16 martie 2019

Traineri din Finlanda si Ucraina, prezenti la Centrul de Invatare al UAIC Iasi

Joi, 14 martie 2019, la ora 11:00, în cadrul Centrului de Învatare al Universitatii „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” (UAIC) din Iasi, înfiintat prin proiectul ROSE, a avut loc un training despre accesarea literaturii stiintifice prin intermediul platformei SciFinder, un portal care ofera acces facil la una dintre cele mai mari colectii de referinte de literatura stiintifica din lume, în vederea îmbunatatirii procesului educational si a dezvoltarii capacitatii de cercetare.

„Sesiunea a fost sustinuta de catre profesorii Tetiana Khristova (Ucraina) si Veli-Pekka Hyttinen (Finlanda), domeniile vizate fiind chimie anorganica, chimie organica/biochimie, stiintele vietii (geografie, biologie), microbiologie. La eveniment au participat cadre didactice, studenti si doctoranzi de la Universitatea «Alexandru Ioan Cuza», Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie (UMF) «Gr. T. Popa» si Universitatea Tehnica (TUIASI) «Gheorghe Asachi» din Iasi. La sfârsitul sesiunii de formare a avut loc si o întâlnire a trainerilor cu conducerea Universitatii «Cuza» din Iasi”, au transmis reprezentantii institutiei.

Platforma SciFinder se afla sub umbrela CAS, o divizie a American Chemical Society. Aceasta platforma este accesibila personalului academic al UAIC (cadre didactice, cercetatori, doctoranzi, studenti), accesând link-ul de înregistrare de aici:https://origin-scifinder.cas.org/registration/index.html?corpKey=884AC338X86F35040X1051A8E92537266B35

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Doi mari specialişti în cancer din Leeds şi din Belgrad, distinşi la UMF Iaşi

1Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie „Grigore T. Popa“ a acordat ieri titlul de Doctor Honoris Causa unor specialişti în domeniul patologiei şi chirurgiei cancerului colorectal. 

Titlul onorific a fost oferit lui Philip Quirke, profesor de patologie la Yorkshire Cancer Research Centenary, director al Departamentului de Patologie şi Biologie a Tumorii de la Universitatea din Leeds, Marea Britanie, precum şi lui Zoran Krivokapic, profesor de chirurgie la Facultatea de Medicină de la Universitatea din Belgrad, Serbia, şi director al Departamentului de Coloproctologie din cadrul primei Clinici Chirurgicale din Belgrad.

„Ca medic chirurg, prof.dr. Zoran Krivokapic a operat peste 5.000 de pacienţi diagnosticaţi cu carcinom colorectal, a efectuat peste 150 de reconstrucţii ale sfincterului şi a iniţiat peste 40 de proceduri chirurgicale şi de diagnostic noi în domeniul medicinei coloproctologice. Este autorul a 580 de lucrări ştiinţifice, a 49 de monografii şi a condus numeroase asociaţii profesionale, atât din ţară, cât şi din străinătate“, au precizat reprezentanţii UMF Iaşi. De asemenea, prof.dr. Philio Quirke este autorul a peste 360 de articole în reviste ştiinţifice de prestigiu, a trei cărţi şi a 27 de capitole în volume de specialitate, precum şi a unor importante ghiduri şi protocoale chirurgicale.

Publicație : Ziarul de Iași

Studenţii români au impresionat la Competiţia Globală P&G CEO Challenge 2019

Cinci studenţi români au participat la Competiţia Globală „CEO Challenge 2019”, proiect organizat de P&G, începând din 2016, pentru tinerii din întreaga lume.

Echipa câştigătoare, formată dintr-un student din Serbia, unul din România şi unul din Grecia, a reuşit să impresioneze juriul format din managerii P&G şi va reprezenta Europa de Sud-Est în următoarea rundă a competiţiei, care se va desfăşura la Istanbul, în luna aprilie. În cadrul CEO Challenge, studenţilor li s-a cerut să lucreze în echipe internaţionale pentru a rezolva un caz de afaceri real, sub îndrumarea unor manageri experimentaţi ai P&G. În cea de-a 4 – a ediţie a competiţiei, organizată la Bucureşti între 5 şi 6 martie, 21 de studenţi din 6 ţări din regiune au devenit CEO timp de 2 zile, având misiunea de a dezvolta o strategie de afaceri câştigătoare pentru unul dintre cele mai importante branduri ale P&G.

În cadrul acestui program inovator, absolvenţii au putut experimenta ce înseamnă să combini cunoştinţele teoretice deprinse în şcoală cu abilităţile necesare pentru a face performanţă într-una dintre cele mai bune organizaţii de dezvoltare a talentelor din întreaga lume. Ei au trebuit să acţioneze asemenea unui antreprenor, dând dovadă de proactivitate, dorinţa de a testa, a învăţa şi a se adapta în funcţie de context.

Programul CEO Challenge a fost lansat în Europa de Sud-Est în urmă cu 4 ani, timp în care 130 de studenţi din diferite ţări au participat la competiţie, mulţi dintre ei lucrând acum în P&G. “CEO Challenge a fost într-adevăr o provocare – dar una distractivă, interesantă şi plină de satisfacţii. Crearea unei strategii de afaceri reale în câteva ore, lucrul cu oamenii pe care tocmai i-ai întâlnit, reprezintă cu adevărat o oportunitate ce ar trebui să ne pregătească pentru a deveni viitori CEO de succes”, a declarat Petronela Cîrstea – Vineri, studenta din România, care face parte din echipa câştigătoare.

“Misiunea de a construi un viitor mai bun pentru noi toţi începe cu formarea liderilor de mâine, iar P&G este pionier în acest domeniu de peste 180 de ani. Ne dorim să dezvoltăm abilităţile tinerilor într-un mod care să nu fie unidirecţional aşa cum sunt cursurile online, unde nu există un mentor,

Publicație : Adevărul

Visa extension to boost numbers of overseas students in UK after Brexit

New measures will allow international students to seek employment for up to a year

International students will be given visa extensions of up to a year to look for work in the UK as part of a package of government measures to boost numbers of overseas students after Brexit.

The move represents a break with current policy, where students are allowed to stay for just four months after graduation.

Announcing the strategy, the Department for Education (DfE) said: “There is no limit on the number of international students that can study in the UK, and to ensure the UK continues to attract and welcome them, the post-study leave period will be extended to six months for undergraduate and master’s students, and a year for doctoral students.”

The announcement said the government would also consider “how the visa process could be improved for applicants and supporting student employment”, hinting at another possible change in policy.

Alongside the extended visas, the DfE and the Department for International Trade are to unveil an international education strategy with a 30% increase in overseas students in UK higher education during the next decade.

This would raise the number of non-UK students at British universities from 460,000 – including nearly 140,000 from the EU – to 600,000 by 2030, an ambitious target given that EU students will face higher tuition fees and lose access to student loans after Brexit.

“As we prepare to leave the EU it is more important than ever to reach out to our global partners and maximise the potential of our best assets. That includes our education offer and the international students this attracts,” Damian Hinds, the education secretary, said.

Janet Beer, vice-chancellor of Liverpool University and chair of Universities UK, said her organisation had been in discussion with the government about the strategy for the past six months.

She said: “International students contribute a huge amount to the UK, not only economically but also by enriching the international education environment in our universities for all students. While their presence in the UK is worth an estimated £26bn in direct and knock-on effects, sustaining over 200,000 jobs in all parts of the UK, they bring much wider benefit to our academic and civic communities.

“We particularly welcome steps to improve the visa regime, including the extension of opportunities for our graduates to work in the UK once they graduate, to six months for undergraduates and master’s students, and a year for those who undertake PhDs.

“We would like the government to go further and extend this opportunity to at least two years and we will continue to urge them on this point.”

The visa extension follows a recommendation by the independent migration advisory committee last year, and the government’s own white paper on skills-based immigration published in December. Currently, all graduates can stay for up to four months after finishing their courses, although those with PhDs can apply for an additional year.

