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Spring 2016 In this issue newsletter 1. IMPALA – links with South Africa 2. Mastermind UtrechtNetwork 2. 2016 AGM and Workshop since 1987 3. Closing in on + 4. Summer Schools 4. YRG Scheme 2016 5. Welcome Caroline Reid 5. CALOHEE Project IMPALA – developing links 6. Focus on MAUI with South Africa 7. News in brief Internationalisation and Modernisation Programme for Academics, Leaders and Administrators (IMPALA) – Erasmus+ Key Action 2 The IMPALA project’s aim is to set (academics, management, up a network of European and South administrators) will be trained, attend Welcome African and educational workshops and participate in site visits. With this issue comes an update organisations to respond to the needs Internationalisation university strategies in the South African higher education and management structures will be on our recent initiatives outside community. It aspires to develop clear defined and implemented according our key activities – at the same and viable internationalisation strategies to the needs and nature of the partner time as the Task Forces are within the South African partner university. Quality assurance in higher working on their activities for universities and give them a much education including the establishment of the year, the Network is actively needed head start for future international joint programmes and credit recognition cooperation initiatives. The project in the European and South African involved in three projects of high seeks to bring the South African partner context will be studied and compiled. importance: CALOHEE is a follow- universities to a more advanced level Barriers to mobility will be identified, up on the famous Tuning project; in terms of management and strategies tips and tricks to overcome these barriers Mastermind focuses on the actual of internationalisation through the will be formulated. The project will non-traditional prerequisites training of staff and the strengthening of produce a ‘Handbook for Academics and structures and policies. Administrators’ on internationalisation students should have when in all its aspects based on the outcomes applying for admission; and in The IMPALA project is composed of 9 full and achievements of the project. It will IMPALA the Network will contribute partners: 5 European higher education also produce a ‘Handbook for Students’ organisations (University of , its expertise in a cooperation with including tips and tricks for a smooth University of , , mobility period abroad. South African universities. , Academic Cooperation Association – ACA) and 4 South African The ultimate goal of the IMPALA project Non-European links are also universities (Cape Peninsula University is to translate the policies and strategies the main topic of our other of Technology, University of Limpopo, into action, and to lay the foundation of a articles, where our long-standing University of Fort Hare, University of solid partnership of a European network cooperation with the MAUI and Venda). The acts of universities and a South African AEN networks are highlighted. as project coordinator, and the Cape network of universities that will engage Peninsula University of Technology takes in consortium-to-consortium cooperation Best practice developed here will the role of joint coordinator. The IMPALA initiatives. be used for further collaboration project also includes one associated with networks interested in partner, the International Education The Utrecht Network’s representative on Association of South Africa (IEASA). the project board is Patricia De Clopper, cooperating with us, such as the University of Antwerp. The Utrecht REARI-RJ Network (universities in The objectives stated will be Network will have representatives on all the state of Rio de Janeiro) and accomplished through four Task four Task Forces. Further information the Columbus Association. The Forces that will work on different on the remit and activities of the Task success of each of these initiatives subject areas: Staff Training, Policy Force will be circulated to members and Development and Implementation, expressions of interest in participating in always lies in the activeness of Academic Issues and Mobility. A large the Task Forces will be invited. our individual member institutions group of South African university staff which then contributes to the visibility of the Network as a major Cape Peninsula University of Technology player in the European landscape of Higher Education! Enjoy reading the good news! Sabine Pendl President, Utrecht Network newsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletter

Mastermind Europe At the Utrecht Network AGM at Queens University, Belfast, we will devote some attention to ‘masters admission for a diverse international classroom’.

Kees Kouwenaar, coordinator of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project ‘Mastermind Europe’ will give a presentation and then lead a dynamic working group session on the Toolkit that Mastermind has developed to assist masters programmes in adapting their admissions procedures to suit the increased diversity of students who apply for admission. These can be students from other domestic universities, international students, students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and students with work experience between Bachelors and Masters degrees. may want to be looking for (i.e. what Public Universities, and the Academic The Mastermind Toolkit helps to the applicants have to be good at and Cooperation Association), and 2 articulate more precisely what how good they have to be). private companies (StudyPortals and subject-related knowledge and skills, Ziggurat). what general academic competencies, The Mastermind Europe project has and – if applicable – what personal been testing and is still testing its The Belfast Mastermind session will competencies and traits are Toolkit in Focus Group meetings with be co-ordinated by Kees Kouwenaar. deemed necessary for successful academic masters coordinators in Kees is senior advisor international admission – and completion. In various corners of Europe: Barcelona, strategy at the Vrije Universiteit these basic categories of admission Helsinki, Amsterdam, and Milan. in Amsterdam and has worked in requirements, the Mastermind In the second round of these Focus international education since 1982. Toolkit links practical experience Group meetings, one may also be He initiated and now coordinates the with competency-assessment for held in Graz. The Mastermind Europe Mastermind Europe project. Kees admission with existing generic consortium consists of 5 universities has worked in internationalisation tests and research findings. It offers (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, of education, internationalisation a model for a coherent admission Universities of Helsinki, Graz and of research, capacity building in framework, helping to distinguish Ljubljana and Politecnico di Milano), universities in developing countries, what admissions officers may 3 associations of universities/higher and international recognition of be looking at (e.g. test results or education (The German Rectors degrees and diplomas. motivation statements) and what they Conference, the Catalan Association of

