Srbijanka Turajlic

1
Linking University Research and Entrepreneurship
Sofia, December 2005
State-of-Art, Self-Perception and Futures of
Universities in Southeast Europe
Catching up or Falling Behind?
Srbijanka Turajlic
sturajlic_at_aaen.edu.yu
UNESCO Chair for University Management, AAEN,
Belgrade, SCG
Faculty of Elelctrical Engineering, University of
Belgrade, SCG
2
Prelude
Our graduates are excellent, why should we reform?
History of university development shows that it
has nothing to do with the quality of graduates,
but rather with socio-economic environment
Ill leave the question of the methodology that
is used to prove excellence for later discussion.
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School of Athens
Rafael
Were Aristotles students purely educated?
4
St Grgur and his scribes
First wave of globalisation ...
Christian church overtakes developments and
spreading of the education
Were people leaving monasteries purely educated?
5
Bologna University (1088)
Establishing of cities ...
The birth of the university
University as the traveling company, deciding
upon the city in which it will act
Do we have data pointing on the pure level of
education?
Henri (of Germany) at the Bologna uni.
from fate to reasoning
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Classical European University
Creation of national states ...
In between the Renaissance and the approaching
industrial revolution university accept majority
of its present roles
Serving the professional needs as well as
ideological requirements of the national states
University as the guardian of national values
In the service of the state, autonomous and
untouchable
Educating experts needed by that state, which is
lavishly paying for it
from reasoning to critical thinking (Humboldt)
7
Second wave of globalisation ...
Higher education
Decreasing importance of the national state
Global market undermines investment in the social
sphere wherefrom comes the major funding for the
university
University is loosing its privileged position,
many questions arise ...
from critical thinking to projects proposals and
looking for investors
8
Europe and the (globalised) world
China 18 M students (14) India 10 M students (10
)
Prediction for 2025 125 M students
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Lisbon Agenda (2000)
"The most competitive knowledge based society"
In the industrial society the principle commodity
is industrial product
In the knowledge based society the principle
commodity is knowledge
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The Bologna Process
is not about Cosmetic changes

• draw the line to form two cycles
• substitute contact hours for ECTS credits

it is a substantialy new concept

• study structure
• outcome and content
• education process
• entrepreneurial culture

11
Western Balkans in(?) Europe
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The glorious start Joining the EHEA
1999
2001
2003
2003
Excerpts from Bologna applications
(2003) Academic community is strongly endorsing
the notion of the EHEA and unanimously voicing
support to join it
2003
2003
13
What type of system was inhereted?
14
University
Weak university strong faculties

• University
• approve decisions made by faculties (provides the
  stamp)

• Faculty
• employment
• enrollment
• cooperation
• contracting research/
• consultancy

University
Faculty
Faculty
Faculty
Faculty
15
Negative effects

• Multiplying staff (academic and
  administrative), infrastructure, services
• Difficulties in organising interdisciplinary
  studies (blurring boundaries between disciplines)
• No possibility for strong research centers
• No possibility for management and governance
• No possibility for introducing QA
• No point in any strategic planning

math, physics, chemistry, social sciences,
foreign languages,
Functional integration (!)
16
Faculties
Establishment political decision

• never subjected to any type of evaluation
• full autonomy in creating study programmes
• (everybody has to teach everything that he/she
  knows)

Informal competition through success of former
students at world renown universities ?
extremely difficult studies
huge drop-out rate, long study period
?
Lack of funding for Lab work ?
over-educated, non-experienced, rather old
graduates
broad and deep theoretical knowledge
?
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Internal Faculty Management
1945 - 1970
Strict party control
1970 - 2005
Self-government structure and procedures
defined by Law
2005 - on
To be defined by the Faculty statute
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Faculty Council
Key decision making body
Council members academics, structure defined by
the Faculty statute
All lecturers and assistants
Delegates from all departments
problem to provide the quorum
non transparent decision making process
Decision making process voting
show of hands
ballots
younger colleagues can freely vote
everybody should be able to publicly present and
defend his/her standpoint
Accountability?
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Rectors/deans in the
self-government system
First among equals
Elected by their peers (Council)

• Whom you would elect as your governor?
• non strong minded
• nice to everybody
• reluctant to make decisions

As a consequence rector/dean can be described as

• wearing rectors/deans insignia
• signing the decisions made by the Council
• speaking to the press

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Adopted approach

• Do not do to others what you do not wont for
  yourself
• at some point theyll vote for something which
  is in your interest
• it is not wise to swim against the current

Self-protection from
Self-government
Pilling regulatory acts introducing objective
criteria
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Funding policy
Sources

• public funds (the State budget) faculty as the
  recipient
• higher education institutions' own funds derived
  from revenues outside the budget
• tuition fees

