U.K.: University ‘dual nationality’ plan for Brexit

Imperial College London and the Technical University of Munich have signed a partnership agreement that, by recruiting and creating joint academic posts with the two universities, will sidestep the potential losses in funding brought on by the looming Brexit. Interestingly, the top four university recipients of EU education funding are all located in the U.K. – Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, and Imperial College – so it is natural that Imperial College would seek some sort of workaround to preserve that funding – not to mention protect the many E.U. nationals on faculty and staff. Both Imperial College and the Technical University of Munich are invested in science and technology fields so the partnership has a strong symbiosis.

BBC News
October 10, 2018

Spain: Spanish academics split over national CV vetting

Starting in 2008, Spanish academics applying for permanent faculty positions are required to submit their CVs to the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation for approval. Now that the system has had a decade to settle in, about half (49%) of surveyed Spanish academics support the process. The approval process faced much opposition originally – as it took a certain amount of autonomy away from the schools – but those who have been through the process are 40% more likely to approve of it. The process does have some negative impact on Spain’s attempts to internationalize, but due to improving attitude towards the process and the fractured regional control of universities it is unlikely that any change will happen to the law.

Times Higher Education
October 8, 2018

Europe: A bridge too far? Europe mulls growth of English-language courses

Europe has seen staggering growth in English-language courses in the past decade. There were almost 3000 undergraduate courses alone last year – up from 55 in 2009! Though this growth is not likely to have too much negative affect on Spanish language and cultural identity with it’s world-wide spread, in countries like The Netherlands this tilt towards the English language could have a lasting impact on the survival of the Dutch language. Despite lawsuits, petitions, and some negative media attention, all respondents of an EAIE survey expected to grow their English language programs.

Times Higher Education
October 7, 2018

Denmark: Women are key to closing the talent gap, report finds

A recent report on gender representation in STEM fields in Denmark highlighted large potential gains for the country while uncovering a number of areas for improvement. STEM businesses are 40% more productive for the Danish economy, yet only one in three public STEM executives, one in five STEM professors, and one in seven private company STEM executives are female. The report suggests that by focusing on the gender gap in recruiting for the universities STEM areas over the next 10 to 12 years, the resulting gains for the country could be very large – as much as USD $925 million.

University World News
October 5, 2018

France: Another year of growth

France is now the seventh largest host country for international students, and the third largest in Europe. The largest largest source of students in France is Africa – predictably further focused on the francophone countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Senegal. The 323,933 international students in France for 2016/2017 account for a 12.2% growth since 2011/2012. Though these numbers are impressive, other countries have been more aggressively growing their international recruitment, and thus France has been effectively losing market share – a situation that current policies are aiming to fix.

ICEF Monitor
September 19, 2018