About EUA: Mission and Strategy

Eastern Mediterranean University

May 2006

About EUA: Mission and Strategy

Organisation

General Assembly

Council

Secretariat

President and Board

Steering Committee

The Contribution of Universities to the Competitiveness of Europe

(Speech by EUA President Prof. Georg Winkler to EU Education Ministers)

Bologna Process (EUA Involvement)

Background Information: From Bologna to Bergen

The Bologna Declarationof 19 June 1999

Strong Universities for a Strong Europe Foreword by Prof. Georg Winckler

The European Higher Education Area-Achieving the Goals

Institutional Evaluation Programme

Institutional Development

Projects

University Leadership and Management: Workshops & Seminars

Magna Charta

Quality Culture Project

Project Reports

Working Method

Selection and Structure

Round I (2002-2003)

Round II (2004)

Round III (2005)

Quality Assurance

About EUABack to top

Mission and Strategy

The European University Association, as the representative organisation of both the European universities and the national rectors' conferences, is the main voice of the higher education community in Europe.

EUA's mission is to promote the development of a coherent system of European higher education and research. EUA aims to achieve this through active support and guidance to its members as autonomous institutions in enhancing the quality of their teaching, learning and research as well as their contributions to society.
For serving its members, both individual and collective, EUA's main focus is :

Strengthening the role universities play in the emerging European Higher Education and European Research Areas (EHEA and ERA) through contributing to and influencing policy debate and developing projects and other membership services in the interest of its members;
Working with member institutions through the organisation of membership services and the implementation of projects on key issues that aim to improve quality and strengthen individual universities' European profiles;
Enhancing the European dimension in higher education and promoting the flow of information through the organisation of regular meetings and conferences as well as through the preparation and publication of studies analysing current trends and highlighting examples of good practice;
Providing advocacy on behalf of its members, both at the European level to promote common policies, and at the international level to promote increased cooperation and enhance the visibility of European higher education in a global context.

EUA fully upholds the values and principles enshrined in the 1988 Magna Charta.

For further details, please see:

EUA Articles of Association English français.
Summary of Activites 2001-2003 Englishfrançaisdeutsch
EUA Action Plan 2004 - 2005 Englishfrançaisdeutsch
Minutes of 1st EUA General Assembly, Roskilde, April 2002
Minutes of 2nd EUA General Assembly, Bristol, March 2003

OrganisationBackto top

The European University Association has four main constituent bodies:

The Presidency - consists of the President and two Vice-Presidents. The President holds office for four years and is not eligible for re-election. The Vice-Presidents deputise for the President in his or her absence.
The Board - consists of the President and eight members (including Vice-Presidents) who are present or former university rectors. The Board, which meets at least three times a year, is responsible for policy preparation and implementation, planning of the Association's activities, and management of its affairs.
The Council - consists of the President, the members of the Board and the Chairpersons or nominated representatives of all collective members in full membership of the Association. The Council meets at least twice a year to discuss and develop priorities and guidelines on policy issues and service to members.
The General Assembly - The General Assembly is the supreme governing body of the Association, and consists of all Full Members and Associate Members, with only Full Members entitled to vote. The General Assembly meets at least once a year and its responsibilities include electing the President and Board, reviewing and approving annual accounts, and determining the strategic direction of the Association.

The Association is supported by a Secretariat managed by the Secretary General. At present there are two offices, one in Brussels, and the other in Geneva. The Geneva office will close at the end of 2004.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is comprised of all full members and associate members. The General Assembly meets at least once per year with only full members being entitled to vote. As of 15 April 2005, EUA has 693 full individual members distributed by country.

EUA General Assembly meetings:

March 2003 - Bristol, United Kingdom
April 2004 - Marseilles, France
April 2005 - Glasgow, United Kingdom

CouncilBack to top

Comprised of the President, the members of the Board, and the Chairpersons or nominated representatives of all the full collective members of the Association, as listed below.

