STUDY TOUR | European Higher Education Study Tour
10-16 April 2011, Brussels-Valencia-Glasgow
REGISTRATIONS CLOSE: 21 February 2011, unless filled earlier.
European Higher Education has been undergoing major transformations over the last decade. Most prominent are the Lisbon Strategy and Bologna Process. Designed jointly with the European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities (ESMU), this study tour will focus on European policies and their implementation at the institutional level.
Sessions will focus on:
- key issues in education (the implication of the Bologna Process, joint degree programs, quality standards, equity and access)
- research and innovation (knowledge transfer, responsiveness to industry and society)
- trends in European higher education, and how the impact of this is managed at the institutional level.
Starting from Brussels (Belgium), the tour will travel to Valencia (Spain) and end in Glasgow (UK). The Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow) have been chosen as host institutions and case studies for their dynamic engagement at the regional, national and European level. Beyond these examples, the program will offer a wide diversity of case studies from some of the most dynamic universities around Europe, with a wealth of different perspectives on European policies and their implementation in different national settings and institutions.
The tour will also address governance and institutional management issues, and the question of financial sustainability and generating external funding. A final session will draw on lessons learnt through the week, taking a comparative approach between Australia/New Zealand and Europe. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact and network with senior university leaders and highly ranked officials from European and international institutions, in both formal and informal settings.
Who should attend?
The target audience of the Study Tour includes senior policy-makers and decision-makers from universities and government agencies in Australia and New Zealand, with significant experience and a keen interest in international issues. The tour will be limited to 25 participants.
Participation fee
Thanks to the support of the European Erasmus Commission, reduced fees are offered for the tour. Participants can choose from the:
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fully inclusive € 3,800 fee
Fee includes 6 nights' accommodation; all intra-European flights (Brussels-Valencia and Valencia-Glasgow); all airport transfers in Europe; the social program (except the Saturday social program which is an additional fee); participation in all sessions; documentation; all meals. Please note that participants wishing to extend their stay to include Saturday 16 April will need to make their own accommodation arrangements for that evening.
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€ 1,650 basic fee:
Fee includes participation in all sessions (except the social program); documentation; some meals. It does not include any accommodation; intra-European flights between the study tour locations; airport transfers; or the social program. Participants choosing this option must make their own travel and accommodation arrangements.
* Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to Brussels and for arranging onward travel after official Study Tour program concludes.
Contributors
Senior level experts, university decision-makers and highly ranked officials from European and international institutions, such as:
Ms Lieve Bracke, ESMU Senior Expert
Prof Dirk van Damme, Head of (OECD-CERI) Centre for Educational Research and Innovation
Prof Torbjørn Digernes, Rector, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
Prof Peter Gaehtgens, Former president of Free University of Berlin; former president of the German Rectors’ Conference
Prof John Goddard, Emeritus Professor of Regional Development Studies and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University UK; former project leader of (OECD-IMHE) Institutional Management in Higher Education programme
Mr Stefaan Hermans, DG Research, European Commission
Prof Colin Lucas, Former Vice-Chancellor, Oxford University
Dr Liviu Matei, Chief Operating Officer, Central European University, Budapest
Prof José-Gines Mora, Visiting Professor, Institute of Education, University of London; former Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education Management, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
Prof Francisco José Mora Más, Vice Rector for Planning and Innovation, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
Sir Peter Scott, Vice-Chancellor, Kingston University London
Prof Frans van Vught, ESMU Chairman; advisor to President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso; and former Rector and President of the University of Twente
Prof Robert Wagenaar, Coordinator, EU Project: ‘Tuning Educational Structures in Europe’, University of Cronigen
Dr Peter West, Secretary to University of Strathclyde; former President (OECD-IMHE) Programme on Institutional Management in Higher Education
Dr Don Westerheijden, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente.
2010 testimonials
'The EU-STEP Tour was one of the most memorable and useful professional development activities that I’ve undertaken in recent years. The presenters at all stages of the tour were high-calibre “movers and shakers” in the European Higher Education scene, and they shared both the achievements and the challenges facing the sector in Europe with unusual frankness. The opportunity to discuss these issues in a number of European locations was a bonus. I have strongly recommended future iterations of the tour to senior executives in my own University.’
‘This study tour exceeded my expectations in terms of the quality of the presentations and the general organisation of the program, which was faultless. In six very intensive days we were given an excellent overview of latest key developments in European Higher Education, as well as some useful and varied case studies. An additional benefit was the opportunity to share perspectives on the course and on developments in our home country with other participants. I thoroughly recommend it.’
‘This has been an enormously valuable program, which exceeded my expectations. The organisation was faultless and the quality of the presentations uniformly excellent. I have also enjoyed and benefitted from the interactions with others on the program.’
Enquiries and general information
Please direct enquiries to Anna Steer, +61 3 8344 3157.