Publicație : The Guardian

Four ways you can support the YouthStrike4Climate movement

The school climate strikes show how we are trying to save the world and change it for the better. Everyone can help

Since we made headlines in February with the UK’s first school strike, we’ve seen an outpouring of support from our peers, parents, carers, politicians and other people from all walks of life. It seems that most people know we’re in a mess, but they just didn’t know what we can to do to get out of it.

This is where the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) stepped in, not necessarily out of choice, but necessity. There’s no time left for the “adults in the room” to solve the climate crisis. The politicians and powerful actors have failed us. Youth is rising up all around the world and here in the UK we’re emerging as one of the most powerful forces, demanding urgent and radical change.

The time for words is over, we need an era for action to stop impending climate breakdown. Pay attention, listen to us and, importantly, listen to the voices of those around the world already suffering the devastating effects of climate change. We may be young, but we’re fierce and we understand the challenges ahead of us.

However, if we’re to be successful and create a world that remedies the situation we’re confronted with, everyone needs to step up and demand a better world. A world free from the inequalities of climate change, a world free from the economic disparities created by the system that is to be held responsible for the climate crisis. Climate change is the unifying issue of this generation. We’re united under the banner of “system change, not climate change”. We’re forging a vision for a better world, one aligned with climate justice as a primary value, not a tokenistic phrase to throw around with little thought for its meaning. We need you to support us in forging this world out of the ashes of our current one. Here’s how:

  1. Join us

A climate demonstration in Oxford: ‘Strike in your towns and cities.’ Photograph: David Hartley/REX/Shutterstock

Join the UK Student Climate Network and organise with us. Strike in your towns and cities. We’re a caring, thoughtful community, breaking down old prejudices and fighting for a more just world. You can set up a branch of UKSCN in your area and start doing weekly, fortnightly or monthly strikes. You can find information on how to get started on our website by clicking here. To get involved wherever you are in the world, head to the Fridays for Future website to find your nearest strike action. If there isn’t one nearby, register, start talking to friends, family, neighbours and everyone else. You’re joining a global movement and everyone has a part to play. If you aren’t able to give your time, why not make a financial contribution to support our fight?

  1. Contact your elected representative

We have no illusions that change won’t be difficult to achieve, but we’re going to give it our best shot! We all need to take positive action and put pressure on our elected representatives, no matter which party they belong to. For too long our governments and others in positions of power have failed to take the necessary action and have relied upon delaying, denying and drowning out the voices of those who want to tackle the climate crisis. If those in power fail to enact the necessary changes, we need to give them the boot and elevate the voices that will stand up for people and planet. We need real leadership now.

  1. Put pressure on educational establishments to properly convey the severity of the crisis

We’re not learning about climate breakdown. How we are to prepare for a drastically different world, or even properly fight for a different one if knowledge is being withheld? If you’re a teacher in a school or college or a lecturer in university you can put pressure on your institution to make the change. However, don’t just wait for change to happen, we need you to weave climate change into the educational fabric of our learning experience to give us the right tools for the fight!

  1. Help build resilient and connected communities

Society has atomised us from one another, hampering our ability to create change. We need to start talking, have conversations with one another, engage with people about the climate crisis. We’re all going to be affected, some worse from others. We can learn from each others’ experiences and create a world that works for all, not just the privileged few.

This list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start. To create a better, safer world, free from the devastation of climate change and ecological collapse, we need to reimagine the way our societies work. We need to challenge the status quo wherever we can and forge our own set of rules. There’s a whole world to create, so let’s not be bound by the stifling and disenfranchising politics of the current system. Support us to create our own.

  • UK Student Climate Network is a small group of volunteers who were inspired by the powerful and direct protests made by young people against climate inaction across the rest of Europe

Publicație : The Guardian

Oxford provost at centre of ‘poison pen’ campaign is to step down

The provost of an Oxford college, who was the victim of a „poison pen” campaign attacking him and his wife, has announced he is stepping down.

Sir Jonathan Bate wrote to Worcester College alumni this week to explain that his role as provost has “taken a toll” on his family life and he wants to pursue his academic interests.

His eight year tenure as Provost – the shortest in the history of the College – was dogged by a protracted campaign of harassment against him and his wife, the bestselling author Paula Byrne.

The series of spiteful anonymous letters prompted Sir Jonathan, who is a professor in English Literature and expert in Shakespeare, to report the issue to the police.

The first letter reportedly arrived three years after Sir Jonathan took up the post as head of Worcester College, and more than a dozen letters followed over the years.

Many of the letters made baseless accusations against Byrne, an acclaimed biographer whose subjects have included Jane Austen and Evelyn Waugh.

Byrne has previously said the letters are “very hurtful, at times vicious, though also cleverly done”. The saga inspired her to write a novel called Look To Your Wife, which was published last year.

In the book, which was Byrne’s first work of fiction, the headmaster of a minor public school is sent an anonymous letter filled with spiteful complaints about his wife, the novel’s heroine.

Paula Byrne is an acclaimed biographer whose subjects have included Jane Austen and Evelyn Waugh

The letters sent to Sir Jonathan and Byrne purported to be from a range of different characters, including a colleague, a prospective student, a group of undergraduates, a mother whose daughter died of anorexia and a doctor. One letter even claimed to have been penned by Byrne herself, and included some Shakespearean spellings.

Announcing his departure this week, Sir Jonathan explained he will step down in September as provost but will maintain ties to the College as a senior research fellow.

He said that his priority for the next decade is to return to his scholarly work, adding that the role of Provost has “greatly slowed my academic productivity and diminished my opportunities to teach”.

He went on to say that it has “proved to be a demanding job for both me and my family”, and praised the “unstinting support” of his wife.

“Paula has offered me unstinting support in the role of Provost, co-hosting numerous events for students and alumni, working quietly behind the scenes with donors, staff and others, even as she has raised our three children in the Lodgings, whilst also maintaining her own career as an author and a scholar,” he said.

„I feel that it is now time for me to take a back seat, and give her support, as she takes forward her important work for mental health and wellbeing, especially among young people, through her ReLit Foundation.”

Worcester College, which was founded in 1714, counts the supermarket chain founder John Sainsbury, the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and more recently, the actress Emma Watson among its alumni.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said that the issue had been reported  to officers, “but the victim has decided to proceed with the matter via the civil process”.

Sir Jonathan, who was  knighted in 2015 for services to literary scholarship and higher education, told The Daily Telegraph that there is “no connection” between his decision to step down as Provost and the letter campaign.

Publicație : The Telegraph

Universities are more prepared for a Brexit fallout than they might think

Regional networks and corporate collaborations built up over decades will help universities weather the Brexit storm, say Alex de Ruyter and Vangelis Tsiligiris

Various commentators, ourselves included, have explored all possible scenarios for Brexit’s impact on higher education, ranging from the naive – “no impact/business as usual” – to the catastrophic.

But our view remains that Brexit, like any major political and economic event, creates a number of challenges as well as opportunities for universities and their partners and that some of the strengths that the UK HE sector has developed in the past 20 years can be utilised to overcome these post-Brexit challenges and create the opportunities.

Regional networks as catalysts of international research collaboration 

The effortless access to major European Union funding programmes that UK universities have had over the years has boosted the volume and quality of their research activity. International research collaboration as a percentage of total research activity has increased dramatically over the past 20 years, from 24.3 per cent in 1996 to 55.8 per cent in 2018. Since 2013, the UK has surpassed Germany as the country with the highest percentage of international collaboration activity in the (current) EU-28 area. Furthermore, in 2018 the UK was second in the world – just marginally behind Australia.

The benefits that links to EU institutions and funding bring are illustrated by the fact that three out of the top five countries for research collaboration with UK HEIs are in the EU. In addition, 13 out of the 20 top countries for international research collaboration are in the EU and European Economic Area regions.

What is even more important about the value of international collaboration for UK institutions is the quality and impact of outputs. According to Scopus, the international collaboration impact of research outputs was higher than 1 (indicating that the publications have been cited more than would be expected based on the world average for similar publications) and substantially higher than that of national collaboration outputs. This applies to all nine regions of the UK: the overall score for the UK is 1.22 for international collaborations and 0.96 for national collaborations.

