EXCLUSIV! O cladire-simbol din centrul Iasului va suferi transformari radicale! Se anunta investitii fara precedent la Universitatea "Al. I. Cuza"!
Dupa ani buni, la Iasi se va semna unul dintre cele mai valoroase proiecte de investitii pe zona infrastructurii educationale ce tine de un imobil istoric • Totul ca urmare a demersurilor realizate de actuala conducere a Universitatii "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" - UAIC din Iasi • Astfel, daca in trecut, fostii conducatori ai celei mai vechi institutii moderne de invatamant superior a tarii au refuzat orice posibilitate de refacere a imobilului, lasandu-l in paragina, acum lucrurile s-au schimbat radical • "In zilele urmatoare, vom semna in parteneriat cu Universitatea "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" un proiect pe POR, Axa 10, care are drept scop reabilitarea unei cladiri abandonate de foarte mult timp. Este primul proiect prin POR pe care UAIC il semneaza. In ultimii doi - trei ani am reluat relatiile cu Universitatea "Cuza" si sunt bucuros sa vad ca este un interes deosebit pentru dezvoltarea unor astfel de proiecte si parteneriate. Felicit conducerea Universitatii, cu aceasta ocazie, pentru ca dau dovada de foarte mult interes si implicare", a declarat Vasile Asandrei, director ADR-NE
Vesti bune pentru Universitatea "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" (UAIC) din Iasi si intreg orasul. Institutia a obtinut, oficial, aprobarea finantarii, prin Agentia pentru Dezvoltare Regionala Nord-Est (ADR-NE), pentru reabilitarea si restaurarea cladirii intitulate Corp E, din Fundatie. Investitia este de aproximativ patru milioane de euro.
De precizat ca, aici a functionat ani buni prima inchisoare moderna a Iasului. Ea se afla intr-o avansata stare de degradare deoarece nu s-a mai investit aici de peste trei decenii. Situat pe strada Pacurari numarul 9, Corpul E al Universitatii "Cuza" sta sa se darame sub ochii trecatorilor.
"In zilele urmatoare, vom semna in parteneriat cu Universitatea «Alexandru Ioan Cuza» un proiect pe POR, Axa 10, care are drept scop reabilitarea unei cladiri abandonate de foarte mult timp. Este primul proiect prin POR pe care UAIC il semneaza. In ultimii doi - trei ani am reluat relatiile cu Universitatea "Cuza" si sunt bucuros sa vad ca este un interes deosebit pentru dezvoltarea unor astfel de proiecte si parteneriate. Felicit conducerea Universitatii, cu aceasta ocazie, pentru ca dau dovada de foarte mult interes si implicare", a declarat Vasile Asandrei, director ADR-NE.
Tudorel Toader: "Multumiri celor care au evaluat si finantat acest important proiect"
Pe de alta parte, demn de remarcat este ca eforturile privind implementarea acestui proiect au fost coordonate de prof. univ. dr. Tudorel Toader (actualmente ministru al Justitiei - n.r.), respectiv rectorul ales al UAIC.
"In primavara anului 2016, il invitam pe domnul Vasile Asandei, director general al ADR Nord-Est, sa viziteze UAIC, sa stabilim posibile forme de colaborare, sa ii prezentam posibile proiecte care ar fi putut fi finantate prin agentie. Dupa o excelenta colaborare in organizarea de conferinte si seminarii, ne aflam in fata semnarii unui contract de finantare, cu o valoare de aproximativ 18 milioane de lei, pentru consolidarea si restaurarea Corpului E al UAIC, cladire de patrimoniu, amplasata la baza Copoului, aflata de peste doua decenii in stare de nefolosinta si continua degradare. Multumiri celor care au evaluat si finantat acest important proiect, tuturor celor ce au facut posibila realizarea acestuia", a precizat prof. Tudorel Toader, rectorul ales al universitatii.
