentary Assemblylegal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation + EducationLisbon Recognition Convention (+UNESCO)

European Union (EU)

political and economic union of 27 member states1993 Treaty of Maastricht (before: European Economic Community) mix of intergovernmental and supranational structuressingle market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capitalcommon currency - EURO (15 Member States) common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy.role in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport control between many member states (Schengen)

European Commission

European Parliament (Brussels + Strasbourg)European Council - EU Heads of State + EU President (Brussels)

≠ Council of Europe, Strasbourg

European Commission (EC - Brussels) – legislative and executive powers a role in foreign policy, representing its members WTO, G8, UN a mandate for vocational education – but supporting measures

and policy development (Erasmus, European Qualification Framework etc.)

a mandate for research: FP7, European Institute of Technology

Learning outcome 2:How to build a supranational Education Area – no contracts, no central administration, no imposition

of standards and no diminishing of cultural traditions

…9…

/ : : Lisbon Strategy European Research Area Bologna Process 27+ 46 Member States of European Union BolognaCountries+ international associate countries

2010 – Completion of two complementary European reform processes

…10…

/ The Lisbon Strategy European Research Area

1998/99 46 European countries have signed up• + European Union + Council of Europe• Governmental push for system convergence, • stakeholder supported implementation in universities

across Europe

2000 European Union – currently 27+ countries• to make Europe the most competitive knowledge based society• but also « capable of sustainable economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion »• multi-national co-operation among all the actors & in all scientific fields - EU Member States and international partners

Universities are central actors in both processes

: The Bologna Process Building the European Higher Education

Area

…11…

Bologna : a pan-European HE Reform Process Bologna – a voluntary process; 46 countries signed upwith no legal obligationsa tiny ‘Bologna’ Secretariat (2-4 people)Website http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/Joint Ministerial Meeting & Communiqué – every 2 yearsA shared responsibility: governments, universities, staff & students = members of the Bologna Follow-Up GroupIncreasingly stakeholder driven now that implementation is the priorityAgreement on 10 Bologna Action lines

10 Bologna Actionlines

Bologna Declaration of 1999: 1. Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees2. Adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles3. Establishment of a system of credits4. Promotion of mobility5. Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance6. Promotion of the European dimension in higher education

Prague Ministerial summit of 2001:7. Focus on lifelong learning8. Inclusion of higher education institutions and students9. Promotion of the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area

Berlin Ministerial summit of 2003:10. Doctoral studies and the synergy between the European Higher Education

Area and the European Research Area

from Reykjavik

to NicosiaFrom Lisbon

to Moscow

A congruent higher education system all over Europefacilitating mobility of students and scholars

Bologna Achievement: Overall assessment

Enormous progress since 1999: 83% of HEIs have the 3 cycle structure in place (Trends V, 2007) > 53% in 2003ECTS for credit transfer + accummulationDiploma supplement – in use in most countriesJoint diplomaEuropean Dimension of QA Global DimensionJoint European discourse on higher education 17 new countries have joined since 199974% of institutions: « it is essential to make rapid progress towards the EHEA » (Trends V)

Employability of the Bachelor?What is a European Master?Joint diploma: sustainable? Socially exclusive? Feasible and useful?50% of the institutions: Transfer credit recognition in some cases problematicECTS: workload or learning outcomes?Diploma supplement: issued on demandMobility – obstacles in and beyond HESocial dimension, LLLIncentives for the Global DimensionCountries at different paceEurope or EU? Relation with the European Research AreaBeyond 2010?

…15…

Key challenges for the European Higher Education Area post 2010

2010 - less a deadline and more the start of a new phase?some reforms are accomplished, others not yetindividual Bologna countries implement reform at a different pacegrowing links between the EHEA, & the EU Lisbon Agenda goals/the European Research Area Increasing awareness of the role of universities in building a knowledge society in EuropeThe economic and social environment is changing e. g. demographic situation of Europe Globalisation & the emergence of international education

EUA Slide 15

Successful?

“So you have academic friends in Toulouse or Fribourg or Évora who think Bologna is a disaster; therefore, you think it’s a disaster?

For some real evidence, let’s look at the March 2007 Eurobarometer survey of 5,800 faculty and administrators in 31 European countries. Here’s what it found: Thirty-two percent said the old degree system was better, with considerable variation by country (53 percent of the German faculty versus 11 percent of the French, for example) and by field (42 percent of engineering faculty preferred the old system). So, disregarding the 9 percent who hadn’t made up their minds, roughly 35 percent of the European academic workforce preferred the pre-Bologna degree system—while 65 percent disagreed. In an election, we would call that a landslide”.