The question that arises here is how UK HEIs could sustain these international research collaborative activities with their EU/EEA counterparts in a post-Brexit environment. We believe that local networks, such as the Midlands Enterprise Universities (MEU) – a consortium of six institutions: Birmingham City, Coventry and Nottingham Trent University and the universities of Lincoln, Derby and Wolverhampton – that are set up to help drive productivity and growth, could act as catalysts for maintaining and generating collaborative activity among UK and European universities. Also, regional networks can utilise EU regional programmes, which often target non-EU and EEA countries, and pursue research activities in the context of regional economic development and knowledge transfer.

Academic-corporate collaboration as a driver of international student mobility

A substantial part of the public debate about the impact of Brexit on the UK HE sector concentrates on the future trajectory of EU student mobility. Under the assumption that EU students will have to pay higher fees, many anticipate that UK HEIs will experience a significant decline in the number of EU students. However, this is a rather simplistic view, especially when taking into account how different factors affect students’ decision process for selecting their study destination.

Several major studies of international student mobility suggest that employment prospects are the motivators for mobile students. One of the key drivers of employability of graduates is the existence of links between universities and business at local, regional, national and international levels. Over the past 20 years, UK HEIs have developed a strong record of academic-corporate collaboration. As data from Scopus SciVal indicates, UK HEIs have significantly improved their academic-corporate collaboration. Among other major destination countries of international students, the UK is second, marginally below Germany, in terms of academic-corporate collaboration.

Specifically, expanding and communicating the opportunities available to students for gaining work experience as part of universities’ undergraduate or postgraduate programme could be a very effective way to overcome the negative expectations around fees and Brexit. Additionally, UK HEIs can continue to explore and extend the use of experiential learning components to create a value-added learning experience for students.

Coming together to rise to the challenge of Brexit 

Still, it is more important than ever for HEIs to band together to build economies of scale and scope and create collaborations that generate a value-added student experience.

The Midlands traditionally has relied on manufacturing to generate regional prosperity and Brexit highlights the fragile nature of the dependence on automotive and aerospace in particular. However, regional HEI networks such as the MEU have an important role to play in maintaining regional competitiveness after Brexit (and indeed have been key in boosting regional manufacturing competitiveness). Partners can build on their strengths and come together to offer innovative new degrees and modes of study that should build appeal against more established rivals.

In doing this, varying modes of delivery such as degree apprenticeships, internships/traineeships, distance learning, experiential learning, blended learning and part-time study in the pursuit of lifelong education all have a role to play. But above all, it means building on our excellent collaboration with industry and fostering innovative (disruptive even) new interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the more significant challenges ahead, be they automation, climate change or the challenge of an ageing population.

Some industries are adopting a response to Brexit that could best be summarised as, “hope for the best, prepare for the worst”. By contrast, we would argue instead that Brexit should serve as a catalyst for HEIs to “plan for the best, hope for the unthinkable”.

Publicație : The Times

UK international student strategy sets 600K recruitment target

Inclusion of hard target seen as a major win for sector, potentially shifting power away from Home Office

The UK government’s new international education strategy sets a target to grow overseas higher education student numbers to 600,000 by 2030 – with sector figures viewing the inclusion of a hard target as a major win.

The joint strategy from the Department for Education and the Department for International Trade, published on 16 March, sets a path to growth that would amount to a 30 per cent increase on current international student numbers.

Universities UK International had lobbied for a hard target on student numbers growth to be included, as a way to send a clear, attention-grabbing signal of welcome from the UK to potential overseas students and to keep pace with global rivals, as Times Higher Education previously reported.

The Australian government announced in 2016 a target to increase its onshore international student numbers from 500,000 to 720,000 by 2025, while Canada and Germany have surpassed their targets for growth ahead of schedule.

The principle of setting a target is thought to have been the subject of controversy within the UK government.

The target plan may have been opposed by the Home Office, which has long resisted liberalisation of the overseas student visa regime. Thus the strategy may be a step towards shifting some of the balance of power on overseas students away from the Home Office.

The strategy commits to “closer working across government departments on international education policy and opportunities”, the DfE and DIT said.

The strategy also includes “extending the period of post-study leave for international student visas” and “considering how the visa process could be improved for applicants and supporting student employment”, the departments said.

Jo Johnson, the former universities minister, has told THE that he is planning amendments to the Immigration Bill that could pave the way for the return of two-year post-study work visas.

Supporters of the strategy in the sector also highlight the fact that it appears to include a “delivery mechanism” – with annual reporting on progress and the appointment of an “international education champion” to boost overseas activity and promote new partnerships. A high-profile member of the House of Lords would be a good fit for the post, some suggest.

The strategy also sets a target to boost income generated by international education by 75 per cent to £35 billion a year by 2030.

The government is desperate for ideas on how to boost the UK economy post-Brexit – which is likely to have focused minds when it came to the international education strategy.

Damian Hinds, the education secretary, said: “As we prepare to leave the EU, it is more important than ever to reach out to our global partners and maximise the potential of our best assets – that includes our education offer and the international students this attracts.”

The announcement comes after the government announced it would exempt PhD-level jobs from caps on the number of skilled worker visas granted each month, and that research periods spent outside the UK will no longer count against academics applying for settlement.

Publicație : The Times

Grève mondiale pour le climat: 29.000 à 40.000 jeunes manifestants à Paris

REPORTAGE – Ce vendredi 15 mars, des milliers de jeunes ont défilé pour le climat dans les rues de la capitale. Ils ont répondu à l’appel du mouvement YouthForClimate, dans le cadre de l’appel lancé par Greta Thunberg.

À 12h30, aux alentours de la place du Panthéon, à Paris, la clameur résonne déjà. Des milliers de lycéens et d’étudiants – entre 29 000, selon la police, et 40 000, selon les organisateurs – se sont donné rendez-vous. Dans une relative bonne humeur, les leaders du mouvement motivent les troupes. «Et un et deux et trois degrés, c’est un crime contre l’humanité», entonnent les jeunes.

Aujourd’hui, le cortège défilera du Panthéon aux Invalides, soit sur un peu plus de trois kilomètres. Tout sourire, Sarah et Lison sont là depuis une heure. Pour elles, il était important d’être présentes cet après-midi. «Aujourd’hui, on est venus car on veut défendre notre planète. La situation est catastrophique, et personne ne fait rien. On en a marre», attaque Lison. Sarah enchérit: «Pour la première fois, on a l’impression qu’on peut peser, qu’on peut aider à une prise de conscience», se réjouit la jeune femme, étudiante en première année à l’école du Louvre.

«C’est historique»

Jamais le dernier lorsqu’il s’agit de manifester, Louis Boyard, le président de l’Union nationale lycéenne (UNL) est également présent au milieu du cortège. Pour lui, «cette mobilisation, c’est celle des lycéens du monde entier contre les gouvernants qui ne se rendent pas compte de l’urgence écologique. C’est historique», clame-t-il. Même opinion pour Orlane François, la présidente de la Fédération des associations générales étudiantes (Fage). «On demande des choses concrètes. Les jeunes ont envie de montrer qu’ils sont là, qu’ils ont envie de faire bouger les choses. On attend des réponses concrètes du gouvernement et de l’Union européenne», développe-t-elle.

Au coeur de la manifestation, beaucoup de jeunes, voire même, de très jeunes. Des lycéens, mais pas que. Des collégiens aussi, beaucoup de collégiens. Des élèves de 6ème, de 5ème, venus souvent en groupe. «On est là car on veut prendre en main notre avenir. Personne ne le fait pour nous, alors on se mobilise pour sauver notre planète», raconte un élève de 6ème.

Des adultes qui soutiennent la jeunesse

Mais les jeunes ne sont pas les seuls à se mobiliser aujourd’hui. Leurs aînés, eux aussi, sont là. Catherine, 73 ans, est venue seule cet après-midi. «Je suis là pour mes petits-enfants. Cette mobilisation, c’est la planète qui se bat contre ses bourreaux», raconte-t-elle en souriant. «Aujourd’hui, je suis heureux parce que je sens qu’il y a un réveil mondial sur les questions climatiques. Un réveil insufflé par la jeunesse», commente un père de famille de 51 ans.

