Regional

Erasmus Mundus Program Begins

The first 19 Erasmus Mundus master’s programs were launched this fall with the start of the new semester. Eighty-two European universities in 17 countries are participating in the selected programs. The initial intake of Erasmus Mundus scholarship recipients includes 140 students and 42 academics from about 80 non-European Union countries, who will study in Europe for up to two years. Adopted at the beginning of 2004, the program supports “high-quality” master’s programs and encourages exchanges from all over the world and the European Union.

— EurActiv
Sept. 24, 2004

Cyprus

Agreement Signed with Harvard

Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos traveled to Boston in June to sign a cooperation agreement with Harvard University that paves the way for an international research center on public health and environmental issues in Cyprus.

Under the agreement, the Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health (CII), which will be established in Cyprus as a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) associated institute, will assist researchers in addressing the environmental and public health needs of the island and the region. The institute was designed to attract scientists from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the United States to Cyprus for training, research studies and international conferences.

The program will offer master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as postdoctoral research training. A minimum of five students a year from Cyprus or the region will receive fellowships to attend graduate-level programs at HSPH in Boston. The initiative will also include training activities in Cyprus consisting of lecture series, short courses for mid-career professionals and a graduate-level certificate program. The institute is expected to be fully operational in two years, and will be funded initially by investments from the Republic of Cyprus, European Union and regional research grants and gifts from international corporations.

— Washington, D.C. Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus news release
June 7, 2004

Denmark

International Student Enrollment on Rise

Foreign students are enrolling at Danish universities in increasing numbers, with Swedish and Chinese students leading the way. The Copenhagen Post describes the increase in numbers from the two countries since 1995 as “dramatic”; the total number of foreign applicants is up 60 percent over the same period.

University officials report that Swedes tend to submit unsolicited applications, while Chinese students are actively recruited, often to programs where there is a shortage of Danish applicants and where cutbacks might otherwise be inevitable. There is an increasing number of programs being taught in English, which is one of the major reasons fueling the rise in foreign student numbers.

Though special requirements apply to foreign students in Denmark as part of exchange programs, there are no tuition fees to pay – at least for now. Last spring, the government issued a report on the internationalization of postsecondary education, which recommended charging tuition fees for non-European Union students.

— The Copenhagen Post
Aug. 8, 2004

Finland

Polytechnics Adopt ECTS Credits

Course units in polytechnic studies will change from credits to ECTS points beginning with the 2005-06 academic year. The reform will take place in accordance with the Bologna Process. The length of studies leading to a polytechnic degree will be 180, 210 or 240 ECTS points. The required workload during one academic year is 1,600 hours, which corresponds to 60 ECTS points. The value of vocational teacher training will be 60 ECTS points, while that of the driving instructor training will be 100 ECTS points.

— Ministry of Education news digest
June 2004

Germany

Court Ruling Grants Reprieve to Habilitation

Germany’s highest court has ruled against a 2002 statute that introduces a “junior professor” program, a fast track to tenure aimed at attracting younger candidates to academic positions.

Becoming a professor traditionally has required the completion of the Habilitation, effectively a postdoctoral dissertation conducted under the supervision of a senior professor. The process is a lengthy one, which means candidates rarely qualify as full professors before the age of 40. The law would have gradually phased out the Habilitation by 2010 and made junior professorship available to doctorate holders.

The law was struck down because, according to the Constitution, education policy is the preserve of the Länder, and as such the federal statute is illegal. Germany’s 16 state governments are now being urged by the federal Ministry of Education to take up the cause. The city-state of Berlin is doing just that, supporting the system.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
Aug. 13, 2004

Professorship Ruling May Set Precedent for Tuition Decision

Students, academics and politicians are bracing for a ruling on the controversial matter of university tuition fees, which were abolished in 1969. The Franfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper suggests the Constitutional Court’s decision on junior professorship (see above) may have set a precedent that renders its upcoming ruling on fees a foregone conclusion.

The federal ban on tuition fees, enacted in 2002 under the University Framework Act, is considered a breach of the federal government’s mandate, which does not extend to education policy – it is the preserve of state government. Both the junior professorship law and the law banning tuition fees are part of the University Framework Act. The court is expected to make a final decision by the end of the year.