Council members

Austria Prof. Dr. Christoph Badelt, President, Austrian Rectors' Conference
Belgium Prof. Bernard Coulie, President, Conseil Interuniversitaire de la Communauté française
Belgium Prof. Benjamin Van Camp, President, Vlaamse Interuniversitaire
Bulgaria Prof. Iordanka Kouzmanova, President, Bulgarian Rectors' Conference
Croatia Prof. Damir Magaš, President, Croatian Rectors' Conference
Cyprus Prof. Stavros A. Zenios, President, Cyprus Rectors'Conference
Czech Republic Prof. Petr Saha, President, Czech Rectors' Conference
Denmark Prof. Jens Oddershede, President, Rektorkollegiet
Estonia Prof. Jaak Aaviksoo, President, Estonian Rectors' Conference
Finland Prof. Ilkka Niiniluoto, President, Finnish Council of University Rectors
France Prof. Yannick Vallée, President, Conférence des Présidents d'Universités
FYROM Prof. Dejan Popovic, President, Serbian University Association
Germany Prof. Burkhard Rauhut, President, Hochschulrektorenkonferenz
Greece Prof. Christos Chatsitheodorou, Chairman, Greek Rectors' Conference
Holy-See Prof. Msgr. Mariano Fazio, President, Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Pontificie Romane
Hungary Prof. István Klinghammer, President, Confederation of Hungarian Conferences on Higher Education
Iceland Prof. Kristin Ingoldottir, President, National Rectors' Conference in Iceland
Ireland Prof. Roger Downer, President, Conference of Heads of Irish Universities
Italy Prof. Piero Tosi, President, Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane
Latvia Prof. Tatjana Volkova, Chairman, Latvian Rectors' Council
Lithuania Prof. Dr Vytautas Kaminskas, President, Rectors' Conference of Lithuanian Universities
Luxemburg Prof. Rolf Tarrach, Rector, Unversité de Luxembourg
Netherlands Mr Ed. D'Hondt, Chairman, Association of Universities in the Netherlands
Norway Prof. Kirsti Koch Christensen, President, Norwegian Council for Higher Education
Poland Prof. Tadeusz Luty, President, Conference of Academic Schools in Poland
Portugal Prof. José Lopes da Silva, President, Portuguese National Conference of Rectors
Romania Prof. Ecaterina Andronescu, President, Romanian Council of Rectors
Slovak Republic Prof. Vladimír Báleš, President, Slovak Rectors' Conference
Slovenia Prof. Andreja Kocijancic, President, Association of Rectors of Slovenia
Spain Prof. Antonio Vázquez García, President, Conferencia de Rectores de las Universidades Españoles
Sweden Prof. Bo Sundqvist, President, Association of Swedish Higher Education
Switzerland Prof. Jean-Marc Rapp, President, Conférence des recteurs des universités suisses
Turkey Prof. Dr. Erdogan Tezic, President, Turkish University Rectors' Conference
United Kingdom Prof. Drummond Bone, President, Universities UK

Secretariat

Policy Development & Institutional Relations:

Lesley Wilson - Secretary General
David Crosier - Programme Development Director
Nina Arnhold - Senior Programme Manager
Ebba Ekselius - Membership Officer
Isabelle Damman - PA to the Secretary General / HR Officer
Diana David - Intern

Quality Assurance:

Andrée Sursock - Deputy Secretary General
Karin Riegler - Senior Programme Manager
Violeta Atanassova - Programme Officer
Harald Scheuthle - Programme Officer

Research:

John Smith - Deputy Secretary General
Lidia Borrell Damian - Senior Programme Manager
Alexandra Bitusikova - Programme Manager
Charles Boisvert - Programme Officer

Information & Communications:

Christel Vacelet - Director
Elizabeth Tapper - Press Officer
Christina Crawley - Publications Officer
Emilie de Rochelée - Administrative Assistant

Member Services:Back to top

Bernadette Conraths - Director
Sylvie Brochu - Programme Manager
Joanne Dee - Conference Manager

Administrative Services:Back to top

John Ashton - Financial Director
Daniel Oscinberg - IT Manager
Mayli Koos - Accountant/Financial Officer
Julien Georis - Accountant/Financial Officer
Francoise van den Berghe - Receptionist

President and Board

The Presidency

Comprised of the President andthe two Vice-Presidents. The President holds office for four years and is not eligible for re-election. The Vice-Presidents deputise for the President in his absence.

PRESIDENT

Prof. Georg Winckler, Rector, University of Vienna

VICE-PRESIDENTS

Prof. Sir Roderick Floud, President and former Vice-Chancellor, London Metropolitan University
Prof. Christina Ullenius, Rector, Karlstad University, Sweden

The Board

Comprised of the President and eight members (including the Vice-Presidents), who are current or former Rectors. The Board meets at least three times a year and is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the Association's policy, the planning of its activities, and the management of its affairs.