La manifestation se déroule dans le calme, sans aucun débordement. Quelques «gilets jaunes» et plusieurs dizaines de militants se revendiquant du mouvement «anticapitaliste» se mêlent également au cortège.

Une mobilisation qui grandit au fil des semaines

Cette mobilisation, amorcée il y a plusieurs semaines maintenant, ne faiblit pas. La Suédoise Greta Thunberg, 15 ans, devenue le symbole de la jeunesse engagée pour le climat, continue de faire des émules. Aujourd’hui, la manifestation parisienne était d’ailleurs loin d’être la seule, en France. Ailleurs, la mobilisation a commencé dès le matin, comme à Montpellier, où plus de 5.000 jeunes ont marché sous une forêt de pancartes.

Ils étaient également un millier à manifester à Rouen, plus de 2.000 à Clermont-Ferrand et 2.800 à Tours, où des collégiens déploraient d’être déclarés «absents» par leur établissement. Ils étaient aussi plusieurs milliers à Bordeaux, autour d’un slogan récurrent contre le réchauffement. «On veut la survie de la planète, il faut montrer au gouvernement qu’il faut changer. Il y a un bateau qui a coulé (le navire italien Grande America au large de la côte atlantique, NDLR), ça passe dans les faits divers mais c’est grave pour l’environnement», estime Noa Paquier, 15 ans.

«Et 1 et 2 et 3 degrés, c’est un crime contre l’humanité», entonnent les jeunes manifestants.

 Le gouvernement a son rôle à jouer

Ce vendredi, à l’initiative du ministre de l’Education nationale, Jean-Michel Blanquer, des débats sur l’environnement ont été organisés, aujourd’hui, de 16h à 18h, dans tous les lycées de France. «Il s’agit de manifester l’importance de ce sujet», et de «travailler à des choses concrètes que l’on peut proposer pour que les lycéens eux-mêmes s’engagent», explique-t-il. Pour l’association Youth for climate, cette initiative est un «geste désespéré» du ministère ayant pour objectif «d’étouffer les contestations qui s’expriment dans les rues».

Il est 16h quand la manifestation parisienne arrive aux Invalides, destination finale de son parcours. «On remet ça bientôt», promet un groupe de collégiens. Parmis eux, beaucoup ont déjà prévu de revenir dès vendredi prochain.

Publicație : Le Figaro et Le Monde

 

Pour son échange Erasmus, un étudiant italien choisit l’université islamique de Gaza

Le célèbre programme européen d’échange universitaire réserve quelques surprises. En faisant sa demande d’Erasmus, un étudiant italien a vu qu’une pace se libérait à Gaza. Il a été le seul à postuler.

Assis sur les marches de l’Université islamique avec son sac à dos, Riccardo Corradini attire les regards curieux des étudiants palestiniens: il est le premier Européen en échange universitaire Erasmus dans la bande de Gaza.

Il y a un an, lorsque son université à Sienne, en Italie, a annoncé qu’une place était ouverte pour étudier quatre mois dans l’une des 14 universités de l’enclave palestinienne, «je n’ai pas réfléchi plus d’une heure», raconte l’étudiant en sixième année de médecine, qui a déjà effectué un échange universitaire en territoire palestinien il y a deux ans.

Il a pourtant été le seul à postuler.

Le choix de Gaza, gouvernée par le mouvement islamiste Hamas, est tout sauf une évidence pour un échange Erasmus, du nom du populaire programme européen qui a fait découvrir depuis plus de trente ans de nouveaux horizons à des millions de jeunes.

Coincée entre Israël, Egypte et Méditerranée, verrouillée par un strict blocus israélien, Gaza vit entre pénuries chroniques et menaces de guerre avec le voisin israélien. Mais pour Riccardo Corradini, qui veut faire de la chirurgie d’urgence sa spécialité, exercer la médecine à Gaza le place face à des situations qui sont inimaginables chez lui. «J’ai vu certains cas qui ne sont pas communs en Italie ou en Europe. Des gens blessés à la jambe, un adolescent de 16 ans amputé, le genre de blessures que, malheureusement, vous ne pouvez voir qu’ici», explique le jeune homme de 25 ans, qui exerce dans trois hôpitaux gazaouis.

«Bien sûr, ce n’est pas facile de vivre ici»,

Riccardo Corradini n’exerce pas dans les hôpitaux gazaouis le vendredi, jour où ils reçoivent des flux de personnes blessées lors des manifestations. Le stress et la détresse des proches ne se prêtent pas à ce qu’il intervienne. «Bien sûr, ce n’est pas facile de vivre ici», concède-t-il, décrivant le manque de matériel médical ou de médicaments et l’insécurité permanente des Gazaouis. Lui ne se sent pas menacé. Passé leur étonnement, «les gens sont tellement accueillants!», s’enthousiasme-t-il, citant l’exemple de ses propriétaires palestiniens qui le «traitent comme un membre de la famille».

«J’aime énormément l’atmosphère de Gaza», dit-il, «il y a beaucoup de monde dans la journée, beaucoup de couleurs, de parfums… On se croirait dans un roman!» «C’est courageux de sa part de venir dans un endroit sous blocus», juge Saadi al-Nakhala, un de ses amis. Pour le reste, «Gaza est un endroit avec des gens comme partout ailleurs», ajoute l’étudiant palestinien de 23 ans.

Le gouvernement italien considère le Hamas comme une organisation terroriste

L’Université islamique a conclu 130 partenariats dans le monde selon leur site, notamment en Europe. L’établissement a notamment des partenaires en Espagne, au Royaume-Uni, en Allemagne, en Italie ou encore en Grèce. Il n’a en revanche aucun partenariat avec des établissements français.

À Sienne, trois Gazaouis sont actuellement en semestre d’échange. C’est «un moyen de montrer au monde qu’il y a un excellent niveau académique» à Gaza, se félicite M. Muhaisen. Depuis l’arrivée de Riccardo Corradini début février, au moins quatre universités italiennes ont postulé au programme Erasmus Plus à Gaza, note Meri Calvelli, représentante dans les territoires palestiniens de l’ONG italienne ACS qui facilite ces échanges.

«C’est très important de comprendre qu’à Gaza, il n’y a pas que des terroristes et des attaques à la bombe, mais aussi une vie normale», martèle-t-elle. Lancé en 1987, d’abord limité aux étudiants dans les pays européens, Erasmus a été rebaptisé «Erasmus Plus» et s’est diversifié pour toucher d’autres publics et d’autres zones géographiques. Les partenariats se nouent entre universités. Le gouvernement italien, comme les autres Etats européens, considère le Hamas comme une organisation terroriste et n’est pas impliqué. Riccardo Corradini espère que ses quatre mois d’échange constitueront un «petit pas pour la paix». D’abord sceptiques, ses proches sont «désormais fiers» de lui, glisse-t-il dans un sourire.

Publicație : Le Figaro

Etudiants en journalisme : participez au concours HCR – « Le Monde »

Ce concours ouvert aux étudiants en journalisme récompensera, en partenariat avec « Le Monde », le meilleur article sur le thème de l’intégration des réfugiés par l’emploi.

« Entreprises et réfugié(e)s : une intégration par l’emploi » : tel est le thème retenu en 2019 pour le concours HCR « Le Monde », à destination des étudiants en école de journalisme. Créé par le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR), en partenariat avec « Le Monde », ce concours récompensera le meilleur article soumis sur ce thème.

La date limite d’inscription au concours est fixée au 29 mars 2019. La date limite de dépôt, par voie électronique, des articles, est fixée au 26 mai 2019. Le lauréat se verra offrir la possibilité de se rendre sur le terrain pour découvrir l’une des missions du HCR. Son article sera publié dans « Le Monde » à l’occasion de la journée mondiale du Réfugié, le 20 juin 2019.

Les articles seront jugés en fonction de la pertinence de l’histoire et du style, de l’objectivité, de la perspicacité ainsi que de la précision des termes employés dans la rédaction ainsi qu’à travers une approche originale de cette thématique.