The Constitution limits the federal government’s influence on the country’s universities to the University Framework Act, which seeks to ensure that all German universities work under the same parameters. Final competence in university matters, however, lies with the individual states, a right they fiercely guard. Germany’s underfunded states have long tried to introduce university fees by whatever means. One such example, later ruled unconstitutional, was charging registration fees that far exceeded administrative costs. The 2002 act did open up the possibility to levy fees on students who take too long (more than four semesters than the standard period) to complete their degrees. All but one state – Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – have instituted such procrastination penalties.

— Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Aug. 6, 2004

New Admission Procedures to Begin

Beginning with the 2005-06 winter semester, universities will use new admission procedures. Sixty percent of seats in restricted-admission programs such as business, biology, medicine and pharmacy will be awarded through internal selection procedures. Twenty percent of places will be reserved for the top scorers on the high school leaving exam, Abitur, who will have their choice of institutions. The remaining twenty percent will be awarded after a waiting period. The new system is designed to give universities more autonomy over admissions.

— DAAD
July 2004

Greece

University of Indianapolis Make Athens Branch Official

The University of Indianapolis has assumed ownership of a campus in Athens that has been home to many of its degree programs for the last 15 years, making it a full-fledged branch campus of the university.

Developed in 1989, the campus currently offers 30 undergraduate and eight graduate programs in the arts, sciences and business. The campus is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges.

— Phantis
June 7, 2004

Lincoln Hit by Fake-Degree Inquiry

Greek students at the United Kingdom-based University of Lincoln are being advised by their government to move to other universities after allegations of fake degrees emerged in Israel (see September/October 2003 WENR). The Greek authorities are refusing to recognize Lincoln degrees pending the outcome of an Israeli investigation into the improper issuing of the university’s degrees in Israel five years ago. Lincoln University said it is aware that Greece has delayed the validation of degrees, but is surprised students are being advised to change schools. Approximately 24,000 Greek students study in the United Kingdom every year — the largest group from any European Union country.

— The Guardian
Sept. 8, 2004

The Republic of Ireland

International Student Numbers Surge

The number of foreign students studying at the tertiary level continues to grow rapidly, according to a recent report. The number of international students at Ireland’s 36 institutions of higher education has risen approximately 20 percent over the last year. These students are estimated to be adding 276 million euros to the economy annually.

According to the annual research report from the Irish International Education Board, the biggest increase in foreign students came from China, with the number more than doubling in the past two years, from 1,223 to 2,874. Of the 18,608 overseas students enrolled at Irish institutions of higher education, 61 percent were at universities; 14,778 were from non-European Union countries. The United States ranked as the largest source market, followed by Malaysia and China.

— Unison
July 30, 2004

Sweden

Tuition Fees Considered

University students in Sweden, who have never had to pay tuition fees, may soon have to consider the realities of yearly school premiums as the nation’s universities face increasing budget shortfalls.

Undergraduates at the highly rated, semi-independent Stockholm School of Economics currently pay no tuition; however, Lars Bergman, school president, said the university may introduce student fees of US$2,500-US$4,500 a year. There is support among many of the school’s faculty, according to the Times Higher Education Supplement, as state funding and endowments don’t cover the overall mission of the schools. Not surprisingly there is opposition from the student union, which argues that access may be denied to deserving students of modest means.

If the school does introduce fees, it is unlikely to affect state universities in the short term. But the success of such a move would make the government rethink university funding.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
Aug. 6, 2004

Turkey

Most Institutions Participating in European Mobility Programs

After the April agreement between the European Commission and Turkish education authorities established Turkey’s participation in the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth mobility programs, significant steps have been taken toward greater cooperation between Turkish institutions of higher education and their counterparts across Europe.

Sixty-five of Turkey’s 73 institutions of higher education were awarded an Erasmus University charter in May. The charter enables Turkish universities to participate in the Erasmus mobility program for students and staff, and entitles them to apply for centralized transnational projects, such as curriculum development projects, intensive programs and Erasmus thematic networks, beginning in 2004-05. A list of qualifying institutions can be found HERE.