Mihaela Onofrei: "Semnarea contractului reprezinta un debut reusit al investitiilor majore ale UAIC"
Avand in vedere toate acestea, rectorul interimar de la "Cuza", prof. univ. dr. Mihaela Onofrei, a tinut sa arate ce inseamna acest moment. "Semnarea contractului pentru consolidarea, modernizarea si echiparea cladirii Corp E reprezinta un debut reusit al investitiilor majore ale UAIC si, totodata, o recunoastere a eforturilor depuse în ultimii trei ani. Finantarea acestui proiect a fost conditionata de existenta titlului de proprietate «întabularea cladirii realizându-se tot în anul 2016», precum si de continutul proiectului în acord cu cerintele axei de finantare si exigentele specifice evaluarii. În vederea pregatirii bunei implementari a proiectului, Universitatea noastra a fost invitata joi, 28 martie 2019, la sediul ADR-NE, la o sedinta de instruire, în care se vor aborda chestiuni legate de realizarea procedurilor de achizitii, monitorizarea proiectului, verificarea cheltuielilor eligibile, publicitatea proiectului", a evidentiat profesorul Onofrei.
Aici a functionat prima inchisoare moderna a Iasului
Interesant ca, pe actualul amplasament al Corpului E din zona Fundatie, timp de un secol a functionat prima inchisoare moderna a urbei, intre 1830-1916. Atunci, la singura inchisoare a orasului de pe strada Pacurari ajungeau toti cei care aveau probleme cu legile vremii. Odata sositi aici, toti detinutii ajungeau pe mana calaului Gavril Buzatu, zis si nea' Bogdan. Acesta era si el la randul lui un hot si un criminal care, pentru a scapa de pedeapsa, indeplinea toate dispozitiile Curtii. Dintre zidurile inchisorii, foarte putine persoane mai puteau iesi pentru a vedea soarele. "Norocosii" care vedeau lumina zilei erau cei care aveau de indeplinit datorii silnice si trebuiau sa suporte biciul celui cunoscut drept "omul fara suflet". Printre oamenii importanti ai vremii care au stat in inchisoarea din centrul Iasului poate fi amintit si Neculai Rosetti Roznovanu, care voia tronul Principatelor Romane. Dupa ce a complotat impotriva domnitorului Alexandru Ioan Cuza in anul 1866, a fost bagat in celebra puscarie. Aici a fost incarcerat si Alecu Beldimari, fondatorul ziarului "Adevarul".
Ultima interventie serioasa asupra monumentului de mare valoare istorica a fost intre anii 1925-1929. La Directia Judeteana de Cultura (DJC) Iasi exista inca din anul 2010 aviz pentru reabilitarea fostei inchisori. Cea mai veche puscarie a Iasului sau Casa "Canano", asa cum este trecuta pe Lista Monumentelor Istorice (LMI), este valoroasa in special din punct de vedere memorial-simbolic, pentru ca aceasta cladire inca mai aduce aminte de suferintele celor condamnati care au trebuit sa dea socoteala pentru anumite fapte.
Investitii valoroase in patrimoniul UAIC
Avand in vedere acest exemplu, de reamintit ca UAIC (doar in ultimii trei ani) a achizitionat si Corpul R- Telekom, cu o valoare de 2.165 de milioane de euro (tranzactie scutita de TVA), element ce a reprezentat cel mai important obiectiv de interes patrimonial realizat de Universitatea "Cuza". Vor urma anul acesta alte doua investitii majore, cu finantare prin Compania Nationala de Investitii (CNI), anume construirea unui camin studentesc, cu o valoare de 46.837.144,29 lei si reabilitarea, consolidarea si refunctionalizarea Observatorului Astronomic, cu o valoare de 6.942.965 lei.
"Securizarea juridica a patrimoniului creeaza premise certe de accesare a resurselor de finantare si mareste avutia Universitatii. De exemplu, întabularea celor peste 35 de hectare din Gradina Botanica a sporit patrimoniul UAIC cu 208.130.436,61 lei. Dincolo de aceste calcule, importanta Gradinii Botanice pentru ieseni nu poate fi exprimata în valori monetare, ea transcede interesele imobiliare sau de alta natura, si arata ca UAIC este o Universitate pentru comunitate si pentru viitor", a concluzionat prof. univ. dr. Mihaela Onofrei.
Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași
In lumina reflectoarelor Studioului BZI LIVE a fost invitat, la un dialog extrem de interesant, actual si inovativ unul dintre interesantii profesori ai Universitatii Tehnice din Iasi
Marti, 26 martie 2019, incepand cu ora 15.00 in lumina reflectoarelor Studioului BZI LIVE a fost invitat, la un dialog extrem de interesant, actual si inovativ legat de o problema de maxima actualitate, atat pentru Iasi dar si pentru intreaga Romanie, prof. univ. dr. ing. Paul - Doru Barsanescu de la Universitatea Tehnica - TUIASI Gheorghe Asachi din Iasi • Acesta, una dintre figurile academice de marca ale invatamantului tehnic superior national si international este Director interimar al Scolii Doctorale a Facultatii de Mecanica, conducator de doctorat in domeniul: INGINERIE MECANICA, acesta avand ca domenii de cercetare: REZISTENTA MATERIALELOR, ELASTICITATE, PLASTICITATE, SENZORI, STRUCTURI! • Una dintre temele abordate cu domnia sa a fost cea referitoare la cercetarea desfasurata in domeniul senzorilor destinati cantaririi autovehiculelor aflate in miscare si a monitorizarii traficului • Emisiunea completa cu profesorul Barsanescu poate fi urmarita AICI:
Pe 26 martie 2019, incepand cu ora 15.00 in lumina reflectoarelor Studioului BZI LIVE a fost invitat, la un dialog extrem de interesant, actual si inovativ legat de o problema de maxima actualitate, atat pentru Iasi dar si pentru intreaga Romanie, prof. univ. dr. ing.Paul - Doru Barsanescu de la Universitatea Tehnica (TUIASI) Gheorghe Asachi din Iasi.
Acesta, una dintre figurile academice de marca ale invatamantului tehnic superior national si international este Director interimar al Scolii Doctorale a Facultatii de Mecanica, conducator de doctorat in domeniul: INGINERIE MECANICA, acesta avand ca domenii de cercetare: REZISTENTA MATERIALELOR, ELASTICITATE, PLASTICITATE, SENZORI, STRUCTURI! Una dintre temele abordate cu domnia sa a fost cea referitoare la cercetarea desfasurata in domeniul senzorilor destinati cantaririi autovehiculelor aflate in miscare si a monitorizarii traficulu.
Concret, in cadrul productiei BZI LIVE, cadrul didactic si pe acest domeniu a finalizat urmatoarele proiecte de cercetare: 1) Program Cercetare de Excelenta CEEX post-doc 3309/24.10.2005, cod 13, "Noi senzori pentru cnatarirea in miscare a autovehiculelor si echipamente de testare complexa a acestora, in vederea cresterii sigurantei si securitatii rutiere".
La acest proiect au participat trei cercetatori POST-DOC; 2) Proiectul european de cercetare ASSET-ROAD (tip FP 7, finalizat in 2011), la care colectivul TUIASI a obtinut rezultate notabile; 3) Grant PN II, Capacitati, Modul III (cofinantare FP7), nr. 308EU/27.04.2009, Cercetari privind siguranta avansata a transporturilor rutiere, director proiect Nicolae prof. univ. dr. ing. Nicolae Taranu. Cercetarea a continuat cu o teza de doctorat (drd. ing. Andrei Dontu), aflata in curs de elaborare. S-a depus o aplicatie pentru proiectul de cercetare Compete, la care evaluarea este in curs de finalizare (colectivul este format din doi doctoranzi si un post-doc). Tema aplicatiei se refera la utilizarea acestor senzori pentru scaderea poluarii in orase. Emisiunea completa cu profesorul Barsanescu poate fi urmarita AICI:
Publicație : Bună Ziua Iași
Universitatea Harvard. Cursuri gratuite online în domeniul protecţiei copilului
Universitatea Harvard a anunţat că demarează o serie de cursuri online gratuite, care vor avea ca subiect Protecţia Minorilor: Drepturile Copilului în Teorie şi în Practică.
Cursurile vor avea lor într-un interval de timp de 14 săptămâni şi vor necesita 4-6 ore pe săptămână. Ele vor fi predate de Jacqueline Bhabha, Director de Cercetare al Centrului pentru Sănătate şi Drepturile Omului de la Harvard.
Anterior, ea a profesat ca avocat pentru drepturile omului în Londra şi la Curtea Europeană de la Strasbourg.