L’année dernière, Maïa Courtois, étudiante à l’école de journalisme de Sciences Po, a remporté le concours grâce à son article sur l’art pour rendre la ville hospitalière aux réfugiés.

LES RÈGLES DE PARTICIPATION :

Les règles de participation au concours HCR – Le Monde sont disponibles dans leur intégralité sur le site du HCR.

  • Ere âgé(e) de 18 ans minimum, et être en dernière année d’études dans un des 14 établissements de journalisme reconnus par la Commission de la Carte des Journalistes en France.
  • Présenter un seul article.
  • L’article doit avoir pour thème suivant : Entreprises et réfugié(e) s : une intégration par l’emploi.
  • L’article ne doit pas excéder 5500 signes.
  • L’article doit être soumis uniquement par voie électronique aux adresses suivantes : concourshcr-lemonde@unhcr.org et concourshcr-lemonde@lemonde.fr
  • La date limite d’envoi des articles est fixée au 26 mai 2019 minuit. Chaque article précisera le nom, l’adresse, le téléphone et l’adresse courriel de l’auteur(e).
  • Le ou la candidat(e) doit s’inscrire au plus tard le 29 mars 2019 minuit par voie électronique aux adresses suivantes : concourshcr-lemonde@unhcr.org et concourshcr-lemonde@lemonde.fr
  • La sélection sera faite à la fois par des journalistes du Monde et par des représentants du HCR. Il n’y aura qu’un(e) seul(e) lauréat(e).
  • La décision sera rendue au plus tard le 15 juin 2019 et le ou la lauréat(e) sera contacté(e) sitôt connu le résultat. La décision du jury sera sans appel.
  • Un séjour d’une semaine sur le terrain au sein d’une mission du HCR sera offert au ou à la lauréat(e).
  • Tous les articles devront être exclusivement réalisés par des étudiant(e) s. Un plagiat entraînera une disqualification immédiate.
  • Les copyrights de tous les articles demeureront l’entière propriété de leurs auteur(e) s. En présentant un article à ce concours, les participants(e) s autorisent Le Monde à en reproduire tout ou partie, y compris dans les publications de son groupe de presse.
  • Les salariés, contractuels ou personnes directement ou professionnellement liés à des employés du HCR ou du Monde ne peuvent participer à ce concours.

Consultez l’ensemble des règles et les éléments attendus dans le dossier ici.

Publicație : Le Monde

 

18 martie 2019

In studioul BZI LIVE va fi abordata una dintre cele mai de actualitate teme de invatamant superior romanesc, alaturi de cunoscutul profesor universitar, prof. univ.dr. ing. Liviu Goras

În studioul BZI LIVE va fi abordata una dintre cele mai de actualitate teme de invatamant superior romanesc. Cunoscutul profesor prof. univ. dr. ing. Liviu Goras, directorul Consiliului pentru Studii Universitare de Doctorat, va fi prezent luni, incepand cu ora 15.00 in studioul BZI LIVE. Alaturi de domnia sa vor fi abordate proiectele pe care acesta le-a implementat si urmeaza sa le implementeze din aceasta postura, dar si rezultatele obtinute. De asemenea, avand in vedere ca la nivelul, doctoratul este o etapa de desavarsire a fiecarei persoane care isi propune sa aiba o cariera, fie academica, fie de cercetara, prof.  univ. dr. ing. Liviu Goras va reflecta aspectele si etapele esentiale pe care acestia trebuie sa le parcurga din aceasta perspectiva.

Acestea sunt doar cateva dintre intrebarile la care va raspunde invitata de vineri, incepand cu ora 15.00, in studioul BZI LIVE! Toti cei care doresc sa adreseze intrebari o pot face la sectiunea de comentarii sau in direct, pe Facebook.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

Visul american, trait de o studenta din Iasi! Povestea vietii ei, in cateva randuri. „As retrai in fiecare zi aceasta experienta!”

Programul Work and Travel sustine studentii sa descopere o noua lume, cu noi obiceiuri si traditii, pentru o perioada de trei luni • Din punct de vedere financiar, desi investitia de inceput pare mare, banii pe care-i castigi pe parcurs acopera pierderea de zeci de ori • Locurile pe care le vizitezi la sfarsitul programului merita toata asteptarea

Pentru majoritatea studentilor care au fost o data in America cu programul Work and Travel, aceasta experienta a devenit o dependenta. Desi nu stiau la ce sa se astepte, avand in vedere ca trei luni de zile au fost pe un alt continent, inconjurati de diferiti oameni de alte nationalitati, au trebuit sa se acomodeze cu alt fus orar si cu mai multe joburi, au ramas cu o impresie placuta pe care ar repeta-o de fiecare data cand ar avea ocazia. Au reusit sa munceasca, sa se distreze, sa calatoreasca si sa se intoarca si cu bani acasa, asta in mai putin de trei luni de zile.

Motivul care retine studentii sa plece in SUA

Agentiile de Work and Travel se ocupa de tot ceea ce inseamna dosarele pentru pregatirea plecarii, iar studentul nu trebuie sa faca nimic in afara de a aduce actele necesare inscrierii. Ei se ocupa de traducerea si de legalizarea lor, ceea ce constituie un mare avantaj pentru studentul in cauza.
Studentii, in general, sunt foarte speriati de partea financiara care trebuie investita in lucrurile necesare calatoriei: biletul de avion, cazarea pe primele saptamani, banii de buzunar si alte aspecte.

„Tot programul Work and Travel iti ofera un loc de munca legal, practic ai toate drepturile unui cetatean american, mai putin dreptul la vot. Ca student, trebuie sa iti platesti actele, viza si biletul de avion, deci o suma de aproximativ 3.000$. Pentru Romania da, este o suma destul de mare, dar cand incepi sa lucrezi in America, iti dai seama ca iti acoperi aceasta investitie foarte repede”, spune Andreea Rusu, reprezentant al companiei Student Travel Iasi.

Ramai cu bani la sfarsitul experientei?

Depinde. Cu un singur job reusesti sa-ti acoperi investitia de inceput, sa-ti platesti cazarea, mancarea si sa-ti cumperi cateva lucruri de acolo, dar nu mai mult. „Daca vrei sa faci bani doar cat pentru lucrurile necesare, te descurci cu un job, dar daca vrei mai mult, trebuie sa vizezi joburile din restaurante, unde faci si tips si de acolo castigi mai multi bani. Dar nu asta este ideea programului, nu partea financiara, desi stiu ca este un subiect foarte important pentru studenti”, adauga Andreea Rusu.

Pentru cei care nu au puterea financiara de a se autofinanta, exista un imprumut

Daca un student poate suporta toate cheltuielile pe care le presupune acest program, acesta isi poate plati singur biletul de avion si toate necesitatile de care are nevoie in primele doua saptamani in America. „Eu am facut si, si. Pentru prima parte, care a presupus achitarea actelor, m-am putut descurca cu banii, dar la restul am avut nevoie de ajutor. Am luat un credit de la o banca, care iti permitea sa iei suma intreaga, sau numai partea de care ai nevoie. Eu am cerut suma de care aveam nevoie, pentru ca, altfel, nu ma descurcam, nu aveam de unde sa iau. In primul rand, stim ca atunci cand faci un credit, trebuie sa ai o sursa de venit. Eu cum eram studenta, nu aveam una, asa ca, trebuia sa merg la banca cu o persoana cu o sursa de venit, care garanta pentru mine. Poate fi orice persoana, dar mai credibil este daca mergi cu o ruda, in cazul de fata, parintii. Ideea este ca, daca persoana care pleaca in Statele Unite nu se mai intoarce in tara, banca sa nu ramana descoperita. Iar din partea studentului, el doar trebuie sa fie inscris la facultate, in program, si sa aiba deja un job la plecarea din tara”, spune Andreea.