— European Commission Education Newsletter
July 2004

The United Kingdom

Merger Makes Cardiff University One of the UK’s Largest

Cardiff University has merged with the University of Wales College of Medicine to become one the largest in the United Kingdom and the largest in Wales. The combined institution has 5,000 staff members and more than 39,000 full- and part-time students. Both institutions had been part of the federal university of Wales.

— BBC News
Aug. 1, 2004

Private Firms Given Degree-Awarding Powers

The government has paved the way for the establishment of private, “teaching only” universities, including those run by multinational companies. Saying it wants to make it easier for “nontraditional higher education organizations” to award their own degrees, the Ministry of Education has changed the regulations, allowing such groups to apply for time-limited, degree-awarding powers or full university status. Public services, such as the police and the armed forces, are also eligible to establish universities. It is expected that private specialist universities and for-profit-type institutions will expand in the United Kingdom.

As of September, it is easier for nontraditional organizations to apply for degree-awarding powers. The rules requiring a university to enroll students in at least five disciplines and to have the power to award research degrees were removed. However, two categories of university were established: those in the publicly funded higher education sector that retain degree-awarding powers and title indefinitely, and those outside the sector that will have to undergo an audit by the Quality Assurance Agency to renew their status every six years. All universities are still required to have at least 4,000 full-time equivalent students.

— The Guardian
July 16, 2004

8 Law Schools to Start Law School Admission Test

Eight university law schools will be offering an admission test in November that many hope will help admissions advisers select the most able students from a pool of ever-expanding, well-qualified candidates. Currently, there are four candidates for every place in an undergraduate law program in the United Kingdom.

Beginning in 2005, candidates will be considered for interview and admission at Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, East Anglia, Nottingham, Oxford and University College, London only if they perform well in the National Admission Test for Law (LNAT). The consortium has pointed out, however, that a good performance on the LNAT will not necessarily guarantee an interview or admission, in order that traditional institutional autonomy over admissions is maintained.

The test will comprise an 80-minute section that asks for close reading of a number of texts, followed by multiple-choice questions, to test a candidate’s comprehension skills. This is followed by a 40-minute essay-writing section.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
Aug 13, 2004

A-Level Revamp to Aid University Admissions

Cambridge will be the first university in Britain to use A-level marks in addition to grades to distinguish between the growing number of students who are awarded A’s, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper. The crop of 2005 Cambridge applicants will be obliged to supply the scores they achieved in each paper taken in the lower sixth form AS-level modules, which count toward their A-levels.

The university’s decision reflects the difficulty faced by top universities in identifying the best applicants. This year, students gained 171,639 A-grade passes, making up 22.4 percent of the total. It was the 22nd consecutive year that numbers increased, and again it led to accusations of grade inflation. The demand for more detailed grades is an effort to pre-empt proposals by exam boards and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for schools to supply marks as a matter of course to all institutions. Other reforms under consideration include splitting the A-grade into four subdivisions or forcing candidates to write a 4,000-word essay.

Oxford University is addressing accusations of grade inflation by introducing tests in medicine, law and history. An English test is also under discussion.

— The Daily Telegraph
Aug. 22, 2004

Scots Online Platform Exceeds Expectations

Interactive University (IU), created to market and sell Scottish degrees online across the world, has exceeded all targets in its first full year of trading. Funded by Scottish Enterprise and originally a spinoff from Heriot-Watt University, IU has recruited more than 60,000 students in 18 months, beating its own projections of a loss to post a moderate operational profit since its creation in October 2002.

The profit report is in stark contrast to the failure of its English counterpart UKeU, which was launched in 2000 with the aim of attracting overseas students to study online with UK universities. UKeU shut down after failing to attract sufficient students or investment, despite spending US$55 million of public money.

Edinburgh-based IU designs, animates and tailors existing degrees and programs from Scottish universities and markets them as online products. In its first 18 months, IU has achieved its goal of successfully entering its target sales regions of Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East and South America. It now has partnerships with 40 countries, making it one of the largest e-learning facilities in the world.

— The Scotsman
July 27, 2004