„În acest curs veţi învăţa despre fundamentele protecţiei copilului în legislaţie, veţi identifica problemele legate de protecţia copilului în lume şi veţi explora impactul sever al violenţei şi al exploatării asupra dezvoltării copiilor. De asemenea, veţi descoperi strategii pentru a preveni aceste situaţii dăunătoare şi veţi învăţa cum puteţi îmbunătăţi sistemul de protecţie a copilului”, afirmă iniţiatorii cursurilor.
Cei interesaţi se pot înregistra în vederea participării la aceste cursuri, pe site-ul edx.org.
Universitatea Harvard este o universitate privată, aflată în oraşul Cambridge, statul Massachusetts, Statele Unite. A fost întemeiată la data de 8 septembrie 1636, prin votul Înaltei Curţi a coloniei britanice din golful Massachusetts, Province of Massachusetts Bay, fiind cea mai veche universitate din Statele Unite.
În topul „Times Higher Education” este considerată a doua universitate din lume.
Instituţia a fost denumită Colegiul Harvard pe 13 martie 1639, după cel care a investit cei mai mulţi bani în universitate, un tânăr preot numit John Harvard. Absolvent al Colegiului Emmanuel, din Cambridge, John Harvard a lăsat prin testament câteva sute de cărţi care să formeze baza de carte a bibliotecii universităţii şi câteva sute de lire sterline.
Publicație : Adevărul
Burse pentru studii aprofundate în psihologie
Începând din acest an universitar, compania Game World România oferă burse pentru studenții la psihologie, la toate nivelurile de studiu: licență, masterat și doctorat. Game World este un brand reprezentativ pe piața centrelor de divertisment, având ca domeniu de activitate organizarea și exploatarea sălilor de jocuri electronice. Sprijin pentru prevenirea și tratarea dependențelor
Una dintre cele mai importante acțiuni de CSR pe care le va organiza compania în acest an este un program de burse dedicat studenților de la facultățile de psihologie. Acesta este adresat unor tineri care aleg sa studieze psihologia și să se specializeze în studiul, prevenirea și tratamentul adicțiilor.
Programul reprezintă o inițiativă în premieră, fiind pentru prima dată când o companie din domeniul jocurilor de noroc se implică direct într-un proiect CSR orientat către susținerea educației și a învățământului. Astfel, Game World își aduce contribuția la formarea unor psihologi care să studieze și să se specializeze în prevenirea și tratamentul dependențelor.
”Cu o activitate de 20 de ani în România, Game World este una dintre cele mai apreciate companii din industria jocurilor de noroc din țara noastră. În tot acest timp, reputația companiei s-a construit pe grija față de toate categoriile noastre de public – clienți, angajați, parteneri, autorități etc. Pe lângă campaniile de informare pe care le organizăm permanent încercăm să venim mereu și cu acțiuni noi, iar noul program de burse dedicate studenților la Psihologie este încă un proiect în acest sens.”, spune Attila Otto Török, managerul Game World București Mall Vitan. „Inițiativa noastră a fost bine primită în mediul universitar, astfel că ne pregatim să selectăm primii beneficiari ai Burselor Game World dintre cei care vor începe să studieze la facultățile de Psihologie în acest an. În plus, vom selecta și bursierii la nivelurile de Masterat și Doctorat dintre cei care își vor alege specializarea în studiul adicțiilor” a declarat Andrei Frimescu, Director Marketing și Comunicare Game World România.
Publicație : Evenimentul Zilei
Apprenticeships should bring back 'Master Craftsman' title to boost status, says think-tank
Apprenticeships should bring back the medieval terminology of “master craftsman” to boost their status, the Social Market Foundation has said.
Using different titles for the varying types of apprenticeships would help to boost the prestige of the higher levels qualifications, according to a new report by the think-tank.
“When apprenticeships were first introduced in England in the middle ages, apprentices trained to become a Journeyman under the supervision of a Master Craftsman,” the report said.
“Many European countries have successfully incorporated more gradation into the terminology of their apprenticeship structure to distinguish the most accomplished apprentices from entry-level apprentices.”
People who complete apprenticeships in Austria and Germany have an option to obtain a master craftsperson qualification. Meanwhile in Luxenbourg, some trades offer a master craftsperson certificate which enables self-employment in the craft industry.