Interviul pentru viza este mai usor decat cel de angajare

Procedura in sine pare complicata, chiar daca interviul propriu-zis presupune doar cateva intrebari foarte usoare. „Te intreaba lucruri despre job, unde te duci mai exact in America. Ideea e ca ei vor sa stie motivul pentru care pleci, anume ca vrei sa muncesti si sa stie ca te intorci, pentru ca, fiind student, esti legat de facultate. Asta este tot, mai ales ca, odata ce intri in Ambasada, trebuie sa fii constient ca oamenii respectivi, care iti pun intrebarile, deja stiu cine esti, unde te duci si toate cele, pentru ca locul de munca este primit. Cei care sunt la master sau in an terminal au parte de un interviu putin mai greu, pentru ca ei sunt tentati sa ramana acolo. Atunci, ei trebuie sa vina cu argumente care sa sustina faptul ca ei se vor intoarce, ca vor sa-si deschida o afacere aici sau ca deja si-au gasit un job. Si inca un lucru, tot interviul este in limba engleza, de fapt, tot programul este in limba engleza”, adauga Andreea Rusu.

Partea memorabila a experientei o reprezinta calatoriile si oamenii pe care-i cunosti

„Cel mai mult m-au surprins in America oamenii pe care i-am cunoscut si am preluat foarte mult din optimismul lor, pentru ca sunt foarte degajati. Sunt foarte orientati catre actiune, sunt foarte respectuosi, te trateaza de la egal la egal, sunt foarte disciplinati. Eu am plecat singura la New York, pentru ca de asta am si plecat in America, sa vad acest oras, era visul meu. A fost incredibil si am fost fericita ca in sfarsit, dupa o vara intreaga de munca, am reusit sa fac ce mi-am propus. Incurajez pe toata lumea sa mearga, pentru ca e un mod in care sa te regasesti”, incheie Andreea.

Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași

 

Working-class students turning to loan sharks as universities charge hidden fees, National Union of Students says

‘It is a scandal that students are having to fork out more cash for core course activities’

Working-class students are being forced to turn to loan sharks after being confronted with a series of “hidden costs” when they arrive at university, the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned.

Cash-strapped students are being asked to fork out hundreds of pounds extra a year for compulsory course materials and trips they have not budgeted for amid a lack of transparency across the sector.

Universities and colleges should cover these mandatory costs and be upfront with prospective students about all the fees for resources and activities to ensure working-class students’ ability to study and wellbeing is not damaged, according to an NUS briefing shared with The Independent.

hakira Martin, NUS president, says working-class students are having to take on multiple jobs at a time to fund their education – and they are being forced to turn to sex work, payday loans and loan sharks.

It is having a detrimental effect on their grades as well as their mental health, resulting in a number of them dropping out, Ms Martin told The Independent.

Official figures released earlier this month revealed that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to give up their university courses within 12 months than their more advantaged peers.

In some universities, more than a fifth of young students from the most disadvantaged social backgrounds dropped out in their first year, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data shows.

A higher proportion of disadvantaged students now attend university and institutions need to offer a higher level of support to ensure these young people complete their studies and succeed, experts say.

Ms Martin said: “It’s a scandal that students pay so much to get into education, only to arrive and find they have to fork out more and more cash in order to simply take part in core course activities.

“Institutions should do everything they can to ensure that every working-class student that walks through the door has the support not only to get in but to get on in education.”

The new NUS briefing has been released to encourage student unions across the UK to campaign for support funds from universities to cover these unexpected costs. It comes just days after education ministers called on top universities to pay for the accommodation and equipment for children in care.

Steph Hayle, community and wellbeing officer at York University Students’ Union, had to work three jobs in one term when she arrived at university as her loan failed to cover all the costs she faced. She did not have time to study or socialise until third year, when she had saved up enough to cut down to two jobs.

She told The Independent: “Hidden course costs are a massive concern, especially when people are budgeting in advance based on their rent and food and not realising this is going to happen.”

Students have been caught off guard by mandatory trips and travel costs, she said, and nursing students were having to fork out more than £1,000 a year on laundry costs for their uniforms on placements.

Ms Hayle added: “These costs are not promoted. It is not really mentioned in any of the literature that gets sent out to you. I don’t think it is something that institutions are necessarily proud to advertise.

“You have the £9,250 course cost and nobody wants to explain that it is actually going to cost you a lot more than that. It is really shocking for a lot of students to come in and encounter these costs.”

Megan Hatfield, academic affairs officer at Aberystwyth University Students’ Union, said unaware first-year students at the university have been asked to pay hundreds of pounds for art materials and trips abroad.

But many students have already spent most of their loan on accommodation and have not budgeted for these extras, she said. “They are struggling to pay for food and they are concerned that if they are not able to pay these costs then is it going to impact on their degree.”

And staff at the students union have noticed a rise in the proportion of students struggling with money. “Having these costs on top of that isn’t helping,” Ms Hatfield added.

The financial pressure on working-class students has increased since the removal of maintenance grants as more young people are struggling to cover living costs on their loan alone, the NUS says.

The union is calling for the grants to be reinstated as part of the government’s post-18 funding review, which is due to report later this year, and universities across the UK are calling for the same move.

Ms Martin believes the situation will get worse for poorer students if the grant is not brought back and if funding across the sector is not improved. “It would be a huge opportunity lost and fundamentally it is working-class students that will be most at risk – and that is something that angers me.”

A Universities UK spokesperson said: “Universities remain committed to ensuring all students succeed in every aspect of university life, regardless of their background.”

They added: “It is important institutions are transparent when detailing the additional costs of attending university, and that they continue to offer a range of emotional and financial support to students.

“We’d encourage students under financial pressure to contact student support services if they need help – however, greater government support would help to alleviate student concerns with living costs.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “There is a record rate of 18-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds now going to university and we expect universities to provide students with information about the total course cost – this includes any extra costs students are likely to incur.

“Students from the lowest-income households who started their courses this year have access to the largest ever amounts of cash-in-hand support for their living costs.

“The education secretary has been clear that he wants universities to focus on the successful participation of disadvantaged groups, and higher education institutions are spending £860m this academic year on measures to improve access and outcomes for students from underrepresented groups.”

Publicație : The Independent

Attainment versus grade inflation: which students are caught in the middle?

Sal Jarvis identifies the catch-22 universities can find themselves in as they aim to widen participation and tackle grade inflation

Universities work hard to close the attainment gap between black and ethnic minority (BAME) and white students, and between students from more and less privileged backgrounds –  but it remains stubbornly wide.

The Office for Students is quite right to expect that all students, from whatever background, should be supported to access, succeed in, and progress from university successfully. The teaching excellence and student outcomes framework makes use of split metrics, which identify the perceptions, continuation rates and employment of different groups of students, to shine a light on inequalities. But the fact that there is also a TEF metric that seeks to measure and punish grade inflation gives rise to a sharp dilemma: if universities drive forward enhancements that enable more BAME and working-class students to achieve the good degree that they deserve, then the proportion of good degrees will rise, and universities will be penalised for grade inflation. In contrast, if there is no increase in the proportion of good degrees, the gaps will remain, and universities will be penalised for the inequalities.

This dilemma is sharpest for institutions like mine, which recruit a high percentage of non-traditional students. And if the sector is not careful then, as we navigate this minefield, somewhere, lost in the middle, is the individual student who is entitled to an excellent education that enables them to achieve their best.

The TEF is now in its fourth year and currently subject to an independent review led by Dame Shirley Pearce: to what extent will its recommendations successfully navigate the choppy waters between upholding high quality and eliminating these unjustifiable inequalities? Will the TEF ever be able to distinguish grade improvement from grade inflation?

In the face of such a complex issue, at the University of Hertfordshire we have invested time and money to develop an inclusive culture that enables all our students to succeed. We have a vibrant and diverse student body. More than half our students are from a BAME background; about 40 per cent of our students will be the first in their family to attend university; a similar percentage are not traditional “live away from home” students, but commuters, sometimes travelling long distances to the university or managing caring responsibilities alongside study. Very many of our students – probably most – work in term time to enable them to meet their expenses. We are proud that our TEF gold award explicitly recognised our work to enable outstanding outcomes for all our students, and we continue to strive to remove the institutional barriers that may impede their success.