The 2016 Utrecht Network Annual General Meeting will be held 2016 AGM and Workshop on Thursday 28 April – Friday 29 April 2016, hosted by Queen’s University Belfast. AGM Workshop AGM in European projects and proposed Prior to the AGM, a workshop will be Following its successful introduction changes of activity for the Task Forces. held on Wednesday 27 April – Thursday during the 2015 AGM, a ‘new faces’ A presentation and dynamic working 28 April. The theme of the workshop is session will be held prior to the formal group session will be given by the the intercultural preparation of outgoing meeting. The session is aimed at Mastermind Europe Project. There will students. The workshop is aimed at members attending the AGM for the also be dynamic working group sessions those staff in member institutions first time, although all members are held on the internationalisation of working with students preparing to welcome! The session will provide curricula, giving members a chance to undertake periods of study abroad an introduction to the Network and input into the development of this area (International Officers, Study Abroad background information to the agenda of work. advisors, Erasmus+ Coordinators, items. An optional social excursion will take Academic Coordinators of Joint The AGM will focus on issues of place on Saturday 30 April to the North Programmes). The workshop will focus Antrim Coast and in particular the World of ways to maximise the intercultural significance for the Network including the preparation of a new Strategic Plan, Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway. experience of outgoing students. Members may also end their visit to Participants will learn methods and tools changes to the Statutes, developing links with consortia in South America Northern Ireland by sampling Irish to support students before, during, and whiskey at the Bushmills Distillery! after their mobility period. and South Africa, the Network’s role newsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletter

CLOSING IN ON ERASMUS+ A training seminar was held at the in October. The event was organised by the Utrecht Network Staff Training Task Force and the Student Mobility Task Force.

‘Closing in on Erasmus+ participants’

The topic of the training seminar was . The discussions showed a problem. It is sometimes impossible the Erasmus+ programme with special great diversity in institutional strategy to fill in the necessary information emphasis on language competence towards the administration of the IAs on courses to be taken because it is and language requirements, the with some institutions having literally not available. The wording of the LA Inter-institutional Agreement and the thousands of agreements. is also very absolute with ‘minimum Learning Agreement. requirements’. The final part of the The third part of the seminar focused A total of 19 people from 14 Utrecht LA (tables C and D) is redundant since on the Learning Agreement. Some Network universities participated every university that participates in examples of ‘best practice’ were in the event (Malta, Bochum, Tartu, Erasmus+ mobility is expected to issue presented. It was of particular interest Lund, Bologna, Graz, Utrecht, Vilnius, a transcript. to learn how has Ljubljana, Masaryk, Strasbourg, adapted the LA to an online interactive The Student Mobility Task Force led , Helsinki and Bergen). document which can be updated. This workshops were very successful, The size of the group provided a good serves as an excellent tool both for the with lively input from participants. It arena for discussions. student and the administrators and is hoped that participants took away The first part of the seminar was enhances the quality of the mobility with them new ideas for good practice dedicated to ‘language competence’. arrangements. within their institutions. An overview of language requirements The seminar focused on sharing There were two dinners included in the for incoming student mobility was practices and experiences, and it was seminar as well as an excursion to the given with discussion afterwards. very clear that the universities have Hanseatic Museum and Mount Fløyen. There was also a contribution given on worked hard to adjust the proposed the European Framework of Reference LA format to their existing systems on Languages, its design and how it and needs. The group concluded that has been used. not having a LA would complicate The second part of the programme communication between universities, focused on the Inter-institutional yet the need for simplifying the form agreement (IA) with interesting was underlined in all discussion presentations from Strasbourg and groups. The timing is another big newsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletter

Summer Schools Young Researchers Grant Scheme 2016 2016 The Professional English Summer School Another successful call for applications for the YRG will take place at the (UK) between Monday 27 June and Friday 8 July took place during autumn 2015. 2016. Ten grants were awarded by the Utrecht Network and two by the University of . As the table below illustrates, the grants are actively encouraging mobility at postgraduate level between the Network’s member institutions.