Diversified sources from early sixties
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State budgeting
decreasing (or at least stagnating)

• In 1995 a financing decree was introduced
• two separate lump-sums
• for salaries and
• other expenses

The institution (faculty) is autonomous in
allocating funds as long as the two categories
are not mixed
Problems with the IMF since 2001, that insists on
itemized line-budgeting
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Sallaries
Financed number of lecturers Fl Nc/6
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Hiring policy
Faculties are entitled to their own hiring policy
? can be overstaffed or understaffed
In place since 1995, still some faculties had not
agreed upon hiring policy
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Other expenses
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Other expenses
? 80 art ? 23 law, economy
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Tuition fee
From sixties on symbolic tuition fees,
voters pleased, state as well
universities with insufficient funding
Breaking the ice Private HE institutions,
those who have got a choice
tuition fees where never questioned (!)
Competitiveness (2001) State HE institution
those who have not attend state institution,
(possible change of status)
uproar of protests value for money issues
(!)
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Public funds - budgeting by enrolment
Private instutions tuition fee as the "driving
force"

• over-enrolment v.s. quality
• maximisation of student seat time neglect of
  good learning
• focus on most popular and/or programmes that can
  be thought most cheaply
• if the applicant pool is deep, this can lead to
  excessive dropping out (new students can be
  thought more cheaply)

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External revenue - research contracts with third
parties

• increased steadily till mid-nineties
• ratio at some faculties achieving 75 v.s. 25
  (state budget)
• from 2002, the property acquired through
  non-governmental sources is facultys property
• engaged staff obliged to give certain amount to
  the faculty (varied from 7 to 50, today maximum
  is 30)
• full autonomy in disposing with the rest
• today basic problem force staff to contribute
  to the faculty and not only to use its
  prestigious name in getting the job

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Case of good-practice EE Faculty, University of
Belgrade
How we achieved it? Imposed by a group of old
(wise) professors upon introduction of
self-government (beginning of seventies)

• Recruitment
• appointment linked with the Chair not single
  professor
• outstanding students have to be employed
• no kin of an employee can be appointed

• Salary based on the number of points earned
• 20 to 30 of points guaranteed, based on rank
  and years of employment
• remaining points are collected through
  activities (teaching, exams, seminars,
  lab-work,institutional management )
• the value of one point based on the overall
  revenue

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Case of good-practice EE Faculty, University of
Belgrade
50 of all external revenue (from contracts with
industry or other investors) left to the Faculty

• Consequences
• impartial recruitment policy
• always slightly understaffed (higher teaching
  load then requested)
• free to decide upon intensity of external
  engagement and teaching activities
• staff involved with the areas that are not
  market oriented can be compensated through more
  intensive teaching

32
Case of good-practice EE Faculty, University of
Belgrade
Results

• Full transparency trough appropriate information
  system
• Increased notion of solidarity and caring for
  the institutional development
• Easily achieving consensus on investment in
  certain Lab
• Full (real) autonomy from the state

Everybody satisfied and proud (while the country
was economically sound)
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Case of good-practice EE Faculty, University of
Belgrade
Present attitude?

• Prevailing feeling that the system should be
  preserved
• Unsuccessful attempt to make any revision
  self-government in place
• Younger staff tends to find external contracts
  bypassing the Faculty (percentage lowered to 30)
• Consensus in belief that it cannot work on the
  university level (!)

Surprising?
No any other faculty was able to introduce
similar system!
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How far were we able to reach with the prevailing
attitude?
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Bologna score card (Bergen 2005)
3 priority action lines
Quality Assurance
Two cycle system
Recognition of degrees
Stage of development
Stage of implementation
Diploma suplement
Key elements of evaluation
Level of participation
Lisbon convention
Students' participation
Access to the 2nd cycle
Implementation of ECTS
International participation
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Stocktaking in Europe
5
4
3
2
1
37
Bologna in the region
Beginning (1990 ?)
Bergen 2005
Where are we today?
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Stocktaking in the region
4,00
3,10
2.10
2,20
3,30
3,30
Possible explanation
39

• Integrated uni financing - 2004
• mostly 41

Legislation

• functionally integrated uni
• free-choice
• 180 to 240 120 to 60

1993, 2004
August 2003, June 2004

• Integrated uni implemented till 2007
• mostly 41

draft 2003 deliberation phase
Sept.2005

• Integrated uni implemented immediately
• 311

2003
2000

• Reform underway

• Integrated uni
• 32 (2001)

40
Can we catch-up?
or
we shall hoplessly fall behind?
41
New HE Act 2005
open space for "Bologna"
42
Highly derregulated organisation and management
University statute can define
or stick to the old one
a completely new model
The outcome will be known by September 2006,
Let's hope for the best!