We are part of an OfS-funded consortium, which is led by Kingston University and includes De Montfort University, UCL and the universities of Greenwich and Wolverhampton. Its work makes use of Kingston’s value-added metric to explore differences in degree attainment between different groups of students and to stimulate inclusive curricular changes at programme level.

And we believe that institutional change is best developed in partnership, so our staff teams work closely with our students, drawing on their experience and expertise. For example, we employ student BAME advocates – one for each of our academic schools. The activities that they lead are bespoke for each school but include holding focus groups; discussing inclusive practices; challenging assumptions and critiquing the curriculum.

Make no mistake, while we have made good progress towards our goal to eliminate the value-added gaps between different groups of students, at Hertfordshire we still have much to do. But these questions are not just questions for senior leaders in higher education institutions, nor only for course teams, but also for the government and the OfS. How can they ensure that TEF metrics can distinguish grade improvement from grade inflation? If funding for higher education is reduced following the recommendations of the Augar review, how can the government ensure that this doesn’t further widen the HE participation gap?

When policymakers settle these questions, which place some universities between a rock and a hard place, whose children will they be thinking of? Will changes to fees, funding and the TEF only benefit the already advantaged students whose education has secured high grades and places at prestigious universities? Only those students who require no cultural or other adjustments to university practices to achieve their full potential? Will policymakers be thinking of those students who may look at their lecturers and not see a single person who looks like them or has had their experiences?

None of us, whether policymakers, university leaders, or lecturers, should be satisfied until each student who comes through universities’ doors is engaged, and leaves with a high-quality degree. At the University of Hertfordshire, we are certainly not perfect, but what has worked best for us is collaboration. Can collaboration now, between the sector and the government, secure improvements? Our students are watching, and we must not fail them.

Publicație : The Times

How to market your humanities PhDs to employers

The advice offered to PhD students by career diversity programmes often isn’t picked up by faculty members. Here Alfredo Cumerma proposes three tools faculty can use to make their students more visible to employers

Congratulations! Your humanities department has been selected to participate in a university-wide initiative to professionalise its PhDs.

As a faculty member, anxiety fills your veins. “But I don’t know the first thing about the professional world,” you think.

This feeling is not uncommon. The recent expansion of doctoral career diversity programmes in the US often creates a communication gap between faculty and their career adviser colleagues in student services.

Faculty feel mired in their inability to prepare PhD candidates for professional employment. In contrast, career advisers struggle to engage this unique population. What practical steps can be taken to improve this situation? How can one design a modern, competitive PhD programme in the humanities that prepares students for a career?

Below are three tools for successfully marketing your humanities programme to employers:

  1. Podcasts

The first aspect of a robust programme involves the student-to-student relationship. In order to build internal awareness about your new programme, it is important that students are able to hear about it from their peers. As your programme places more PhD interns, you will be able to interview them to glean insights for both quality control and prospective student recruitment. Platforms such as Podbean or Buzzsprout offer low-cost podcast hosting solutions for as little as $12 a month.

These podcast episodes should be kept short (about five minutes) and consist of questions and answers between a PhD intern from your department, and another student who has not yet completed such an experience. Questions could include: how has your humanities training helped you on the job? What have been the challenges and adaptations in taking on a new line of work? What are your day-to-day work tasks like? Which skills do you feel you need to improve after your experience?

With today’s concerns about tracking the career outcomes of all PhDs, this resource becomes an asset. Learning how to broadcast also develops student skills while generating an environment of knowledge-sharing on topics such as how to talk about workplace experiences to others; how to produce media content for the general public; and technological savvy that is useful in social media management.

  1. Infographics

The second aspect of an attractive PhD programme relies on the student-to-business relationship. For this, students must develop a press kit for employers to quickly grasp the extent of their skills. After several internships, PhD candidates should be able to articulate a short personal history, followed by a list of their potential services to employers. Providing elegant infographics detailing the distribution of their workplace activities is an impressive way of communicating this.

Infogram or Canva allow a student to create graphics that break down, in percentage terms, the scope of their professional responsibilities. For instance, 30 per cent policy research, 30 per cent programme coordination, 20 per cent outreach/presentations, and 20 per cent writing/editing.

This kind of distribution is the same as that listed in many job ads, and will enable humanities PhDs to better envisage themselves as professionals. When employers come to campus as part of your programme, students will be able to confidently speak about their abilities and ask questions about where they might fit in a given organisation.

  1. A website with reviews

The third part of a well-rounded programme is the business-to-business interface. Every organisation needs a content engine, and every content engine needs a website.

WordPress or Wix are user-friendly web development platforms where your PhDs can post short (1,000 word) blog pieces reflecting on their internship experiences. In addition to sensitising employers about each student’s work-life preferences, writing for your programme will hone their skills in appealing to a general audience.

Topics could include: what their internship made them realise about their life direction; their best and worst moments on the job; instances where they helped resolve problems; examples of the teamwork involved in their job; how they developed their people and presentation skills; what a “project” consisted of in their job and how they worked on it.

These are the answers to many of the questions that employers ask during an interview. Reflecting on them before will not only make students more comfortable during interviews, but will allow partner employers to screen and select their candidates based on fit.

Furthermore, by asking employers to provide feedback on their interns — through one of the many WordPress “review” plugins — you will acquire assessment data to be both published online and used for grading within your programme. Think: Amazon user reviews for your PhD interns.

These will hold students accountable for their performance on the job, and get them used to how “grading” is done in the workplace.

For too long, initiatives for the professionalisation of humanities PhDs have remained at the conversation stage. It is time for these programmes to move forward and compete with their peers. Doing so will require a strong marketing campaign, proving to the university (and society at large) that humanities departments produce capable, adaptable and skill-rich graduates.

Publicație : The Times

German deal could allow CEU to stay in Hungary

Threatened university says it needs ‘definitive legal certainty’ over its future

The leader of the conservative group in the European Parliament is attempting to broker a deal that could allow the Central European University to stay in Budapest, Hungary.

The plan would see the Technical University of Munich partner with CEU, which confirmed in December that it would have to enrol all its new students at a new campus in Vienna from this September, in the face of long-running hostility from the Hungarian government led by Viktor Orbán.

Mr Orbán introduced new rules requiring overseas universities operating in Hungary to maintain a campus in their home country. Although CEU signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College that would see it deliver “educational activities” in New York, Hungarian ministers have still refused to allow the institution to stay.

Under the proposed partnership, which is backed by the Bavarian government, TUM would serve as the “home” campus for CEU.

Manfred Weber, the leader of the European Peopleʼs Party in the European Parliament and its candidate for European Commission president, visited Budapest on 12 March to discuss the plan with Mr Orbán and CEU president Michael Ignatieff.

There may be a political motive, in part at least: whether Mr Orbán’s Fidesz party should be allowed to stay in the EPP grouping is currently being debated by MEPs.

However, to offer American-accredited degrees, CEU would still need to partner with a US institution.

Ulrich Marsch, director of corporate communications at TUM, told Times Higher Education that CEU and TUM were looking for a “prestigious” US partner but that this was yet to be finalised. Being able to issue US-accredited degrees was an important part of the plan, Dr Marsch said, because it was a “unique selling point” in Europe.

The support for CEU from TUM would include three professorships in political science, two funded by the Bavarian government and one through a donation from German car manufacturer BMW.

Dr Marsch said that TUM was “sincere” in its offer to CEU. “We see it as a bridge to unite people through the freedom of science and the exchange of ideas, particularly for young people,” he said.

In a statement, the CEU said that while the university welcomed the developments “and the possibility it opens of reversing CEU’s ouster from Budapest”, the collaboration could proceed only if Mr Orbán “provides an authoritative political commitment to his European partners that CEU will be allowed to remain in Budapest, as a free institution, offering American- and European-accredited degrees”.

This commitment must be backed by legislation that provides legally binding authorisation for all of CEU’s operations in Budapest, the university said. “No partnership between CEU and TUM is possible without definitive legal certainty about the long-term status of CEU in Hungary,” the universities said.

The boards of both universities will meet in early April to discuss the plans further.