Sending University Receiving University Level Subject area Duration

Univerzita Komenského Universität Basel PhD Foreign language v Bratislave didactics 1 month Masarykova univerzita University of Hull PhD Philosophy, 1 month Aesthetics, Art history Eötvös Loránd PhD 1 month Tudományegyetem (religious)

The language course is intended for doctoral University College Cork Helsingin yliopisto PhD Humanities 2.5 months and postdoctoral candidates as well as Helsingin yliopisto L-Università ta' Malta PhD 1 month newly appointed academic staff at member University of Hull Universität Basel PhD Astrophysics 2 months institutions who already have a relatively good command of English (min. B2/max. C1), Universitatea Alexandru Karl-Franzens-Universität PhD American and 1 month Ioan Cuza din Iasi Graz Gender Studies and who wish to update or further refine their language. Uniwersytet Jagiellonski Karl-Franzens-Universität PhD Sociology 33 days w Krakowie Graz The intensive school on Global Societal Challenges will take place in Rimini () Univerza v Ljubljani University of Hull PhD Law 1 month from Monday 19 September until Friday 23 Aristotle University of University of Hull PhD English Literature 1 month September 2016. Thessaloniki The school is intended for doctoral candidates in the field of social and humanities Funded by the (10-15 participants). The participants should preferably be in their second year of research, and thus able to present their theme, methods and – if possible - findings there. Sessions Sending University Receiving University Level Subject area Duration dealing with the academic substance of societal challenges, sessions dealing with Universität Basel University of Hull PhD Physics 2 months various (interdisciplinary) approaches and Universiteit Utrecht Universität Basel MA Neuroscience 6 months methods to capture that theme, as well and Cognition as discussions on how academics could contribute through their work to public debates on challenges in societies will make up the school. Four lecturers from Utrecht The call for 2017 applications will take place during summer 2016. Further Network member institutions will constitute details will be provided on the Network’s website (www.utrecht-network.org). Due to the changes in the Network’s calendar the period of mobility will be 1 the academic team of the school. April 2017 – 31 March 2018. Further information on how to apply will be available at: www.utrecht-network.org/activities/summer- school/ www.lefphdschools.eu newsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletter

Welcome to the new AEN Secretariat

Western Sydney University has taken My passion for student mobility began I am a Sydney local, and grew up close on the AEN Secretariat role for the when I undertook my own overseas study by to our Parramatta campus so I am 2016/2017 term. experiences at University (in Mexico). very familiar with the area and am a Through this experience, I got to see great point of contact for your students firsthand how formative overseas study who want to know about life in Western could be for a student, and how much of Sydney. It is an exciting time to work an impact the experience continues to at Western Sydney University as or have both personally and academically new Vice Chancellor, Professor Barney after returning home. I began my career Glover has a strong international focus. in Higher Education working in student Since he came on board in 2014, there administration as a student services has been a huge amount of change and officer. In August 2013 I came to work at growth at the University, including the Western Sydney University as a Study change of our name and visual identity Abroad and Exchange Coordinator, and from ‘University of Western Sydney’ to in January 2016 I took on the role of Western Sydney University. There are Acting Manager, International Mobility. exciting things in store for Western Sydney University as we are at the I recently completed a Master of epicenter of growth and development in Higher Education with a specialisation the greater Sydney region. A renewed I am looking forward to working with in Leadership and Management at focus on international programs is also each of you over the next two years, and Macquarie University, where I also leading to exciting new programs and I will endeavour to provide the same completed a Bachelor of International opportunities being developed for both level of organisation and expertise as Studies with a major in European local and international students. Anouk van der Vorst has over the last two Studies. I love to travel and experience years of Deakin University’s term. I am new cultures and languages, which I look forward to working with each of currently acting in the role of Manager, keeps me passionate about student you during our term as AEN Secretariat. International Mobility at Western Sydney mobility. I do speak Spanish, however International, and prior to this my not nearly as well as I did when I Caroline Reid role was Study Abroad and Exchange returned from my own exchange AEN Secretariat Coordinator for The Americas, , semester in Mexico, so I have started Italy, and the ISEP Exchange Network. taking conversational classes to help me improve. CALOHEE Project

Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Europe The Utrecht Network is a member of the Advisory Board of the project. On 19 February the first joint meeting of the Advisory Board and the Quality Assurance Board took place in Brussels.

