Expanding EuropeJubilee Rectors Conference

Pecs 11-13 October 2010

European Competitiveness in higher education

Bjørn Einar AasImmediate Past President

European Association for International Education (EAIE).

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The topic(s)

What is internationalisation in higher education ? Growth and sucess Do universties really compete? What makes universities competitive? Values – Models - Inspiration Policies and challenges

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What is it , Internationalisation?

Internationalization at the national, sector, and institutional levels is defined as “the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of postsecondary education. (Knight 2003)

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Growth and sucess

The ERAMSUS programme 300 students in is first year (1987 10 000 in its second year 200 000 thousand in the academic year

2008-2009! The growth in 2008-2009 : 8,6%. 2 million students have benefited from

the ERASMUS programme.4

Eurostat and others

EUROSTAT: “with an average growth of 6% between 2000 and 2006 the EU 27 inbound mobility rate shows that higher education in the EU has not lost its attractiveness”

Bologna study : an increase of students in Europe from other parts of the world in the early years of the 21st century” …the proportion of foreign students in Europe has increased from less that three per cent to more than seven percent.

5

TOTAL INTERNATINAL HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT ENROLMENT IN LEADING DESTINATION COUNTRIES

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

International Higher Education Student Enrolment

USA

UK

France

Germany

Australia

Canada

New Zealand

Notes: Data captures higher education students and differs from OECD tertiary student data. Data is not entirely congruent however. France data released for 2009 is not comparable to previous data.Sources: AEI, CampusFrance, CIC, DAAD/HIS, ENZ/MoE, HESA, IIE; ICG.

YoY GROWTH INTERNATINAL HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT ENROLMENT IN LEADING DESTINATION COUNTRIES

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

International Higher Education Student Enrolment YoY Growth

USA

UK

France

Germany

Australia

Canada

New Zealand

Notes: Data captures higher education students and differs from OECD tertiary student data. Data is not entirely congruent however. France data released for 2009 is not comparable to previous data.Sources: AEI, CampusFrance, CIC, DAAD/HIS, ENZ/MoE, HESA, IIE; ICG.

Do universities really compete ?

•Citius, Altius,Fortius: The Olympic Motto”Swifter, Higher Stronger”

•What di we have : FP7, ERC and the Nobel Price?•Universties do cutting edge research•Winners have impact : grants, prestige, new research

What makes universites competitive? A different mission

”The drive to seek the truth” Bound together by ”the

argumentative community” A university true to its values does not

follow the political method, not the ideological method, not the commercial method, but the scientific method.

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Freedom and autonomy

Universities are important because they are free and autonomous

Successful universities cannot be created by instructions

Seeking the truth, creating new knowledge depends on freedom and autonomy

Freedom makes universities competetive

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The inspiration from Europe 1860

In the U.S 150 years ago : need for a new independent institution relevant to an increasingly industrialised America

Inspired by the German model ; coupling teaching and research, attention on real-world problems

Today we know the institution as as MIT

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Inspiration from Europe 2010 Vietnam

Creating new universities with foreign universities as partners and, crucially, promises of autonomy. The first : the Vietnamese German University (VGU), opened in 2008. A French-backed technology school in Hanoi will follow.

Its independent charter, a first for a Vietnamese university, allows it to hire professors and design its own courses. In theory this should boost academic freedom.

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Challenges

Universities need resources and adequate funding as well as policies

Bologna ministers consider public investment in higher education of utmost priority.

Interntaionalisation will stay : … In 2020, at least 20% of those graduating in the European Higher Education Area should have had a study or training period abroad.

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The European Uninion : Europe 2020

Ambitious goals 3% of the EU's GDP should be invested

in R&D. at least 40% of the younger

generation should have a tertiary degree

European Policy for international education

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Bologna Policy Forum :You have the results we seek

US Undersecretary: “We appreciate the relentless focus on students and learning outcomes”.

I am confident that higher education institutions in Europe are ready to prove that universities can be (highly) successful and competitive. We have the solutions!

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Köszönöm a figyelmüket

Thank you for your attention !