Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2013. International Conference „European Higher Education in the World“
September 2013
Vilnius, Lithuania Conference
Programme News Presentations Speakers Photo Gallery Contacts
About Conference
The international dimension of higher education has become a central topic of the European higher education policy agenda. Globalisation and technological development are radically changing the landscape of higher education. International student mobility will grow rapidly to an expected 7 million by 2020 in the context of an exponential growth in the demand for higher education: over the next twenty years, the number of higher education students is expected to increase fourfold, from 99 million to 414 million. The thirst for knowledge and social mobility of the expanding middle classes in emerging economies will put higher education within the reach of hundreds of millions of citizens of the world.
European higher education institutions have a positive record of internationalisation notably via their participation in EU and national academic cooperation programmes. They have a rich and diverse experience in developing international curricula, fostering international education, research and innovation projects and exchanging students, researchers, staff and knowledge. Since 1987, the Erasmus programme has played a key role in stimulating mobility: almost 3 million students have participated in the programme, as well as over 300,000 higher education teachers and other staff. Beyond mobility, Erasmus has transformed the way in which higher education institutions relate to and cooperate with one another. The Programme has proven to be an important catalyst in the reform and internationalisation of higher education systems. It put to the fore the need for the convergence introduced through the Bologna Process and its tools. From 2004, the Erasmus Mundus programme, building on the successes of Erasmus, has contributed to enhance internationalisation by funding the development of excellent joint Masters and doctoral programmes between higher education institutions in Europe and further afield, stimulating the process of accreditation of international joint degrees.
The chief purpose of internationalisation is to improve the quality of higher education, to better prepare learners in Europe to live in a global world and work in a global economy. There is no single approach to internationalisation. It involves all levels of university life and has to be adapted to each institution's specific profile. Higher education institutions are encouraged to develop comprehensive internationalisation strategies encompassing all their competitive and cooperative activities. While mobility is one key component, internationalisation strategies need to reach well beyond mobility and prioritise the need to internationalise curricula and the teaching process, in order to cater for the needs of the vast majority of learners who are not internationally mobile.
The need for more global cooperation and strategic partnerships involving European and non-European higher education institutions is particularly urgent, in order to tackle global challenges. If Europe is to remain a highly attractive destination for internationally mobile students, and a valued partner for international academic cooperation, against the rising backdrop of new regional higher education hubs, it must reinforce its efforts to promote the global awareness of the high quality and the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of its universities as well as its competitive advantages. Those include a strong experience in developing joint and double degrees, participation in international research projects, networks, developing doctoral schools, industrial doctorates or in implementing a common qualification framework and quality assessment tools.
Following the European Commission Communication on the internationalisation of higher education, the conference will bring together over 150 higher education stakeholders from the EU and beyond, and offer them an opportunity for dialogue on the different tools available to further internationalisation processes, and on the future place of Europe in the global higher education landscape.
News
- Official conclusions
- Pictures from the Conference“: http://photos.ambrazas.net/Clients/MOSTA/n-ZKqMD/ (Martynas Ambrazas pictures)
- Eurocommissionier Androulla Vassiliou: European universities need to think global
- Doc. Dr. Giedrius Viliūnas. Lithuania is still a student exporter country
- Online education can help to deal with the rising number of unemployment amongst young people
- Only a month left Until the International Conference „European Higher Education in the World"
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Presentations
PLENARY SESSION I
- Eva Egron-Polak. Main Trends and Challenges in the Internationalisation of Higher Education?
- Dr. Hans de Wit. Why should the EU have a Strategy for the Internationalisation of its Higher Education Sector?
- Piotr Pluta. The Needs of Business and Supplies of Higher Education in the International Market
PARALLEN SESSION
GROUP A
- Algimantas Markauskas. Higher Education in a Global Economy: Employers' Approach
- Erin Nordal. Strategic Approaches To Internationalisation: The Student Perspective
- Michael Gaebel. Internationalisation - The perspective of European universities
- Abay Baigenzhin. Ways Of Internalization Of Medical Education On Example Of Cultural-Humane Cooperation Between The Republic Of Kazakhstan And Republic Of Lithuania
- Rimantas Benetis. Non-EU Perspectives
- Frank Zuijdam. Strategic considerations for R&I cooperation towards 2020
GROUP B
- Antje Schlamm. International student and staff mobility
- Viv Caruana. Internationalisation at Home: From Mobile Bodies to Mobile Minds
- Anka Mulder. European Higher Education & Digital Learning
- Jan Pavlík. Innovation in Internationalization
PLENARY SESSION II
- K. Peter Kuchinke. The Joint Promotion of Europe as a Study Destination and the Concrete Example of Promodoc
- Dr. Zhou Zhong. China's View on the European Higher Education
- Dr. Stephanie Fahey. University of the Future
DAY II ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS
- Claire Morel. How will the new generation of EU programmes support the Internationalisation of Higher Education? Erasmus+
- Myron O. Stachiw. Internationalization of Higher Education: A Perspective from Ukraine
Photo Gallery
Contacts
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Laura StračinskienėInformation for participants +370 5 243 0414 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Vaida ŠaukeckienėInformation for participants +370 5 243 0413 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
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Jūratė ŽuolytėInformation for Journalists +370 5 210 7123 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |