16 februarie 2019

Eveniment SUPERB, astazi, in Gradina Botanica din Iasi. Mii de vizitatori sunt asteptati la manifestare

 Gradina Botanica „Anastasie Fatu” a Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” – UAIC din Iasi invita publicul sa viziteze o spectaculoasa expozitie de plante exotice • Aceasta este deschisa de astazi, 16 februarie si pana pe 10 martie 2019, în compartimentele noi ale Complexului de Sere • Deschiderea evenimentului va avea loc de la ora 11:00. Cu acest prilej vor fi expuse specii si soiuri cunoscute sau mai putin cunoscute de azalee si camelii, precum si numeroase exemplare de plante originare din zone subtropicale si tropicale • In cadrul acestei editii, printre exemplarele de plante se vor remarca si animale cu valoare simbolica, realizate cu multa imaginatie de personalul Gradinii Botanice, intr-o forma de arta topiara reinterpretata • Expozitia va fi deschisa zilnic, între orele 9:00 – 16:00 • Pretul unui bilet de intrare este de cinci lei, iar pentru grupurile organizate este de trei lei • Fotografiatul este liber

Gradina Botanica Anastasie Fatu” a Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” (UAIC) din Iasi invita publicul sa viziteze o spectaculoasa expozitie de plante exotice. Aceasta este deschisa de astazi, 16 februarie si pana pe 10 martie 2019, în compartimentele noi ale Complexului de Sere. Deschiderea evenimentului va avea loc de la ora 11:00.

Cu acest prilej vor fi expuse specii si soiuri cunoscute sau mai putin cunoscute de azalee si camelii, precum si numeroase exemplare de plante originare din zone subtropicale si tropicale.

In cadrul acestei editii, printre exemplarele de plante se vor remarca si animale cu valoare simbolica, realizate cu multa imaginatie de personalul Gradinii Botanice, intr-o forma de arta topiara reinterpretata. Expozitia va fi deschisa zilnic, între orele 9:00 – 16:00. Pretul unui bilet de intrare este de cinci lei, iar pentru grupurile organizate este de trei lei. Fotografiatul este liber.

„Gradina Botanica «Anastasie Fatu» va invita sa vizitati «Expozitia de plante exotice» care este cunoscut ca un eveniment dedicat florilor iernii. Cu prilejul acestei editii, colectiile de azalee si camelii sunt prezentate în amenajari peisagistice inspirate de gradinile asiatice, dar mai ales cele japoneze. Pentru a sugera caracterele distincte ale acestor apreciate gradini, aceste plante sunt asociate cu elemente simbol precum pavilion, pietre sau stânci, dar si cu alte specii de plante cunoscute sau mai putin cunoscute din aceste zone. Astfel, printre culorile intense ale azaleelor si cameliilor, se pot observa diferite nuante de verde specific ferigilor sau unor arbusti denumiti sugestiv «bambus norocos», precum si unor conifere specifice zonelor temperate sau tropicale din Asia”, a transmis prof. univ. dr. Catalin Tanase, directorul Gradinii Botanice, respectiv prorector pentru programe de masterat si studii doctorale la „Cuza”.

De la cactusi si plante suculente, la „planta doftor” si „planta de jad”

În cadrul expozitiei de plante exotice vor putea fi remarcate exponate cu materiale vegetale proaspete si uscate, realizate cu multa imaginatie de catre gradinarii institutiei, care se ocupa atât de îmbogatirea colectiilor, cât si de îngrijirea acestor plante. Spatiul expozitional al serelor ofera vizitatorilor posibilitatea de a descoperi si alte specii exotice decorative prin flori (orhideefloarea flamingobromeliiheliconia, crini) sau prin frunze (crotoni, ficusi, arbori-umbrela, dracene, ferigi).

Pentru iubitorii plantelor provenite din zonele aride, un interes aparte prezinta cactusii si plantele suculente, care se vor remarca mai ales prin habitusul mai putin obisnuit.

„Dintre colectiile de plante cultivate în sere, ce prezinta importanta alimentara si farmaceutica, au fost selectate specii si varietati cu importanta alimentara – ananasul, vanilia, în medicina traditionala – «planta doftor» si «planta de jad», utilizate în domeniul casnic – planta «picior de elefant» sau cu valoare decorativa – peperomii si begonii. De asemenea, Ionela Mihuleac, împreuna cu 34 de artisti plastici din Iasi, Suceava si Italia si un grup de 19 copii vor expune lucrari de arta vizuala sub genericul «Inima», eveniment ajuns la a VIII-a editie”, a mai reliefat profesorul Tanase.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Expozitia „Student în comunism”, la Muzeul Universitatii „Cuza” din Iasi

Muzeul Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” (UAIC) din Iasi organizeaza expozitia interesanta si atractiva intitulata generic „Student în comunism„, al carei vernisaj va avea loc miercuri, 20 februarie 2019, în Sala centrala a Muzeului Academic.

Expozitia prezinta tematic diversitatea vietii de student din acea perioada, de la provocarile reprezentate de admiterea în învatamântul superior si parcurgerea cursurilor ideologice, pâna la aspecte ale petrecerii timpului liber, desfasurarea practicii stiintifice sau primirea repartitiei la terminarea studiilor.

Vizitatorii pot admira fotografii, extrase din documente de arhivaobiecte de epocainsignemedalii si pot asculta fragmente de interviuri luate câtorva profesori, fosti studenti ai Universitatii în perioada comunista. Expozitia poate fi vizitata pâna pe data de 25 aprilie 2019.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Interes ridicat la concursul pentru posturi didactice organizat de Universitatea Tehnica „Gheorghe Asachi” in acest an universitar

Universitatea Tehnica Gheorghe Asachi” din Iasi a scos, in primul semestru al anului universitar 2018-2019, 38 de posturi didactice la concurs pe perioada nedeterminata, toate fiind ocupate, concursurile fiind validate in cadrul sedintei Senatului din data de joi, 14 februarie 2019. Au fost 5 posturi de profesor universitar, 12 de conferentiar universitar, 18 de sef de lucrari sau de lector si 3 de asistent universitar. Cele cinci posturi noi de profesori sunt la mai multe dintre facultatile Politehnicii: unul la Facultatea de Inginerie Chimica si Protectia Mediului „Cristofor Simionescu”, doua la Facultatea de Constructii si Instalatii, unul la cea de Electronica Telecomunicatii si Tehnologia Informatiei si unul la Facultatea de Arhitectura „G.M. Cantacuzino”.

Conducerea TUIASI remarca faptul ca anul acesta a fost un interes sporit pentru posturile scoase la concurs pentru intrarea in sistem, fie ca asistent, fie direct ca sef de lucrari, argumentand acest lucru si cu faptul ca salariile din invatamant au crescut si cariera didactica a devenit o optiune viabila pentru tineri.

„Cele mai multe pozitii au fost ocupate de persoane din universitate, de pe posturi inferioare, dar avem si posturi pe care au concurat cei din afara universitatii. Dupa cum se poate observa predomina posturile de conferentiar si sef de lucrari. Putem spune ca se mentine in continuare problema penuriei de personal in domeniul IT, pentru ca exista o concurenta majora din mediul privat, dar in acelasi timp cariera academica universitara incepe sa devina atractiva, si prin cresterea salariului. Si la acest concurs am avut doua persoane ce au candidat pe un post de sef de lucrari, ambele din afara sistemului. Ne asteptam ca pe viitor numarul de candidati sa devina din ce in ce mai mare“, a declarat prof. univ. dr. ing. Neculai Seghedin, prorectorul responsabil cu activitatea didactica la TUIASI.

Concursurile au avut loc in perioada 5 – 7 februarie si au fost validate in sedinta Senatului de pe 14 februarie. Rectorul universitatii, prof. univ. dr. ing. Dan Cascaval, spune ca universitatea trebuie sa ofere, neingradit, posibilitatea ascensiunii profesionale in rigorile legii, daca doreste sa ceara performanta de la profesorii si cercetatorii acesteia. „Am sustinut deschis intotdeauna ca satisfactia profesionala reprezinta sursa dezvoltarii carierei didactice si stiintifice. Ca in anii trecuti, am propus scoaterea la concurs a tuturor posturilor didactice in primul semestru, avand experienta neplacuta a unor modificari legislative de sfarsit sau inceput de an care au amanat acest proces. Insa am lasat la latitudinea facultatilor programarea scoaterii acestor posturi. Sunt bucuros ca, in afara promovarii colegilor inscrisi la concurs, avem si cateva intrari in sistem, ceea ce confirma faptul ca exista resursa umana de foarte buna calitate care sa permita transferul activitatilor de la o generatie la alta”, a precizat prof. univ. dr. ing. Dan Cascaval.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași și Ziarul de Iași

Universitatea de Agronomie din Iasi, investitii de 14 milioane de lei in Educatia antreprenoriala

Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole si Medicina Veterinara (USAMV) „Ion Ionescu de la Brad” din Iasi a câstigat doua proiecte în valoare de peste 14 milioane lei prin Programul Operational Capital Uman (POCU), in cadrul apelului de proiecte „Bursa Student Antreprenor„, ca masura activa cu rol esential în cresterea participarii studentilor din categorii vulnerabile la programe de studii de licenta.

„Proiectele «Educatie antreprenoriala – EducAtiv» si «Masuri active pentru cresterea participarii la învatamântul tertiar antreprenorial a studentilor din medii defavorizate» se vor derula pe o perioda de 24 luni si au ca obiectiv principal dezvoltarea competentelor antreprenoriale ale tinerilor. Toti studentii USAMV Iasi din anii terminali vor participa activ la programe de dezvoltare antreprenoriala din domeniile: agricol, horticol, zootehnic, medical veterinar si industrie alimentara. Proiectele au în vedere activitati de consiliere profesionala antreprenoriala, prin care dorim sa dezvoltam abilitatile tinerilor pentru a-si forma o imagine cât mai clara privind integrarea pe piata muncii si transmiterea de cunostinte solide despre ceea ce înseamna o afacere proprie în domeniul studiat”, a precizat prof. univ. dr. ing. Vasile Vîntu, rectorul USAMV.

Atât studentii universitatii, cât si elevii din colegiile agricole si de industrie alimentara vor fi consiliati, prin activitati de mentorat si tutoriat, sa dobândeasca cunostinte de la persoane cu experienta antreprenoriala.

Conform activitatilor prevazute în proiect, vor fi organizate caravane în colegiile agricole din zona de Nord-Est a României, tabere antreprenoriale si vor fi dezvoltate oferte educationale noi în cele cinci domenii economice prioritare.

Tot în cadrul proiectului, se are în vedere pregatirea antreprenoriala a cadrelor didactice de la USAMV Iasi, USAMV Bucuresti si USAMVB Timisoara si dezvoltarea a doua laboratoare multimedia antreprenoriale.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Admiterea la UMF Iaşi: au apărut culegerile de teste pentru toate materiile

Care este preţul fiecărei culegeri în parte şi unde le găsiţi?

Reprezentanţii Universităţii de Medicină şi Farmacie „Grigore T. Popa“ din Iaşi (UMF) au anunţat zilele trecute că au apărut culegerile de teste necesare pentru admitere, publicate de Editura „Gr. T. Popa“, ediţia 2019. Acestea pot fi cumpărate încă de joi, 14 februarie, de la Librăria UMF, care se află la parterul Facultăţii de Farmacie, programul de luni până vineri fiind de la ora 10.00 la 14.00.

Culegerile pentru „Anatomia şi fiziologia omului“ şi cea de „Matematică“ pot fi cumpărate fiecare cu 25 de lei, cea de „Chimie organică“ şi „Biologie Vegetală“ cu câte 26 de lei, iar cea de „Fizică“ are preţul de 31 de lei.

Conform calendarului concursului de admitere pentru sesiunea iulie 2019, perioada înscrierilor este 15 – 20 iulie, iar testul grilă va avea loc pe 24 iulie

Publicație : Ziarul de Iași

THE to hold first China Universities Forum

Event at Nankai University will discuss rapid rise of Chinese research institutions, and upcoming threats and opportunities

Times Higher Education is holding its first symposium dedicated to China’s emerging world-class universities.

The THE China Universities Forum will be held in partnership with Nankai University in Tianjin from 29 to 30 March this year.

Attendees will discuss the rapid rise of Chinese research universities and examine whether this progress can be matched by innovations in teaching and quality of learning.​

Speakers will include Qian Xuhong, president of East China Normal University, and Joanna Waley-Cohen, provost of New York University Shanghai.

Other speakers will include Eng Chye Tan, president of the National University of Singapore, Michael Spence, vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, and Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal of the University of Glasgow.

Drawing on exclusive THE data, the event will investigate the upcoming threats and opportunities for China’s universities as they continue to pursue world-class university status, and hear if lessons can be learned from their international peer institutions in relation to their development.

Register here

Publicație : The Times

Lecture capture risks breaking the sacred trust of the lecture hall

The new technology is further evidence of the consumer model of higher education and will result in lecturers adapting how they teach, says Jim Butcher

Universities across the UK are currently introducing lecture capture, which means that lectures will be recorded and made available to those who are unable to attend or who may want to review the class.

The move has been met with some criticism from staff. Many fear that attendance will fall as students will opt to stay at home and watch the video of their class. Most of us know that being physically present in the classroom is important because it gives students the chance to engage with the lecturer and with other students during and perhaps after the class. It is about being an active part of an academic community, rather than an adjunct to it.

Also, many lectures are flexible, involving questions and discussion. Granted, this is very difficult given the large lecture sizes that many deal with. Nonetheless, the flexibility to teach as one sees fit is very important. It would be a backwards step if lecturers felt constrained in any way by the technology.

Meanwhile, the right of students not to be recorded is part of the policies that are being introduced. Muting individuals in a class at their request is awkward. Will some students simply stay quiet? Will discussions fall flat because of a fear of being recorded, saying the wrong thing or missing the point?

Equally, will a lecturer feel as free to broach a controversial topic? Will they be prepared to go out on a limb and present a new argument considered left (or right) field? Will they be prepared to deviate from the schedule when they might feel it is justified by current events to do so?

In my role as a Universities and Colleges Union representative, and out of professional interest, I have spoken to many lecturers and found that most share similar concerns. Many admit that they will change the way they teach.

But the issues do not lie with lecture capture. The real issue, and culprit, is university culture itself. The prevalent consumer model of education promotes two things that, in practice, are likely to result in lecturers adapting what they teach when being recorded.

First, lectures have increasingly become part of a formal “delivery” of an academic “service” tied in to a pseudo-contractual relationship between fee-paying “consumers” and their “providers”. The language of “learning outcomes” that are in some cases compulsory and “mapped” to specific classes and assessments does not help. Students are socialised into seeing higher education as an overly formal product with clear specifications.

Second, and also a part of the consumer model, universities are no longer spaces where free speech is guaranteed. The wider political climate in which disagreeable ideas and words are sometimes associated with offence and psychological damage is manifest in numerous codes of conduct and zero-tolerance policies.

The existence of such policies – while they are seldom invoked – may make lecturers think twice before repeating a personal anecdote that illustrates a point, stating a strong view that they hold or cracking a slightly risqué joke. Issues related to trans rights, religion and #MeToo are among those where strong opinions or certain words can be taken as a breach of university policy, even when no law has been broken and when there is no intent to cause offence. Hence greater self-censorship and a certain conservatism in the classroom may result from lectures routinely being recorded and played back.

There is much to be said for treating the lecture hall and seminar room as a sacred space for the lecturer and his or her students; one where intellectual relationships defined by mutual trust and openness can be cultivated. Staff should feel confident to play devil’s advocate, to change tack and to use humour as they see fit. The lecture room should be their space, where they can exercise their autonomy in imparting knowledge, and in which they can hone their craft.

That universities do not provide guarantees that captured lectures cannot be invoked in student complaints or disciplinary proceedings is a problem. The argument that recordings will be more likely to provide evidence in favour of a lecturer subject to an accusation does not reassure. The issue is the importance of trust in the lecture room; a trust that is already undermined by the twin assumptions that education is the delivery of learning outcomes, and that staff and student codes of conduct are needed to regulate the lecture room and university.

So the issue is not lecture capture, but a conservatism that is encouraged through our consumerist and therapeutic model of education. In order to get the most from lecture capture, we need to re-establish the lecture itself as an arena for the cultivation of knowledge rather than simply its delivery, and as an intellectual space where trust rules over fear.

Publicație : The Times

Academic attitudes ‘hold back minority science students’

Race-based student performance gap doubles when professors admit doubts about innate abilities

Ethnic minority students tend to have lower success rates in the sciences when taught by academics who believe that some learners have intrinsic limits on their intelligence, a US study has found.

The research, published in Science, was based on surveys involving 150 faculty and two years of performance data on 15,000 of their students at a large public US research university.

The results suggest that an additional factor, beyond well-recognised economic, social and structural handicaps, could be holding back students from ethnic minorities, according to the authors at Indiana University.

The study did not directly explore staff attitudes about race-based stereotypes, but instead just asked the professors if they agreed that “students have a certain amount of intelligence, and they really can’t do much to change it”.

Among those lecturers who indicated agreement, the gap in success between their white and Asian students, as compared to their other ethnic minority students, was nearly twice as large.

“Endorsing a fixed mindset about intelligence does not necessarily mean that you endorse racial stereotypes,” said lead author Mary Murphy, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana.

But Dr Murphy argued that academics who endorsed fixed mindset beliefs tended to prize only flawless performance, which those who adhered to a growth mindset theory tended to value and praise the process of learning, and use mistakes as learning opportunities.

She said that the faculty demographics of the institution that they studied were similar to the demographics of science faculty nationwide.

“There are several reasons to believe that our results would generalise to other parts of the world,” Dr Murphy said, “particularly in places where similar intellectual stereotypes exist about underrepresented groups.”

Dr Murphy and her team published the findings in the same week that a collaboration funded by the National Science Foundation announced an initial group of 15 public research universities that have agreed to participate in a three-year programme to change their recruitment, hiring and retention practices in the sciences.

The effort, known as the IChange Network, will include a period of institutional self-assessment, professional development services for existing faculty from underrepresented groups, and money to further diversify science and technology faculty. Organisers said that they hope to add 50 more universities over the next two years.

Also during the week, a group of 53 academic and professional societies in the sciences announced an initiative aimed at improving conditions for women. That effort was outlined at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is also one of the umbrella groups organising the project. The effort will focus on providing the participating academic societies with resources, guidance and model policies for improving their treatment of women.

Publicație : The Times

Labour brands English OfS ‘not fit for purpose’ in overhaul plan

Angela Rayner pledges to order regulator to ‘avoid university bankruptcies’ in bid to end Tories’ ‘failed free market experiment’

Labour has called England’s Office for Students “not fit for purpose”, saying that it would set an objective for the regulator “to avoid the bankruptcy of any higher education provider” as part of a major overhaul of its powers.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner was due to outline the plan, which would end the OfS’ duty to promote competition and replace it with a duty to encourage collaboration between institutions, in a speech at a University and College Union conference in Manchester on

Labour also said that in government it would also require the OfS to “report on diversity” among university staff and in higher education generally; require university staff to be represented on the regulator’s board; reverse the Conservative decision to allow new providers to award their own degrees from day one; order the OfS to enforce university compliance with Labour’s commitment to a maximum 20:1 ratio between the highest- and lowest-paid in publicly funded bodies; and ban vice-chancellors from sitting on their own remuneration committees.

“The Tories have unleashed a failed free-market experiment in higher education,” Ms Rayner was expected to say. “They have created a system that goes to the very heart of their ideology – a system where market logic is imposed on public goods and where the forces of competition run rampant at the expense of students, staff and communities.”

Labour described the OfS – created by the Conservative government as a market-style regulator – as “not fit for purpose”.

When it emerged last year that the OfS had made a £900,000 bridging loan to a university in financial difficulty, the regulator said that it did so under powers granted to its predecessor organisation, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which will expire in July.

Sir Michael Barber, the OfS’ chair, has said that the regulator “will not bail out providers in financial difficulty”.

This week, the universities minister, Chris Skidmore, said in the House of Commons that the government would not “bail out” universities. “There is an expectation that providers may, in a small number of cases, exit the market altogether as a result of strong competition,” he also said.

Labour says that in government it would “set an explicit objective for the OfS to avoid the bankruptcy of any higher education provider and give the OfS the powers needed to provide emergency loans if they are needed for a provider to remain viable”.

Ms Rayner was due to say that universities “are not profit-making private companies that can simply be left at the mercy of market forces. Ministers cannot simply bury their heads in the sand when we’re faced with losing some of these vital institutions.

“Students would be left with immense uncertainty about their futures, and entire communities would lose one of their major academic, economic and social institutions.”

Ms Rayner was due to say that allowing new providers to award their own degrees from the outset “puts the education of students at risk, who would be gambling on a new provider with no guarantee that they would end their time at university with a valuable degree, or in fact a degree at all”.

On diversity, she was due to say: “Like much of our Establishment, our universities are too male, pale and stale and do not represent the communities that they serve and modern Britain.”

 Publicație : The Times

Union votes no confidence in Reading bosses over ‘mismanagement’

UCU branch rejects redundancies plan and blames ‘poor investment and spending decisions’ for financial woes

Union members at the University of Reading have passed a motion of no confidence in the institution’s council and senior management, following fresh financial revelations and plans for job cuts.

The University and College Union branch motion accuses the university council of overseeing “mismanagement and poor investment and spending decisions in the past”, and the executive board of pursuing “adversarial” governance in moving to “threaten” staff with compulsory redundancies if insufficient numbers sign up to a voluntary scheme.

The Guardian reported last week that Reading had reported itself to the Office for Students over a £121 million loan. The university said that it was investigating whether it had improperly benefited from the sale of land belonging to the National Institute for Research in Dairying trust, in which it is the sole trustee.

Prior to that, Reading’s latest accounts recorded a £20 million deficit, largely down to problems with the university’s Malaysia campus.

In July last year, it was announced that Sir David Bell would leave Reading to take over at the University of Sunderland. He has been replaced by acting vice-chancellor Robert Van de Noort.

In December, Reading announced the opening of a voluntary redundancy scheme but said that if that did not produce the required savings, “then, in the absence of other solutions, compulsory redundancies will be necessary in some areas”.

The UCU motion of no confidence rejects senior management’s “current attempts to make people take voluntary redundancy by threatening compulsory redundancies in the near future” and rejects their rationale for job cuts of “a fall in student recruitment, pension costs and Brexit uncertainties”.

The “true reasons”, says the motion, are “short-sighted governance” that failed to anticipate recruitment trends; “mismanagement” leading to “lower NSS scores” and “investments making losses”; “adversarial governance” on the redundancy plan; and “opaque governance” with “no effective involvement of the wider academic community in decision-making processes”.

The University of Reading has been approached for comment.

 Publicație : The Times

Grève pour le climat: lycéens et étudiants jugent l’écologie délaissée

 REPORTAGE – Étudiants et lycéens s’étaient donné rendez-vous ce vendredi après-midi devant le ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire, pour essayer d’obtenir du gouvernement des actions.

«Les petits pas, ça ne suffit pas!» scandent des centaines d’étudiants et des lycéens sous les fenêtres du ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire à Paris. C’était le premier volet d’une série de mobilisations pour tenter de forcer le gouvernement à prendre des mesures écologiques. Le 15 mars, la mobilisation se poursuivra avec des grèves scolaires dans toute la France.

«Chaque samedi, nous publierons des revendications sur le thème des transports, de la consommation, de l’énergie ou de l’alimentation. Si le vendredi suivant, le gouvernement n’a pas réagi, nous organiserons une action de désobéissance civile», explique Pimprenelle Pouillot-Chevara, membre de Youth for climate France. Cette organisation a été créée suite au mouvement lancé par Grëta Thunberg, la jeune suédoise de 15 ans devenue célèbre lors du forum de Davos. Elle réclame le respect des engagements pris par les États lors de la COP21 et la déclaration de l’état d’urgence écologique et social.

Afin de marquer son soutien avec les jeunes, la secrétaire d’État Brune Poirson est sortie du ministère et leur a dit avec un portevoix. «Derrière ces portes, vous n’avez pas d’adversaire, mais des alliés», a t-elle dit aux centaines de jeunes présents. «Je suis d’accord avec beaucoup de vos revendications», a t-elle ajouté.

« Je suis heureuse de votre mobilisation, ça veut dire que l’on a franchi un cap. Derrière les portes de ce ministère vous n’avez que des alliés, pas des adversaires. Je suis d’accord avec beaucoup de vos revendications. » #ClimateStrike #grevepourleclimat

Elle peine à convaincre. «Pour l’instant, la priorité, c’est la croissance économique et la compétitivité, pourtant la planète n’attend pas», regrette Léo, étudiant à l’université Paris-Dauphine.

La mobilisation se poursuivra avec des grèves scolaires

Pour ses camarades de promotion, la politique écologique du gouvernement se résume en deux mots: «inexistante» et «désastreuse». «Il y a un fort contraste entre l’incitation à faire des petits gestes quotidiens pour la planète et l’absence d’interdiction du glyphosate, ou la construction d’un EPR à Flamanville», ajoute Clément.

Si les lycéens et les étudiants espèrent que leur mobilisation fasse bouger considérablement les lignes du gouvernement, d’autres, plus âgés, sont désabusés. C’est le cas d’Eric et Benoît, deux gilets jaunes de 26 et 27 ans. «Je ne pense pas que le gouvernement accepte de faire évoluer sa politique dans le bon sens, parce que le problème climatique relève d’une défaillance du système dans son ensemble», explique Éric. Comme la jeune suédoise Grëta Thunberg, il trouve aberrant que la plupart des participants au forum de Davos s’y soient rendus en jet privé alors qu’il s’agit du moyen de transport le plus polluant. De son côté, Benoît espère que cette mobilisation étudiante parvienne à influencer d’autres jeunes, pour «lutter contre l’apathie politique dans laquelle les gens se trouvent». Le 15 mars, la mobilisation se poursuivra d’ailleurs avec des grèves scolaires dans toute la France.

Publicație : Le Figaro

«Ligue du LOL»: 580 étudiants en journalisme s’engagent à lutter contre le harcèlement

Les étudiants de 15 écoles de journalisme ont publié une tribune pour réagir à la «ligue du LOL». Ils espèrent créer des débats au sein des écoles pour éviter qu’une telle affaire ne se répète dans les rédactions.

Dans une tribune publiée ce jeudi sur le site internet du journal Libération, 580 étudiants en journalisme appellent les rédactions et leurs écoles à renforcer les dispositifs de lutte contre harcèlement et les discriminations dans la profession. Les étudiants se disent «indignés» par les agissements de ‘la ligue du LOL’, un groupe de journalistes et d’influenceurs qui ont harcelé leurs consœurs et confrères pendant plusieurs années.

Issus de quinze écoles différentes, dont le Celsa, le CFJ, CFPJ, le CUEJ ou encore l’IFP, les étudiants proposent de lutter contre l’entre-soi dans la profession. «Les rédactions françaises manquent cruellement de diversité, et les dispositifs mis en place par nos écoles peinent à lutter contre cet entre-soi», écrivent-ils. Ils réclament une «meilleure représentation des femmes et des groupes minorés», et souhaitent que les offres de stages et d’emploi soient rendues publiques, afin d’éviter le réseautage et la cooptation.

C’est toujours compliqué de se mettre d’accord lorsqu’on est aussi nombreux

«À l’École supérieure de journalisme (ESJ) de Lille, l’affaire de la ‘ligue du LOL’ a créé beaucoup de débats. Alors qu’on commençait à discuter de ce qui devait être mis en place dans l’école pour lutter contre le harcèlement, l’école de journalisme de Sciences Po nous a contacté pour faire circuler un texte entre étudiants. On y a apporté des modifications, les étudiants étaient très réactifs. Le timing était un peu court, et certains auraient voulu insister davantage sur quelques points, mais c’est toujours compliqué de se mettre d’accord lorsqu’on est aussi nombreux», raconte un étudiant de l’ESJ.

Pour les étudiants signataires de la tribune, la libération de la parole des journalistes doit impulser une introspection au sein de la profession. «Nous avons eu envie de participer à la remise en question qui a lieu en ce moment dans toutes les rédactions, et de montrer que nous sommes conscients que ces problèmes naissent en école de journalisme», explique une étudiante à l’école de journalisme de Sciences Po.

Des dispositifs concrets

Les jeunes expliquent avoir été choqués par «l’ampleur du phénomène et les liens entre les harceleurs». «Nous sommes inquiets de voir que les journalistes mis en cause sont pour la plupart arrivés à des postes à responsabilité», indique la tribune. Certains étudiants ont déjà été confrontés à ce type de pratiques, au sein de leurs écoles ou lors de stages en rédaction. «Lorsqu’une amie m’a raconté qu’elle avait été harcelée pendant son stage d’été parce qu’elle portait des robes, j’ai compris que, si j’avais été préservée jusqu’ici, cela risquait de ne pas durer», souligne une autre étudiante.

Au-delà de sa publication, les étudiants se réjouissent que la circulation de cette tribune puisse provoquer des débats au sein des écoles, et peut-être permettre d’aller plus loin. «La tribune est une première manière de réagir, mais il est absolument nécessaire de mettre en place des dispositifs concrets pour faire évoluer les comportements dans les écoles et ainsi éviter que cette affaire ne se répète dans les rédactions. À Lille, beaucoup d’idées sont mises sur la table, comme des tables rondes sur le cyberharcèlement ou la mise en place de plusieurs référents dans les promotions, mais nous devons continuer à en discuter entre étudiants», conclut l’étudiant de l’ESJ.

Publicație : Le Figaro

 

18 februarie 2019

FENOMEN SURPRIZA la Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iasi. Ministrul Educatiei a trimis DOCUMENTUL care confirma TOTUL

 Saptamana trecuta, Ministerul Educatiei Nationale a trimis un DOCUMENT OFICIAL, extrem de important, Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iasi • Acesta vizeaza miile de studenti ai celei mai vechi institutii de invatamant moderne a Romaniei • In baza acestuia, totul se va transforma radical, avand in prim-plan studiile masterale si atractivitatea lor pe piata muncii • Un asemenea fenomen nu a mai avut loc de ani buni la „Cuza” • „Avand in vedere toate acestea, se poate observa o crestere a numarului de studenti, în acord cu eforturile UAIC de a adapta oferta programelor de master la cerintele pietei muncii. În acest sens, se constata o consolidare a ofertei în domenii cum sunt: Informatica, Administratia publica, Resurse umane, Evaluare si consiliere psihologica, Politici si management în educatie. Totodata, se poate remarca diversificarea ofertei propuse, prin introducerea de mastere noi în domeniul Drept (cariera judiciara, criminalistica, dreptul afacerilor, stiinte penale, jurisdictii speciale), Chimie clinica, Asistenta sociala. Este important de mentionat ca 13 programe sunt în limbi straine, din care 11 se desfasoara în colaborare cu alte universitati din strainatate”, a transmis prof. univ. dr. Mihaela Onofrei, rectorul de la „Cuza”

Ministerul Educatiei Nationale (MEN) a trimis o informare extrem de importanta Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” (UAIC) din Iasi. Aceasta ii priveste pe miile de studenti ai unitatii educationale. In prim-plan se afla studiile masterale si atractivitatea lor pe piata muncii.

„Dupa cum este cunoscut, studiile de masterat reprezinta Ciclul II al studiilor universitare si constituie o etapa pregatitoare obligatorie pentru Studiile doctorale. La Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iasi, studiile de master se desfasoara în cadrul a 32 de domenii, iar în anul universitar 2018-2019, conform datelor raportate la 1 octombrie 2018, este înregistrat un numar total de 5.240 studenti, din care 4.449 la buget si 791 la taxa, comparativ cu 5.078 studenti (4.508 la buget si 570 la taxa), înscrisi în anul universitar 2017-2018. Se poate observa o crestere a numarului de studenti, în acord cu eforturile UAIC de a adapta oferta programelor de master la cerintele pietei muncii. În acest sens, se constata o consolidare a ofertei în domenii cum sunt: Informatica, Administratia publica, Resurse umane, Evaluare si consiliere psihologica, Politici si management în educatie”, a declarat prof. univ. dr. Mihaela Onofrei, rector la „Cuza”.

Diversificarea ofertei la programe de master

Totodata, profesorul Onofrei remarca diversificarea ofertei propuse prin introducerea de mastere noi în domeniul Drept (cariera judiciara, criminalistica, dreptul afacerilor, stiinte penale, jurisdictii speciale), Chimie clinica, Asistenta sociala. Este important de mentionat ca 13 programe sunt în Limbi straine, din care 11 se desfasoara în colaborare cu alte universitati din strainatate.

Pe de alta parte, cele mai cautate programe de master au fost la Facultatea de Economie si Administrarea Afacerilor (FEAA), Facultatea de Psihologie si Stiinte ale Educatiei, Facultatea de Filosofie si Stiinte Social-Politice.

Din punct de vedere al concurentei, cel mai mare numar de candidati/loc buget s-au înregistrat la: Educatie fizica si Sport (2,6), Litere (1,76), Fizica (1,66), Psihologie si Stiinte ale Educatiei (1,64), Chimie (1,63). Se remarca o crestere usoara începând cu anul universitar 2015-2016 si la Facultatile de Matematica, Istorie, Teologie Ortodoxa si Teologie Romano-Catolica.

„Ca exemple de buna practica, în cadrul Facultatii de Biologie, au fost initiate si derulate activitati educative extracurriculare (Scoli de vara si tabere aplicative de vara), adresate studentilor masteranzi prin parteneriate cu potentiali angajatori sau alti factori co-interesati (parteneri din domeniul biomedical, Agentia Nationala pentru Ariile Naturale Protejate si administratori de arii protejate). Organizarea unor evenimente lunare la Facultatea de Biologie (exemplu: «Întâlniri cu experienta», «Intâlniri cu absolventii» sau «Calatorind pe meridianele lumii») sau anuale (Sesiunea stiintifica anuala a studentilor naturalisti), având studentii ca public-tinta principal, precum si implicarea în aceste activitati a tutorilor de an, au generat o dublare a procentului de înscriere la concursul de admitere la ciclul de studii masterale comparativ cu optiunile exprimate în ianuarie – februarie 2017″, a completat rectorul UAIC.

Crestere a locurilor alocate de Ministerul Educatiei

Avand in vedere toate acestea, pe data de 14 februarie 2019 a fost lansat, în vederea consultarii publice, proiectul de Hotarare a Guvernului (HG) privind domeniile si programele de studii universitare de master acreditate si numarul maxim de studenti ce pot fi scolarizati în anul universitar 2019-2020 (a se vedea link-urile de mai jos):
https://www.edu.ro/consultare-public%C4%83-proiect-de-hot%C4%83r%C3%A2re-guvernului-privind-domeniile-%C5%9Fi-programele-de-studii
https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/proiect%20HG%20master%202019-2020.pdf
https://www.edu.ro/sites/default/files/Anexa%201%20proiect%20HG%20master.pdf. „Dupa cum se poate observa în Anexa nr. 1, în cazul UAIC, numarul maxim de studenti propus este de 8.855, determinat de rezultatul evaluarii programelor de studii, demarat de anul trecut si aflat în plina desfasurare la Universitatea noastra, de cresterea numarului de candidati (cu aproape 1.000 în 2018 fata de 2017). Nu ne ramâne decât sa depunem, în continuare, eforturi de promovare a ofertei de master, sperând ca UAIC va ramâne o optiune serioasa si un furnizor de servicii de excelenta pe piata Educatiei interne si externe”, a conchis prof. univ. dr. Mihaela Onofrei.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Cursuri de formare profesionala la Universitatea „Cuza” din Iasi, pentru „Consilier pentru dezvoltare personala” si „Formator”

Centrul de Dezvoltare Personala si Formare Profesionala din cadrul Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” (UAIC) din Iasi organizeaza înscrieri pentru urmatoarele cursuri: „Formator” si „Consilier pentru dezvoltare personala”.

În cadrul cursului „Formator”, participantii acumuleaza informatii si îsi dezvolta deprinderi esentiale pentru a putea preda si îndruma procese variate de învatare.

Pe parcursul celor 180 de ore de instruire si abilitare practica, cursantii parcurg teorii consacrate cu privire la designul, livrarea si evaluarea unui proces de formare, dar exerseaza si deprinderile necesare unui formator, asa cum sunt definite în standardul ocupational în vigoare. Înscrierile la acest curs se fac pâna la data de 22 februarie 2019, pe adresa: centruldpfp•uaic.ro.

Pe de alta parte, in cadrul cursului „Consilier pentru dezvoltare personala”, participantii acumuleaza informatii si îsi dezvolta deprinderi esentiale pentru îndrumarea clientilor în diferite procese de dezvoltare personala.

Pe parcursul celor 120 de ore de instruire, cursantii parcurg teorii consacrate cu privire la consiliere în vederea dezvoltarii personale si exerseaza deprinderile necesare unui consilier, asa cum sunt definite în standardul ocupational în vigoare. Înscrierile la acest curs se fac continuu, pe adresa: centruldpfp•uaic.ro. Cursul se desfasoara daca se formeaza o grupa de 14 persoane.

„Cele doua cursuri se adreseaza absolventilor de studii superioare cu diploma de licenta care doresc sa dobândeasca sau sa îsi dezvolte abilitatile de formator sau consilier pentru dezvoltare personala sau care sunt interesati de o cariera în Resurse umane, organizatii diverse în care se dezvolta programe de formare sau consiliere. Participantii primesc la absolvirea cursurilor un certificat emis de Autoritatea Nationala de Calificari (ANC), (fostul CNFPA)”, au transmis oficialii UAIC.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

FENOMEN! Posturile didactice, scoase la concurs de Universitatea Tehnica din Iasi, din ce in ce mai CAUTATE

Universitatea Tehnica (TUIASI) „Gheorghe Asachi” din Iasi a scos la concurs, în primul semestru al anului universitar 2018-2019, 38 de posturi didactice, pe perioada nedeterminata, toate fiind ocupate.

Concursurile au fost validate în cadrul sedintei Senatului de la Politehnica ieseana, din data de 14 februarie 2019. Au fost cinci posturi de profesor universitar, 12 de conferentiar universitar, 18 de sef de lucrari sau de lector si trei de asistent universitar.

Cele cinci posturi noi de profesori sunt la mai multe dintre facultatile TUIASI: unul la Facultatea de Inginerie Chimica si Protectia Mediului „Cristofor Simionescu”, doua la Facultatea de Constructii si Instalatii, unul la cea de Electronica Telecomunicatii si Tehnologia Informatiei si unul la Facultatea de Arhitectura „G.M. Cantacuzino”.

Conducerea institutiei de invatamant superior arata faptul ca, anul acesta, a fost un interes sporit pentru posturile scoase la concurs pentru intrarea în sistem, fie ca asistent, fie direct ca sef de lucrari. Aceasta argumenteaza acest lucru si prin faptul ca salariile din învatamânt au crescut si cariera didactica a devenit o optiune serioasa pentru tineri.

„Cele mai multe pozitii au fost ocupate de persoane din Universitate, de pe posturi inferioare, dar avem si posturi pe care au concurat cei din afara Universitatii. Dupa cum se poate observa, predomina posturile de conferentiar si sef de lucrari. Putem spune ca se mentine în continuare problema penuriei de personal în domeniul IT, pentru ca exista o concurenta majora din mediul privat, dar, în acelasi timp, cariera academica universitara începe sa devina atractiva si prin cresterea salariului. Si la acest concurs am avut doua persoane care au candidat pe un post de sef de lucrari, ambele din afara sistemului. Ne asteptam ca pe viitor numarul de candidati sa devina din ce în ce mai mare”, a precizat prof. univ. dr. ing. Eugen Neculai Seghedin, prorectorul responsabil cu activitatea didactica la TUIASI.

Concursurile au avut loc în perioada 5 – 7 februarie si au fost validate în Sedinta Senatului de pe 14 februarie. Rectorul Universitatii, prof. univ. dr. ing. Dan Cascaval, transmite ca Universitatea Tehnica trebuie sa ofere, neîngradit, posibilitatea ascensiunii profesionale în rigorile legii, daca doreste sa ceara performanta de la profesorii si cercetatorii acesteia.

„Am sustinut deschis, întotdeauna, ca satisfactia profesionala reprezinta sursa dezvoltarii carierei didactice si stiintifice. Ca în anii trecuti, am propus scoaterea la concurs a tuturor posturilor didactice în primul semestru, având experienta neplacuta a unor modificari legislative de sfârsit sau început de an care au amânat acest proces. Însa, am lasat la latitudinea facultatilor programarea scoaterii acestor posturi. Sunt bucuros ca, în afara promovarii colegilor înscrisi la concurs, avem si câteva intrari în sistem, ceea ce confirma faptul ca exista Resursa umana de foarte buna calitate, care sa permita transferul activitatilor de la o generatie la alta”, a concluzionat rectorul.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Universitatea Tehnica din Iasi gazduieste, ASTAZI, o delegatie formata din peste 30 de experti în e-guvernare ai Uniunii Europene

Universitatea Tehnica (TUIASI) „Gheorghe Asachi” din Iasi gazduieste astazi, luni, 18 februarie 2019, de la ora 16:00, o delegatie europeana de peste 30 de persoane din statele membre ale Uniunii Europene (UE). Acestia vor participa la o discutie despre povestile de succes de la Iasi din domeniul tehnologiei, despre felul în care interactioneaza mediul universitar cu cel de afaceri, în special industria de IT, dar si start-up-urile din domeniu, cu diferitele componente ale comunitatii locale. Evenimentul va avea loc în Sala de Conferinte din Corpul T, cladirea Rectoratului TUIASI, fiind urmata apoi de vizita a cinci dintre cele mai moderne laboratoare din facultatile institutiei de învatamânt superior.

Delegatia europeana va fi întâmpinata de colectivul academic al TUIASI, urmând ca la întâlnirea de la ora 16:00 sa fie sustinute, pe tema stabilita, doua alocutiuni de catre rectorul universitatii, prof. univ. dr. ing. Dan Cascaval, si prorectorul responsabil cu activitatea de cercetare, inovare si dezvoltare, prof. univ. dr. ing. Carmen Loghin.

„Am acceptat cu bucurie invitatia presedintelui Consiliului Judetean Iasi de a deveni parteneri în organizarea si desfasurarea acestui eveniment important în orasul nostru. De altfel, având în vedere tematica evenimentului si profilul de expertiza al participantilor, cred ca alegerea universitatii noastre este justificata. Dupa cele doua prezentari în plen, delegatia Uniunii Europene va vizita cinci laboratoare, care acopera, prin profil, cele mai noi domenii de interes din stiinta actuala, nu doar ale noastre, si anume ITroboticaaeronautica, energetica si seismica”, a declarat prof. univ. dr. ing. Dan Cascaval.

Întâlnirea de la Politehnica ieseana prefateaza conferinta de maine, 19 februarie 2019, de la Palatul Culturii, când expertii români si cei straini se vor reuni pentru a dezbate aspecte cu privire la obiectivele si interesele europene în implementarea conceptului de e-guvernare la nivelul Uniunii Europene. Totul in cadrul conferintei „Moving towards digital communities”.

La acest eveniment, TUIASI este singura universitate care va sustine o prezentare într-unul dintre panelurile ce se vor desfasura la întâlnirea de la Palatul Culturii.

„Misiunea noastra onoranta va continua marti (maine, 19 februarie – n.r.), când vom sustine o conferinta tematica în cadrul primului panel de lucru, de aceasta data la Palatul Culturii. Sunt convins ca, prin ceea ce vom discuta, prin ceea ce vom prezenta, vom evidentia traditia în excelenta academica a Politehnicii iesene, iar acest parteneriat cu Consiliul Judetean Iasi va continua si pentru evenimentele urmatoare derulate cu ocazia Presedintiei României la Consiliul Europei”, a completat rectorul Cascaval.

Manifestarea are loc în contextul detinerii de catre România a presedintiei Consiliului European în primele sase luni ale anului 2019 si este organizat de catre Ministerul Comunicatiilor si Societatii Informationale si Consiliul Judetean (CJ) Iasi.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Cursuri pentru liceeni: caravane cu universitari vor colinda Moldova

 Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agricole şi Medicină Veterinară „Ion Ionescu de la Brad“ din Iaşi (USAMV) a câştigat două proiecte în valoare totală de 14 milioane de lei în cadrul Programului Operaţional Capital Uman (POCU), pe filiera „Bursa Student Antreprenor“.

Proiectele sunt menite să aibă rol în creşterea participării studenţilor din categorii vulnerabile la programe de studii de licenţă. Proiectele se numesc „Educaţie antreprenorială – EducAtiv“ şi „Măsuri active pentru creşterea participării la învăţământul terţiar antreprenorial a studenţilor din medii defavorizate“ şi se vor derula pe o perioadă de 24 luni de la data contractării.

„Toţi studenţii USAMV din anii terminali vor participa activ la programe de dezvoltare antreprenorială din domeniile: agricol, horticol, medical veterinar şi industrie alimentară. Proiectele au în vedere activităţi de consiliere profesională, antreprenorială, prin care dorim să dezvoltăm abilităţi tinerilor pentru a-şi forma o imagine cât mai clară privind integrarea pe piaţa muncii şi transmiterea de cunoştinţe solide despre ceea ce înseamnă o afacere proprie în domeniul studiat“, a precizat prof.dr. Vasile Vîntu, rectorul USAMV.

Astfel, studenţii universităţii şi elevii din colegii agricole şi de industrie alimentară vor fi consiliaţi, prin activităţi de mentorat şi tutoriat, ca să dobândească cunoştinţe de la persoane cu experienţă antreprenorială.

„Conform activităţilor prevăzute în proiect, vor fi organizate caravane în colegiile agricole din zona de NE a României, tabere antreprenoriale şi vor fi dezvoltate oferte educaţionale noi în cele cinci domenii economice prioritare“, au mai precizat reprezentanţii USAMV, punctând şi faptul că în cadrul proiectului vor fi renovate şi dotate două laboratoare multimedia.

Publicație : Ziarul de Iași

The shifting patterns of English

May I have a word about… the not-so insightful language of academe

When it comes to the mangling of English, political psychologists reign supreme

My beleaguered and battered Brexit brethren, I would like to bring you relief, but monumental language mangling offers little comfort on this vexatious subject.

Consider the following from the International Society of Political Psychology: “Studies have been largely silent on whether EU attitudes are also shaped by people’s attitudes towards the principles and practices of supranational governance. This research provides a first test of the nature and role of supranational attitudes.

“We introduce a new measure of supranationalism and, in two studies using samples drawn from the British population, test the psychometric properties of the supranationalism scale. We then identify the socio-ideological correlates (rightwing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation) of supranationalism, along with its effects in predicting EU attitudes and post-Brexit preferences.”

Where we were looking for illumination and hope, what do we get but a study that seems to show that academics and insight are all too often mutually exclusive?

Mind you, they are not alone. Consider this from the Department for Work and Pensions: “A good example of how the Department has already altered its approach to acting on frontline intelligence is by making staff feedback loops an integral part of the Universal Credit (UC) design process, which uses an iterative and participative process to bring frontline experience to the heart of design activity.”

My correspondent offers a helpful translation: “We intend to take more notice of what our staff tell us.”

And what exactly are we meant to make of our defence secretary, Gavin Williamson. While he’s planning to turn cruise liners into battleships, or some such, and planning to fill our skies with millions of drones (let us hope they aren’t loosed into the skies near our airports) and sending an aircraft carrier to put the frighteners on the Chinese, he’s talking about “lethality”, “hard power” and “increasing our mass”. Whatever next – tying a carving knife to a broom handle as a weapon of deterrence?

  • Jonathan Bouquet is an Observer columnist

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Publicație : The Guardian

Brexit won’t hold back science

If history has taught us anything, it is that out of conflict comes collaboration, says Carel Stolker

Brexit will have a particularly profound effect on the UK’s universities: fewer students from Europe; fewer researchers and lecturers; and the loss of access to research funds in Brussels.

And although the British government has promised our British colleagues that it will make up for the lost European funding, this has not reassured them. Not only do they want to continue working with universities in Ireland and on the European mainland, but they also want to compete with them.

This helps them improve, they say. Because science is about both these things: collaboration and competition. Over the centuries, the two have brought science a long way. And it is on these that I am pinning my hopes because although it may sometimes seem as though the world is falling apart, we should never underestimate universities as a vital and connecting force.

In 1796, with war raging between the French Republic and Britain, biologist and president of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, wrote in a now famous letter to his French colleague: “The science of two nations may be at peace, while their politics are at war.”

Why do countries allow their universities and academics to work together when they are in the midst of a blazing row? Primarily because countries need each other to achieve scientific progress.

A good example of this is the space research programme of the Soviet Union and the US – research that is way too big and expensive for one country and therefore research that countries need each other for.

More than ever, the big issues faced by individual countries are common to us all: climate change, migration, infectious diseases, energy, pollution and cyber security. Collaboration then becomes a form of enlightened self-interest.

Research and education are also forms of soft power in the often somewhat complex international relations between countries and blocs of countries. And as a country you can make use of that soft power too. Science diplomacy is what we call it. Through this, universities contribute to science and peace at the same time.

Although the relationship between Europe and Russia is very strained, for example, they work well together in research and education. The same is true for the US and Cuba. European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas, put it like this: “I believe that science diplomacy can light the way where politics and diplomacy have failed.”

This is how research and education bring people together all around the world – through scientific conferences, journals, mails and social media. And students have become increasingly international too.

For years now, European students have been meeting fellow students from other countries through the European Erasmus programme. And the marriages born from these meetings have in turn given birth to a million “Erasmus babies” – or so it is claimed.

Student mobility is growing not just in Europe but all around the world. The expectation is that by 2025 some three to five million students will study in a country they were not born in.

All these researchers and students are spinning a web across our planet, a web of people who talk, think, write and stay up all night in their student houses dreaming together. These are dreams about solving the big issues of our time and about bringing the world together to make it a better place.

It’s a web through which the core values of science – freedom of thought, rationality, transparency and universality – are conveyed globally, however difficult that may be for some countries.

So how harmful will Brexit be to this ecosystem? I predict that universities on both sides of the North Sea will find new ways to work together that may just strengthen their collaboration. Almost all universities have dealings with UK and European counterparts. The universities of Maastricht and York recently formed a partnership, as have those of Oxford and Berlin, and of Cambridge and Munich.

In a few years’ time, UK and EU universities might just offer joint degree and research programmes and have joint institutes. Or there could be British campuses on mainland Europe that work closely with EU universities.

In short, Brexit will act as a catalyst. When he took office, French president Emmanuel Macron even proposed establishing a network of European universities. This would help create a new generation of European citizens and would make higher education throughout Europe more competitive.

Even if you have your doubts about “European universities”, a new energy will still be generated. Witness what is happening along a border that has seen some of the heaviest fighting in Europe’s history. EUCOR: The European confederation of Upper Rhine universities, an association of the universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace and Strasbourg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, sits between France, Germany and Switzerland. It has developed joint research and educational programmes and presents itself as “five universities, three countries, one campus”.

Where millions of young men once lost their lives, young people are now studying together. One thing we can be sure of is that the vital and connecting force of research and education and the dreams of young people will continue to surprise and inspire us – even after Brexit.

This is an abridged version of an address given by Rector Stolker on 8 February to commemorate the 444th anniversary of Leiden University. 

Publicație : The Times

Canadian universities battle to preserve copyright exemptions

Publishers accuse institutions of piracy as revenues slump

The Canadian parliament is considering tougher copyright protections that would raise costs for universities, after hearing complaints that many institutions have expanded a modest fair-use exemption into widespread piracy.

Since parliament granted the fair-use waiver in 2012 – with the intent of allowing the reproduction of books and other materials by non-profit providers – publishers have reported an 80 per cent drop in royalty payments from the sector.

Nearly all Canadian universities have dropped out of a contractual payment system that they used in 2012 and instead have turned to rampant duplications and electronic duplications of entire academic texts without making rights payments, a major publishing group has alleged.

Lost royalties are costing publishers about C$30 million (£17.6 million) a year, according to Access Copyright, a not-for-profit organisation that handles payment collections for rights owners.

“The copying that they used to pay for is now being done under the guidelines” created in 2012, said the president of Access Copyright, Roanie Levy.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers, which for years has led legal and political battles against Access Copyright and other publishing industry groups, flatly rejected the accusations and predicted that the parliament and the courts would continue to side with educators.

Access Copyright and its authors may be experiencing a decline in revenues, said CAUT’s executive director, David Robinson. But that decline pre-dates the 2012 revision of the Copyright Act and should not be a reason for parliament to reverse its position during the ongoing review of the act.

“The business model that they’ve structured themselves on is failing,” Mr Robinson said of Access Copyright. The universities of British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta all have started open textbook platforms, through which authors, usually with university affiliations, agree to post their material for free.

“The whole business footing is shifting underneath their feet,” Mr Robinson continued, “and I think they haven’t responded to it, and they’re just blaming the Copyright Act.”

Analysis presented by Access Copyright during a lawsuit against Toronto’s York University found that the amount of material being copied for free was equivalent to 360 pages per student per year, Ms Levy said.

The 2012 update to the Copyright Act required a five-year review, so the country’s parliament is well behind schedule. Ms Levy said that she expected a conclusion within weeks, while Mr Robinson said that he believed the debate on the Copyright Act would drag on past the national election in October.

Ms Levy said that she based her confidence about receiving an eventual payday from Canadian universities on her group’s victory in the York University case. In it, a federal judge faulted York on grounds that included its decisions to stop paying royalties and to encourage the free copying by its employees of up to 10 per cent of any published work.

“It is evident that York created the guidelines and operated under them primarily to obtain for free that which they had previously paid for,” the ruling said.

An appeal hearing in the case is drawing near, and Mr Robinson expressed confidence that the Canadian Supreme Court would overturn the trial decision.

Both he and Ms Levy agreed that major publishers appear to be under stress and reducing their output of educational content.

Ms Levy described this as a “big loss” for Canadian education. But Mr Robinson disagreed, saying that the replacement of traditional corporate publishers with open-access models would make questions about the fair-use exemption increasingly irrelevant.

Publicație : The Times

Commercialised university receives satirical screen treatment

Weitermachen Sanssouci may be the first film to tackle the woes of research assessment, casualisation and an obsession with student employability

Academics at Berlin University’s Institute for Cybernetics and Simulation Research are brainstorming how to impress evaluators at a crucial upcoming research assessment.

Phoebe, a young and not-yet entirely cynical researcher, suggests presenting them with the results of her work on climate change.

The first question her colleagues ask is: how will her report be bound? They settle on tasteful, organic bast fibre, a decision that pays off: the evaluators are won over by the presentation of Phoebe’s research.

This scene unfolds in Weitermachen Sanssouci (roughly translated as “keep on going without worries”), a university satire that premiered last week at Berlin’s annual film festival, the Berlinale.

Campus and academic life has been captured on screen dozens of times before. But Weitermachen Sanssouci (its English title is Music and Apocalypse) is perhaps the first film to tackle the discontents that have dominated debate about universities over the past 10 to 20 years: invasive levels of research assessment, a utilitarian focus on student employability, shady deals with commercial partners, and the casualisation of academic work (at one point Phoebe is offered a 28 per cent contract).

At the fictional Berlin University, the signs of priorities gone awry are everywhere. Absurdly shaped lights – one like a cactus – festoon the office of Phoebe’s manager. They are gifts from an electricity company that wants to strike a commercial partnership, she explains offhandedly. Only at its very beginning and end does the film actually depict any research being done, with Phoebe taking environmental readings from a river.

Another familiar character at the institute is Alfons Abstract-Wege, a star academic who “upholds excellence” with an intimidatingly long list of publications to his name, all in trendy academic areas (“May I trouble you? Discourses of politeness in the hotel trade” is one of his recent contributions).

With a media fanfare, he launches a project to study behavioural “nudging”, requiring employees at the university to wear wristbands to track their healthy and unhealthy habits (this allows him to monitor their every move from his computer).

Berlin University is obsessed with student employability and hopes to create “Europe’s Silicon Valley”. But the students are not happy – one describes its much vaunted “App Lab” as a “concept sweatshop” – and eventually they occupy the library, demanding that the university focus on education, not business. In a crisis meeting, the institute’s management team settles on using fire regulations to break up the sit-in.

For Max Linz, Weitermachen Sanssouci’s director and co-screenwriter, it was this overbearing focus on employability that ultimately led him to create the film.

As a philosophy student, Mr Linz was forced to play Monopoly-like board games at weekends in an attempt to improve his business skills and job prospects. Students of philosophy, film and theatre were told, “You don’t have a chance [after graduation], because what you do is nothing that business is interested in,” he recalled to Times Higher Education. “We all thought: what nonsense. Why do we have to go through this? It was bizarre.”

Having studied at a university for a decade, Mr Linz had more than enough anecdotes about academic life to draw on. “It’s just the world I live in,” he said. His co-screenwriter, Nicolas von Passavant, was a lecturer; Sarah Ralfs, who plays Phoebe, is currently a researcher; and another of the male leading actors recently finished a PhD.

Publicație : The Times

Hungarian scholars fear ‘loss of freedom’ in academy restructure

Academics highlight brain drain of researchers and loss of international research partners as concerns in wake of latest government ‘attack on autonomy’

Moves by Hungarian government to restructure the country’s Academy of Sciences will lead to a “complete loss of academic independence” and the collapse of international research collaborations, experts have warned.

Last year, the government announced that 70 per cent of the 40 billion forint (£110 million) budget allocated to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) would be transferred to the new Ministry of Innovation and Technology, which would be in charge of funding the HAS’ network of 15 research institutions and more than 130 research groups at universities co-financed by the academy.

Now the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, which is controlled by the ministry, has launched a “programme of excellence”, according to a document published by the Hungarian Academy Staff Forum earlier this month.

It requires research centres of the academy to apply for their entire budget by submitting tenders that must relate to one of four broad topic areas: secure society and environment; industry and digitalisation; health; and culture and family. Public universities and state-controlled research centres will also be able to submit grant proposals under the new model.

The document adds that the proposals will be “assessed according to unclear evaluation principles, allowing for arbitrary, politically motivated decisions” and the move will lead to “the complete loss of academic independence for the Academy specifically and for scholarship in Hungary in general”.

There are also fears that research institutions may be merged with university departments and state-controlled research centres and that some may be eliminated altogether.

Liviu Matei, professor of higher education policy and provost at the Budapest-based Central European University, said that the HAS has been “the most important research institution in Hungary” for almost 200 years and the government changes are an “attack against institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and education and research”.

They are also an “existential matter”, he said, as the academy may have to “close down most of [its] research institutes” because of a potential lack of funding.

Zoltán Fleck, head of the Centre for Theory of Law and Society at Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University, said that European and North American partners were likely to “drop Hungarian universities” from research projects reliant on Hungarian funding “because of the narrowing academic freedom”.

Gergely Böhm, head of the Department for International Relations in the HAS secretariat, added that “it will definitely harm the performance of Hungarian science if the research network is torn apart”.

He said that the uncertainty regarding the future of the network is “destroying confidence in the future of Hungarian science” and some of the best academics are already leaving the country.

The Ministry of Innovation and Technology did not provide a comment but sent Times Higher Education a letter that prime minister Viktor Orbán wrote to researchers who had protested against the restructuring of the HAS. The letter says that Hungary’s “system for innovation and research and development still lacks the element that would guarantee that knowledge generates direct economic benefits”.

“The goal – as with the transformation of universities – is the creation of a system which operates optimally and free of administrative restraints, but also more responsibly and transparently. This means that nothing valuable will be lost, and likewise freedom of scientific research cannot be compromised,” it adds.

Publicație : The Times