Michael Gaebel, director of higher education at the European University Association, said it was “welcome that the EPP [was addressing] the issue with its Hungarian member” but said that the group “should have done so months ago, not only now in view of the European elections”.

“It remains to be seen whether the Hungarian government will accept the offer, and whether this would really help solve the issue. There has been no indication that the Hungarian government will change its general attitude and respect…fundamental rights, including academic freedom,” Mr Gaebel said.

Publicație : The Times

Students in poorer areas ‘don’t see universities’ online adverts’

Teenagers from deprived areas with slow broadband may be less likely to use internet for studies, and hence less likely to see academically orientated promotions

Algorithmic bias may mean that universities which spend money on online advertising in the hope of diversifying their student recruitment are wasting their money, according to an academic.

Sandra Leaton Gray, associate professor in education at the UCL Institute of Education, said that the development of “personalised advertising” – for instance, the adverts presented to web users based on their Google search patterns, use of social media and geographic location – meant that some groups of teenagers were more likely to be exposed to information about university open days or degree courses than others.

In a pilot study, researchers from the IoE, University of East Anglia and the University of Passau in Germany surveyed 150 young people aged between 13 and 19 from both a large UK city and suburban UK region “with rural characteristics”. This was matched against data on broadband and mobile telecommunications infrastructure.

Teenagers who lived in deprived areas were more likely to have poor broadband, something that Dr Leaton Gray said could have an impact on the likelihood of students using the internet for their studies.

In a separate study group, students were asked to show researchers the kind of adverts that they could see on their mobile phones. Participants who tended to use their phones for homework were shown adverts for degree courses, while others who used them for shopping or watching sport were more likely to be shown adverts for jewellery or betting shops.

This could be attributed to users being categorised by commercial databases, and directed towards different websites, Dr Leaton Gray said.

“A cocktail of algorithms privileges certain users and they get shown the good stuff. Everyone else is [classed as] a ‘waste user’,” she said. “The more you use your phone for educational purposes, the more likely it is your algorithm starts to show you positive resources that might help you along a productive life path.

“You will have taught your algorithm how to help you. If you use it for ‘lowest common denominator’ stuff, then you can expect it to hinder you.”

Dr Leaton Gray advised that, “if universities really want to target young people in deprived areas”, they were better off taking a creative approach, for instance linking adverts to “witty playlists” or creating “free, top quality A level revision course apps with links and dates for their open days, relevant transport search information and offers”.

“Advertisements for university courses and open days are particularly poorly targeted,” she said.

Publicație : The Times

Court to rule on release of Monsanto meeting transcript

Long-running dispute over industry influence in Canada nears decision point, but no big solution

Concerns over industry influence on Canadian university research are coming to a head with a court expected to rule on whether a transcript of a meeting between academics and representatives of the agrochemical giant Monsanto can be released.

Some academics believe that the 2015 meeting on the University of Saskatchewan’s campus was a strategy session to thwart public scrutiny of research collaborations with Monsanto – something that the participants deny.

Years of legal wrangling over the meeting are coming to a head shortly with the expected ruling by a provincial court over whether a transcript of the event should be released.

So far, the university has made available only a heavily redacted transcript, citing privacy rights that are guaranteed in provincial law.

But campaigners have said that the institution should allow scrutiny of its relationships with industry – especially with a company that attracted controversy for its role in developing agrochemicals and genetically modified crops and was accused of inducing allies in academia to downplay potential safety risks.

“Why is it so desperately necessary to keep these conversations between industry and the university secret?” asked D’Arcy Hande, one of several current and former staff pressing the case. “What is so explosive in there?”

Peter Phillips, director of the Johnson-Shoyama Center for the Study of Science and Innovation Policy – a joint venture between the universities of Saskatchewan and Regina – helped to organise the meeting in conjunction with Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer last year. He insisted that he had wanted to bring fellow faculty together with experts in promoting Monsanto’s arguments and countering its critics because he wished to study the interaction.

“Monsanto had, at the peak, a 92 per cent market share globally” for genetically engineered crops, Professor Phillips said. “So it’s pretty hard to talk about the industry and understand what’s going on without looking at them and talking to them.”

Mr Hande claimed that the fact that participants were asked to discuss “designing, managing and communicating” industry-academic collaborations suggested a sympathetic bond with Monsanto and other corporate partners, which have provided Professor Phillips’ public policy school with more than C$150 million (£85 million) in grant support.

The concerns over industry influence go far beyond the transcript of a single meeting, said Mr Hande, who retired in 2005 after 30 years as an archivist and historian at Saskatchewan. Canada has long had the highest or one of the highest percentages of industry support for academia, Mr Hande said, and Saskatchewan is especially reliant as a consequence of the natural resources found in the province where it is located.

The Court of Queen’s Bench, the province of Saskatchewan’s superior trial court, is expected to rule soon on the transcript redactions.

Mr Hande and his allies expect to see controversial exchanges. Professor Phillips promised that there would be no surprises if the full transcript was released, but did not foresee an end to the suspicions that beset any funder of science, be it government or companies.

“The moment you open yourself up to anything other than curiosity-led research that is assigned through some impersonal peer structure, there’s a possibility that there’s a perception of bias,” Professor Phillips said. “But you can’t prove a negative. So we’re all sort of tainted by the same brush, and right now the focus is on industrial money in the academic space.”

 Publicație : The Times

Le scuole italiane si spopolano: studenti in calo per la prima volta anche al Nord

Secondo i calcoli del Miur il prossimo anno saranno 70mila in meno gli alunni che frequenteranno le scuole italiane. Colpa del calo demografico. L’unica regione in controtendenza è l’Emilia Romagna

Le aule italiane si spopolano. A settembre, secondo i conteggi del ministero dell’Istruzione, saranno 70mila in meno gli alunni che frequenteranno le scuole italiane. Il calo demografico degli scorsi anni con sempre meno nascite sta facendo sentire i propri effetti sulle iscrizioni. E per la prima volta è segno rosso anche nelle regioni settentrionali, che per lungo tempo hanno tenuto i numeri per l’incremento degli alunni stranieri iscritti. Ma adesso anche bambini e studenti non italiani non crescono più, almeno non ai ritmi degli anni precedenti, e il totale degli alunni sta inesorabilmente diminuendo.

Sono le regioni meridionali a pagare il prezzo più alto di un calo che sembra inarrestabile. Dei 69.256 alunni in meno conteggiati dal Miur, e comunicati ai sindacati qualche giorno fa, oltre 51mila spariranno nelle regioni meridionali. Saranno 15.500 in meno in Campania e 11mila in Puglia. Come se chiudesse i battenti da un anno all’altro una cittadina come Chieti o Pordenone, al Nord. Perché anche, dal prossimo anno scolastico anche Veneto, Lombardia, Piemonte e tutte le regioni del nord dovranno fare i conti alcune migliaia di alunni in meno: oltre 5mila in Veneto e quasi 3.500 in Piemonte. Tutte, tranne l’Emilia-Romagna che dovrebbe incrementare le presenze di 1.500 unità.
Per il momento, il decremento in aula non si ripercuoterà sugli organici degli insegnanti. Il ministero dell’Istruzione ha stabilito di mantenere gli stessi posti dell’anno in corso: 617mila escluso il sostegno. Arriveranno anche 2mila posti in più per potenziare il Tempo pieno alle elementari, mille e 500 in più di insegnante tecnico-pratico e 400 posti in più nei licei musicali. Ma saranno 361 in meno le cattedre degli istituti professionali. Con lo stesso numero di cattedre e meno alunni, sarà possibile ridurre il numero delle cosiddette classi-pollaio e, soprattutto al sud, mettere in campo strategie di lotta alla dispersione scolastica, che ci vede ai primi posti in Europa. Ma, quasi certamente, nei prossimi anni il calo delle presenze tra i banchi scolastici del Belpaese si ripercuoterà sulla dotazione delle cattedre. Perché, secondo le proiezioni dell’Istat sulla popolazione residente, tra dieci anni, gli italiani in età scolare saranno 820mila unità in meno.

Publicație : La Repubblica