How to build an European Higher Education Area lessons learnt

1. How to build an European Higher Education Area lessons learnt Michael Gaebel European University Association (EUA) ASAIHL Conference Penang, 14 Dec. 2008

2. 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)

3. EUA - « the Voice of European Universities« • 34 national Rectors’ Conferences • 770 individual universities • Affiliated university networks + organisations • in 46 European countries EUA Membership - 2007

4. By the way: Is it Europe or Europes? Learning outcome 1: Learn to distinguish: Council of Europe from European Council

5. Council of Europe • Strasbourg, France • 1949 • 47 member states • Ministerial Council • Parliamentary Assembly • legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation + Education • Lisbon Recognition Convention (+UNESCO)

6. European Union (EU) • political and economic union of 27 member states • 1993 Treaty of Maastricht (before: European Economic Community) • mix of intergovernmental and supranational structures • single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital • common 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)

7. 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

8. 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. 2010 – Completion of two complementary European reform processes Lisbon Strategy/European Research Area: Bologna Process: 27+ Member States of European Union 46 Bologna Countries + international associate countries …9…

10. The Bologna Process: Building the European Higher Education 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 The Lisbon Strategy/European Research Area 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 …10…

11. Bologna : a pan-European HE Reform Process Bologna – a voluntary process; 46 countries signed up with no legal obligations a tiny ‘Bologna’ Secretariat (2-4 people) Website http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/ Joint Ministerial Meeting & Communiqué– every 2 years A shared responsibility: governments, universities, staff & students = members of the Bologna Follow-Up Group Increasingly stakeholder driven now that implementation is the priority Agreement on 10 Bologna Action lines …11…

12. 10 Bologna Actionlines Bologna Declaration of 1999: 1. Adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees 2. Adoption of a system essentially based on two cycles 3. Establishment of a system of credits 4. Promotion of mobility 5. Promotion of European co-operation in quality assurance 6. Promotion of the European dimension in higher education Prague Ministerial summit of 2001: 7. Focus on lifelong learning 8. Inclusion of higher education institutions and students 9. 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

13. to Moscow from Reykjavik A congruent higher education system all over Europe facilitating mobility of students and scholars From Lisbon to Nicosia

14. Enormous progress since 1999: 83% of HEIs have the 3 cycle structure in place (Trends V, 2007) > 53% in 2003 ECTS for credit transfer + accummulation Diploma supplement – in use in most countries Joint diploma European Dimension of QA Global Dimension Joint European discourse on higher education 17 new countries have joined since 1999 74% 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 problematic ECTS: workload or learning outcomes? Diploma supplement: issued on demand Mobility – obstacles in and beyond HE Social dimension, LLL Incentives for the Global Dimension Countries at different pace Europe or EU? Relation with the European Research Area Beyond 2010? Bologna Achievement: Overall assessment

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 yet individual Bologna countries implement reform at a different pace growing 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 Europe The economic and social environment is changing e. g. demographic situation of Europe Globalisation & the emergence of international education EUA Slide 15 …15…

16. 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 vacuum communicating and sharing the ‘processes’ is crucial Different institutions and countries across the EHEA are at different phases of their ‘internationalisation’ process & have different priorities Mobility is an international, & not simply an intra-European question Attracting 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 …17…

18. Learning outcome 3: How to involve stakeholders into an intergovernmental reform process – because top-down only would not work

19. The Role of Stakeholder organisations • Bologna Ministerial Meetings: each national delegation comprises 1 Rector and 1 Student representative • Consultative 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 groups • Ministerial Communiqué: discussed with stakeholders

20. Bologna Achievement – thanks to stakeholders Active contribution of stakeholder organisations: • European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance http://www.eqar.eu/index.php?id=41 • European Register for Quality Assurance Agencies EQAR www.eqar.eu • Inclusion 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.pdf • European Lifelong Learning Charter http://www.eua.be/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Publications/European_Universities__Charter_on_Lifelong_learning.pdf

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

22. Why Rectors/ University Associations? • Change and change demands accelerated • Universities have to react – and to act • Autonomy: need buffer organisation between Gov. +university • Autonomy: building solidarity between universities • University 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”

23. EUA’s Mandate Core task: Strengthen the European universities • Policy development at European Level • institutional development and dissemination of good practices • Informed dialogue – creation of knowledge and information on HE • European Mission: European Higher Education Area (Bologna/ Lisbon) • Internationalisation

24. 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);

25. EUA Flagships • Trends Report – biannual report on the implementation of Bologna Reforms (800-900 Universities, 34 National Rectors Associations) • Joint Master programme Guidelines • Quality Culture + Creativity Project • Institutional 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

26. EUA + Autonomy • Policy 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 Europe • Conferences, 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?

27. Good for Europe. What about the rest of the world? Learning outcome 5: Higher education is international

28. EUA’s position: Internationalisation imperative • Global challenges – global responses • Global problems: environment, energy, economy, demographics • Research is international • increased international mobility of people and programmes • Trends 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

29. EUA’s International Goals • dialogue, exchange and cooperation with partners based on the principle of equal partnership • Dialogue and solidarity with partner organisations • Internationalisation of « European » achievements • Promotion of European Higher Education Area, and the Bologna Process • Strenghten the European Universities • Complementary to activities of members

30. EUA’s International Partners To promote partnerships in higher education and research within Europe and with the rest of the world

31. Conclusion/ Assumptions • Autonomy, internationalisation and crossborder on the rise • Autonomy: 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

32. Thanks European University Association 13, Rue d’Egmont, 1000 Brussels, Belgium www.eua.be