Prof. Jaak Aaviksoo, Rector, University of Tartu
Prof. Sir Roderick Floud, President and former Vice-Chancellor, London Metropolitan University
Prof. Dr. med. Peter Gaehtgens, former Rector, Freie Universität Berlin
Prof. Pierre de Maret, Rector, Université Libre de Bruxelles
Prof. Jean-Marc Rapp, Rector, Université de Lausanne
Prof Gülsün Sağlamer, former Rector, Istanbul Technical University
Prof. Christina Ullenius, Rector, Karlstad University, Sweden
Prof. Frans van Vught, President and former Rector, University of Twente
Prof. Georg Winckler, Rector, Universität Wien

Steering CommitteeBack to top

The Programme is run by a Steering Committee that examines the applications from interested institutions, recruits the evaluators, provides them with training, and oversees the implementation of the Programme by the EUA Secretariat in Brussels. The Committee works independently from the EUA Board and has full responsibility for the development, operation and monitoring of the Programme.

The mandate of the Steering Committee includes:

Contributing to the operational quality of the Institutional Evaluation Programme by monitoring all activities linked to the different phases of the evaluation process, while bearing in mind that team chairs have the responsibility for individual reports.
Supporting the EUA Secretariat in the implementation of the work programme.
Representing the Institutional Evaluation Programme in Europe and elsewhere, taking into account EUA’s priorities and EUA’s policy positions.
Ensuring the strategic development of the Institutional Evaluation Programme in the context of EUA’s development priorities and, in this context, serving in an advisory capacity to the EUA Board.

The Committee is currently chaired by Henrik Toft Jensen (Rector, University of Roskilde, Denmark) and is composed of the following members:

Tove Bull, Former Rector, University of Tromso, Norway
Ferdinand Devinsky, Former Rector, Comenius University, Slovakia
Lee Fritschler, Former President, Dickinson College, former Assistant Secretary for Post Secondary Education, Dept. of Education, USA
Dionyssis Kladis, University of Peloponnese, Greece
Jürgen Kohler, Former Rector, University of Greifswald, Germany
Hélène Lamicq, Former Président, Université Paris 12, France
Helena Nazaré, Rector, University of Aveiro, Portugal
Ex-officio: Christina Ullenius, Rector, Karlstads University, Sweden

The Contribution of Universities to the Competitiveness of Europe

EUA President Prof Georg Winckler addressed the informal Education Council in Vienna on 16 March 2006 to outline the contribution universities can make to enhancing Europe’s competitiveness as a key part of the renewed Lisbon strategy.

Drawing comparisons with both the US and China, Prof Winckler stressed the need for investment both in R&D and higher education in order to narrow the 'severe funding gap' which currently exists, and backed the increase to 2% of GDP spending on higher education proposed by the European Commission.

Prof Winckler, who is also Rector of the University of Vienna, urged universities to play their role in society and work to 'broaden access on a more equitable basis and reach out to increased excellence'.

In addition, the speech explored ideas emerging from the follow up to the Hampton Court summit (October 2005) including the need to breakdown the barriers surrounding European universities and to create genuine autonomy and accountability for institutions.

Related Material

Summary

Speech by EUA President Professor Georg Winckler to EU Education Ministers - 16 March 2006

ÖSTERREICH 2006, PRÄSIDENTSCHAFT DER EUROPÄISCHEN UNION

AUSTRIA 2006, PRESIDENCY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

AUTRICHE 2006, PRESIDENCE DE L’UNION EUROPEENNE

Conference of the European Ministers of Education

Vienna, 16 – 17 March 2006

Prof. Georg Winckler

President, European University Association / Rector, University of Vienna

THE CONTRIBUTION OF UNIVERSITIES TO EUROPE’S COMPETITIVENESS

1. Modern growth theory, a renewed Lisbon strategy and China

Here in Vienna, it may be appropriate to begin by pointing out that modern growth theory has rediscovered a central idea of Joseph Schumpeter, a member of the Austrian School of Economics, namely: growth derives from quality-improving innovations, triggered by an investment in human capital (1).