Chris Adelman, 2008, IHEP Policy Brief “Learning Accountability from Bologna: A Higher Education Policy Primer, A message to US academic policy makers who have friends in Europe who don’t like Bologna”

…17…

European Higher Education and Research Area

- increasingly intertwined in a global setting

European higher Education Area (EHEA) and European Research Area (ERA) cannot function in a vacuumcommunicating and sharing the ‘processes’ is crucialDifferent institutions and countries across the EHEA are at different phases of their ‘internationalisation’ process & have different prioritiesMobility is an international, & not simply an intra-European questionAttracting global talent: the changing role of the university as a service provider and an ‘exporter’Demographic developments will play an increasingly important role EUA

Slide 17

Learning outcome 3:How to involve stakeholders into an intergovernmental

reform process – because top-down only would not work

The Role of Stakeholder organisations

Bologna Ministerial Meetings: each national delegation comprises 1 Rector and 1 Student representativeConsultative members - key actors in the Bologna reforms European University Association European Student Union European Colleges (EURASHE) European Association for QA (ENQA)

Participate in Ministers Meetings, Senior Stakeholder Meetings, all working groupsMinisterial Communiqué: discussed with stakeholders

Bologna Achievement – thanks to stakeholders

Active contribution of stakeholder organisations:European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance http://www.eqar.eu/index.php?id=41European Register for Quality Assurance Agencies EQAR www.eqar.euInclusion of 3rd cycle (doctorates)Strategy of Bologna Process in a Global Setting http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/documents/WGR2007/Strategy-for-EHEA-in-global-setting.pdfEuropean Lifelong Learning Charter http://www.eua.be/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Publications/European_Universities__Charter_on_Lifelong_learning.pdf

Learning outcome 4:How to build a supra-national university association

Why Rectors/ University Associations?Change and change demands acceleratedUniversities have to react – and to actAutonomy: need buffer organisation between Gov. +universityAutonomy: building solidarity between universitiesUniversity associations: indentify trends Inform, mobilise universities (solidarity) Facilitate discussions – with universities + stakeholders Develop and disseminate best practices Formulate universities’ position Advocate and lobby (governments, media etc) International “HE diplomacy”

EUA’s Mandate

Core task: Strengthen the European universities

Policy development at European Levelinstitutional development and dissemination of good practicesInformed dialogue – creation of knowledge and information on HEEuropean Mission: European Higher Education Area (Bologna/ Lisbon)Internationalisation

EUA Activities Thematic priorities – institutional perspective

Institutional development Quality assurance Research management and funding Developing and disseminating good practices International cooperation and exchange

Membership services

Surveys, projects – building knowledge -informed dialogue

Publications

Policy dialogue (universities, partners, governments);

EUA FlagshipsTrends Report – biannual report on the implementation of Bologna Reforms (800-900 Universities, 34 National Rectors Associations)Joint Master programme GuidelinesQuality Culture + Creativity ProjectInstitutional Evaluation Programme Recognised QA Agency Voluntary evaluation Fit for purpose: to strengthen university, support senior management Pool of 80 rectors More than 200 evaluations Higher education systems report: Ireland, Portugal, Turkey, Slovakia

EUA + AutonomyPolicy level: advocate Autonomy in Bologna Process Key condition for institutional development Responsiveness and responsiblity Higher education as a public good Diversity of institutional mission

Information: surveys on autonomy in EuropeConferences, workshops, seminars, projects Governance: sound governance and management On QA – to ensure good accountability Industry cooperation Funding

• institutions have to be sufficiently funded – full costing• diversity of funding sources • Tuition fees?

Good for Europe. What about the rest of the world?

Learning outcome 5: Higher education is international

EUA’s position: Internationalisation imperative

Global challenges – global responsesGlobal problems: environment, energy, economy, demographicsResearch is international increased international mobility of people and programmesTrends towards supranational coordination in HE-Regional integration?Bologna Process internationally recognised Enhanced international cooperation

Autonomy – implications for international exchange and cooperation Government to Government University to University University organisation to university organisation:

• E.g: Joint statement of ACE, AUCC and EUA on GATS• Dialogue processes with partner organisations around the world

EUA’s International Goals

dialogue, exchange and cooperation with partners based on the principle of equal partnershipDialogue and solidarity with partner organisationsInternationalisation of « European » achievementsPromotion of European Higher Education Area, and the Bologna ProcessStrenghten the European UniversitiesComplementary to activities of members

To promote partnerships in higher education and research within Europe and with the rest of the world

EUA’s International Partners

Conclusion/ Assumptions

Autonomy, internationalisation and crossborder on the riseAutonomy: diversity of missions how to ensure self-reflection and advocacy of

universities at national/regional level how to ensure international representation and

exchange at system level (previously role of gov.)Internationalisation+crossborder: Partnership and cooperation Corporisation - Commercialisation

Situation of small(er) countries: Europe - larger entity Competitiveness Critical mass: Recognition / mobility

ThanksEuropean University Association 13, Rue d’Egmont,1000 Brussels, Belgiumwww.eua.be