Diapozitiv 1

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UNIVERSITY OF MARIBOR - FACTS

• The beginnings of the higher education in Maribor
  were in 1859, when the First School of Theology
  was established. During 1959-1961 there were
  several Independent Higher Education Institutions
  and in 1975 the University of Maribor was
  established.
• 16 faculties (6 of them established in the past 6
  years).
• 2 other members Student dormitories and
  University library.
• 1 administrative unit-Rectorat, Sport centre Leon
  tukelj, The Residence Hall for Graduate Students
  and Visiting Professors.
• 23.500 students in 2008/2009.
• 1800 employees (1050 teaching staff).

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SYSTEM RELATED PROBLEMS AS RESULT OF THE
SLOVENIAN NATIONAL REGULATIONS.

• Unsystematically defined legal status of the
  University and faculties, that causes chaos.
• Constitutionally defined autonomy is practically
  respected only if needed and regarding to the
  understandings of the current leading
  politicians.
• Conditions needed for the establishment of the
  university are not specifically defined and the
  standards in the process of establishment of the
  university are not the same for each institution.
  
• Financing is not regulated with the act, as it is
  required by the Constitution of the Republic of
  Slovenia.

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SYSTEM RELATED PROBLEMS AS CONSENQUENCE OF THE
PAST TIMES.

• University organized as TOZD or SOZD (the
  association of higher education institutions and
  not the university in the sense known elsewhere).
• Politics in the past did not wish to have strong
  and functionally unified universities.
• Divide and rule ? partial satisfying of the
  needs of each faculty led to ununified
  university.
• Organized in a bureaucratic way, without
  property, classification done at the ministry.

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SYSTEM RELATED PROBLEMS AS CONSEQUENCE OF
MISUNDERSTANDING

• Misunderstanding of the two fundamental concepts
• Academic freedom
• Professor researcher freedom of research,
  lectures, publishing the outcomes.
• Institution freedom of regulation of the
  internal relations.
• Autonomy of the University
• There is no academic freedom without autonomous
  university
• The autonomy of the university should be also in
  the financial matter
• Financing of study and research activities is the
  precondition

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PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

• Legal status of the faculties (de facto, not de
  iure).
• Study programmes are performed at the faculties
  (32 paragraph of ZVIS - National Act on Higher
  Education)
• Problems related with establishing
  interdisciplinary study programmes.
• Professors are employees of the University, but
  in practice more involved at one faculty
• Problems related with delivering the lectures at
  more faculties.
• Poor credit sistem at the University level.

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PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

• Problems related with joining the EU projects
• Poor administrative support.
• Project office (which is familiar with the whole
  process of managing EU projects).
• Low number of the interdisciplinary projects.
• Problems related to linking academic bodies with
  industry.
• Problems of intellectual property
• Problems of spin-off companies
• Alumni clubs, Carrier centers
• Non-efficient and wasteful financial management
• Obstructed development of the university
• Problems with the organization of the supportive
  commercial activities.
• Problems with establishing and financing other
  university projects.

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UM KEY STATUS DEFINITIONS

• The University of Maribor is a corporate body,
  faculties dont have legal subjectivity. Rector
  represents university with full authorization.
• Public founds, gained by university and its
  faculties from the Republic of Slovenia state
  budget meant for public services, are managed at
  the universitys account and separate at
  faculties sub-accounts.
• Upon deans proposal, rector decides on
  employment status of all higher education
  teachers, scientific workers, higher education
  collaborators and other employees with contracts
  for an indefinite time.
• Rector is elected, deans, vice deans, secretary
  general, faculties' secretary general, ...are
  appointed by the rector.

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FORMS AND WAYS OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL LINKING
WITH FACULTIES

• Central led application and enrolment procedure.
• Integrated universitys information system.
• Common development projects on university level.
• Central directed financial operations.
• Faculties are present in UM boards and
  commissions.
• University management board consists of
  university headquarters and its offices.

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FORMS AND WAYS OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL LINKING
WITH FACULTIES

• Regular rectors meetings with deans.
• Regular secretary generals meetings with
  faculties and other members secretary generals.
• Regular meetings with heads of office for student
  affairs.
• Meetings with faculties and other members heads
  of accounting.
• Meetings with faculties Erasmus coordinators.
• Preparing of some common public calls for the
  whole university.
• Joint solving of conflicts and other legal
  matters.
• Joint preparation of acts, valid for the whole
  university.

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PARTIAL INTERGRATION OF THE UM AND POSSIBLE
SAVINGS IN CASE OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION

• Partial integration unambiguously enabled the
  establishment of the new faculties Faculty of
  Medicine, Faculty of Logistics, Faculty of
  Energetic, Faculty of Natural Sciences and
  Mathematics and Faculty of Arts.
• Savings connected to gradual transition to
  unified public orders (unified public orders for
  fuel oil, electricity, gas, insurance, durable
  goods, enabled to save 700.000 EUR
• The next step will be connected to the
  rationalization of the number of the employed
  administrative staff (almost 500 employees)
• 16 members x 2 employees in the department for
  staff affairs
• 16x1 in the department for legal affairs
• 16x3 in the accountant department

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STRONG AND INTEGRATED UNIVERSITY

• Integrated university is more cost efficient.
• Integration demands from all faculties trust in
  processes of decisions made on university level.
• This situation requires reestablishment of
  management, which will be able to perform an
  efficient strategy and policy in acquiring means
  for education and research from public and
  private sources. It is essential to act efficient
  with available assets. It is necessary to develop
  mechanisms for a transparent planning and
  supervision on university level.
• Faculties at the University of Maribor are not
  yet enough aware of additional advantages,
  offered by university as a multidisciplinary
  unit, which is more attractive for a profitable
  cooperation with private sector and for creating
  connections with economy.

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OPPINIONS OF KEY-PLAYERS IN THE FIELD OF
DEVELOPMENT OF EHEA

• London Communiqué, May 2007
• 1.5 We therefore underline the importance of
  strong institutions, which are diverse,
  adequately funded, autonomous and accountable.
• Leuven Communiqué, April 2009
• 4. The necessary ongoing reform of higher
  education systems and policies will continue to
  be firmly embedded in the European values of
  institutional autonomy, academic freedom and
  social equity and will require full participation
  of students and staff.
• Prof. Dr. G. Winkler, Rector of the University of
  Vienna, former president of EUA said that in the
  future, only strong and autonomous universities
  will exist!

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SUMMARY

• Who is afraid of strong, autonomous universities?
• Politics and individuals at faculties, who enjoy
  some micro-benefits on account of the community?
• Division and weakening of strong universities is
  in time of connecting to joint European Higher
  Education Area (HEA) an irrational and
  intolerable step back, that can lead us from one
  European competitive university to many no-name
  under-average universities.
• In current global financial crisis no country is
  enough wealthy and from social point of view also
  can not afford to finance inefficiently
  organized, non-competitive and low-quality
  universities.
• A university can be strong with assured autonomy,
  adequate financing, with appropriate pedagogical
  and research critical multitude, international
  connections with best higher education
  institutions, efficient and rational organization.

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• KEY POINTS CONCERNING THE INTEGRATION OF THE
  UNIVERSITY
• University property.
• 2. Integrated information system (united
  accounting plan).
• RECTOR (elected function).