As long as Europe lagged behind the US technologically, it could rely on imitation as a main source of growth. Emphasizing primary/secondary education and practical, vocational training sufficed to catch up. However, after the growth potential of imitation wore out during the 1980s, Europe should have rapidly adopted a frontrunner strategy: investment in research and higher education in order to generate “frontier innovations” (Aghion-Howitt). In a frontrunner strategy (2), general higher education fostering generic, methodological skills occupies centre stage in order to seek quality-improving innovations, either to implement them or solely to maintain them. Not surprisingly, universities and other higher education institutions, surrounded by science parks, have now emerged as engines for regional growth and job offerings.

The renewed Lisbon strategy, suggesting reforms as turning points towards growth and jobs in Europe, is indebted to these lessons of modern growth theory. The Commission, in its communication to the Spring European Council on “Europe on the move: working together for more growth and jobs” (Annual Progress Report, February 2006) strongly recommends investing more in knowledge and innovation. Member states are first asked to set, as was done previously, an R&D expenditure target for 2010 so that the European Council can finally set a credible R&D target for the Union as a whole. This exercise of setting ambitious targets is not new; one only wonders why, since 2001, the actual R&D/GDP ratios have stagnated. In addition to the R&D target, the Commission suggests a second target: to increase EU’s investment in higher education, from currently 1.28 % of GDP to at least 2 % of GDP by 2010!

An outside observer looking at the global developments since 2000 would be puzzled. Despite strong econometric evidence supporting the relevance of modern growth theories, despite the many commitments of EU member states to the (renewed) Lisbon strategy, gross expenditure in R&D and in higher education has stagnated in nearly all of Europe. China, on the other hand, has fully adopted the Lisbon objectives. Although China has been experiencing high real annual growth rates of nearly 10 % since the early 1990s, it has also managed to boost its R&D/GDP ratio from 0.7 % in 1998 to more than 1.4 % in 2004. With this R&D level of 1.4 %, China already ranks in the upper half of the 25 EU member states (after Slovenia’s rank as number 12). China’s increased input into R&D is accompanied by a return of overseas scholars in vast numbers. Policies of Chinese governments at various levels have effectively supported this return. “As a result, 81 % of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 54 % of those of the Chinese Academy of Engineering are returned overseas scholars” (3). Both increased investment in R&D and the massive return of emigrants have resulted in a spectacular growth in the number of Chinese scientific publications, even outpacing the growth in the number for science in South Korea. What should be alarming for Europe is not only that China regards the US and Japan, and not Europe, as its potential peers to be matched in research and higher education, but also that in newly emerging scientific fields, such as nano-relevant ones, China and Hong Kong have succeeded in doubling their share of publications in the three core journals of the world: from 5 to 10 percent within two years (2002–2004) (4). As announced officially, China aims at matching the US and Japan with respect to innovations by 2020 (5).

Given Europe’s stagnation and the dynamics in East Asia, one can easily predict the day when East Asia — and not Europe — will possess “the world’s leading knowledge-based economy” (Lisbon 2000).

2. The Modernisation of Europe’s universities Back to top

Many of Europe’s universities can claim to belong to the oldest institutions on the continent; the oldest, the University of Bologna, dating back to 1088. By tradition, universities reflect the ethical dimensions of education and research, contribute to the social underpinning of the economy, and act as cultural institutions, especially in the fields of the humanities. This ethical, social and cultural mission is, of course, complemented by the very objective universities pursue: to prepare their graduates for future jobs in the labour market for the highly skilled.

The recent emergence of knowledge-based societies has placed universities under increasing competitive pressures. Knowledge in modern societies has become too important to leave its production and its transfer solely to universities. Of course, universities have also benefited from the intensified demand for knowledge in the triangle of research, innovation and education. However, this intensified demand has given rise to market-oriented suppliers. New institutions have emerged, specialised in teaching, in research or in innovations only. With focused missions, these new institutions challenge traditional universities, contrasting the latter’s effectiveness and efficiency. Originally, European universities reacted to this competitive challenge from polytechnics and others with condescending neglect, since effectiveness and efficiency seemed to contradict traditional academic scope and values. Now, rather recently, universities have realized that it is important to maintain the interest of the society at large (and the taxpayers) and began to offer professional solutions geared to the needs of modern knowledge-based societies.

About EUA: Mission and Strategy

Eastern Mediterranean University

May 2006

Contents