The situation of HE in Europe is rather In this new 2-years project with If you are interested in further details unique since specialisation already an approved budget of 500.000€, you can either have a look at the takes places at Bachelor level – with assessment periods in the following 5 homepage both positive and negative effects. For areas will take place: civil engineering, www..eu/projects/calohee/ the European Commission therefore nursing, education, physics and wait for reports on recent developments skills are of major importance and history. In each of these peer group which will be sent our regularly via the because of this high relevance is given two coordinators of motivated UN distribution list, or you can contact to this project. With the leadership academics from selected institutions Sabine Pendl. provided by Robert Wagenaar, CALOHEE are responsible for the development of can build on proven experience from a conceptual framework which then will the beginning of ECTS and also 15 years be finalised in an assessment plan and of TUNING worldwide. Already in that white paper. period the paradigm shift from expert driven teaching and learning to student- centered learning has started. newsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletternewsletter

Focus on MAUI The Utrecht Network through its links with the MAUI Network (Mid-America Universities International), offers its students the opportunity to apply for placement in the USA. The arrangement with the MAUI Network is a reciprocal one and in return Utrecht Network member institutions offer study placements to MAUI students.

The MAUI Network compromises designed by the same firm that created bands and performers from all over of eleven American universities on the Louvre pyramid. It currently the world! Nearby is beautiful Forest fourteen campuses. In each edition of hosts over 100,000 visitors every Park, a 1,300-acre landscape that the Newsletter we will be highlighting year who come to enjoy orchestral accommodates not only the one of the MAUI institutions to enable performances, ballets, and a wide St Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Utrecht Network members to better range of multicultural programs. Museum, and the Center, but promote MAUI institutions to their UMSL has state of the art facilities also one of the best zoos in the USA students. The first member is the including a brand new center for and The Muny, an open air theatre – all University of Missouri-St Louis, home Recreation and Wellness that houses absolutely free to the public! to the MAUI Secretariat. a 2-story climbing wall, a zip line and Like the city of St Louis, there is bouldering cave, and a range of fitness no lack of variety when it comes to University of Missouri- equipment and sport courts available choosing your course of study at to students for free! St. Louis UMSL. While offering all the general As well as having a campus that St Louis is home to over 50 unique classes that other universities provide, spreads across 470 acres and a neighborhoods – that’s just the UMSL goes beyond and teaches student body that represents 70 ones within the city limits! – with courses that focus on unique interests different countries, the University of a multitude of parks and business such as: Irish Literature and Film, Missouri-St Louis (UMSL) is home to strips. The Delmar Loop, noted as one Micro-brewing, History of Feminism the Mercantile Library – an expansive of the top 10 streets in the USA, is and Witchcraft, Veteran Studies, research library and the oldest library easily accessible by the public train Art of Storytelling, Archaeological west of the Mississippi River – and and boasts more than 145 businesses Field Work, Printmaking and Screen- the Touhill Performing Arts Center, including a boutique hotel and several printing, Beginning Fiction Writing, a landmark performance facility entertainment venues, which host and many more.

left: University of Missouri-St Louis below: Touhill Performing Arts Centre NEWSinbrief

30th Anniversary and Rectors meeting The Utrecht Network will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2017. To mark the occasion a Rectors meeting will be held prior to the Annual General Meeting. The venue for both the Rectors meeting and the AGM will be the University of Hull, UK. The Rectors meeting will take place on Wednesday 26 April 2017 concluding with a reception and dinner in the evening. The meeting will celebrate the successes of the Network’s first thirty years and help shape the strategic direction of the Network going forward.

Developing links Partner meetings at NASFA The NAFSA conference this year is taking from 29 May – 3 June in Denver, with non-European Colorado, USA . Both AEN and MAUI will be hosting networking events with Utrecht Network partners. Networks The MAUI event will be held from 2 – 3.30 pm on 1 June 2016. Further One of the strategic goals of the details on both the AEN and MAUI events will be sent to members when Utrecht Network is to expand the available. cooperation with non-European networks. As the experiences with MAUI and AEN have been very positive new forms of working together with other regions shall be developed. With REARI-RJ, the network of universities in the region of Rio de Janeiro, already first contacts have been established and a meeting at

Designed by the University of Hull Hull of the University by Designed the next FAUBAI conference will take place. Recently also the Columbus Association has expressed interest in establishing a collaboration with the Contact Utrecht Network. Best practice models For further information about the will be used, but the focus should also be in meeting the needs of both our Utrecht Network, please contact: partners and us. Fiona Miller More details will follow! Executive Secretariat www.utrecht-network.org Utrecht Network c/o The University of Hull Hull, HU6 7RX, UK [email protected] www.utrecht-network.org © University of Hull | Published March 2016 | 3595 CB 2016 | 3595 March | Published Hull of © University