The reports authors say that similar terminology should be adopted to describe apprenticeships in Britain as it would act as a "signal" in the labour market to distinguish those who obtained a higher level apprenticeship.
James Kirkup, director of the SMF, said: “We need to give more prestige to non-academic paths. The average person you meet on the bus would say ‘what’s a Level 7 apprenticeship?’ But this is quite impressive. These are challenging qualifications, they deserve more recognition and higher status.”
Adopting medieval terminology would help to boost the status of the higher level apprenticeships, he said. For example, an employee with a Level Seven 7 apprenticeship could be renamed as a “Master Craftsman”. Meanwhile, a Level 6 apprenticeship holder could be a “Senior Craftsman” and a Level 5 could be a “Craftsman”.
Apprenticeships range from Level 2, which is equivalent to GCSEs, to Level 7 which is equivalent to a BA or MA and takes between three and five years to complete.
“Part of the point is to get across the idea that if you are at the top end of the scale this is really very different to the entry level,” Mr Kirkup added.
“The skill level is much greater, the wage premium will be much greater. You wouldn’t just call all qualifications from universities 'degrees' with no distinction between a BA, MA and a PHD.”
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, which was set up by the Department for Education (DfE), currently categorises apprenticeships as either Technical, Higher Technical or Professional. But the SMF report said that these terms are unlikely to “gain popular currency”.
"A more clearly labelled progression system would be easier to understand, and it could motivate prospective apprentices to undertake apprenticeships in their chosen occupation at a higher level," the report added.
Damian Hinds, the education secretary, has previously said that Britain has become a nation of “snobs” who think university is the only way to get a good job.
Parents must understand that a degree is “not the only path to a great job” and school leavers who embark on apprenticeships deserve “as much praise” as their class mates who go on to university, he said in December.
Earlier this month, the National Audit Office said that since the Government’s flagship reforms were introduced, the number of apprentices starting has fallen "substantially".
The number of new apprentices in 2017/18 was 375,800, a quarter (26 per cent) lower than the 509,400 starts in 2015/16, the spending watchdog said.
Publicație : The Telegraph
University hosting church summit where same-sex partners are banned to raise ‘ethical concerns’ with archbishop
The institution will offer campus accommodation to the same-sex spouses
A university which has come under fire for hosting an Anglican summit that will exclude same-sex partners is due to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury to raise “significant ethical concerns”.
The University of Kent, which is hosting next year’s Lambeth Conference, faced criticism when it emerged partners of gay bishops had not been invited.
The institution has now said it will ensure accommodation is available on campus for spouses affected who wish to be in Canterbury with their partners.
Emergency services attend to a house fire Stafford in which four children have died. Two adults and a fifth child are being treated in hospital
SWNS
Vice-chancellor Karen Cox and council chair David Warren have said they have “serious issues” with the decision to exclude same-sex spouses as would be “contrary to the values” of the university.
A statement from the leaders said: “The university has since received a large number of concerns raised by staff, students, and members of the public, about hosting the conference.
“While we currently understand that the Lambeth Conference may be permitted by law to rely on exemption under the Equality Act 2010 for religious organisations, we also believe there are significant ethical concerns raised.”
The university's management says it will be seeking a meeting with Lambeth Conference organisers, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, to raise their concerns and the issues.
Last week, a statement from Kent Union, the students’ union, said: “We are deeply disappointed that the Lambeth Conference has decided to exclude same-sex spouses from its 2020 conference.
“This is not a value that we expect to see on campus and we are committed to championing inclusivity in all events.”
The union said it would be writing to the Lambeth Conference urging them to change their stance.
Lambeth Palace has been approached for a comment.
Publicație : The Independent
Climate change petition: Oxford students campaign for better teaching on subject
An online petition for climate change to be given more prominence on the curriculum has attracted more than 50,000 signatures.
The petition was launched by four school girls from Oxford, who say there is growing demand for pupils to be taught more about the impact and solutions to tackling climate change.
The government says the subject is already covered in science and geography.
Publicație : BBC News
Clear ethical lines are needed for industry collaboration
Institutions must retain neutrality and academic freedom while working with businesses, says Max Lu
It is ever more imperative for universities to work with businesses and industry, to drive economic growth and meet social and sustainability goals. In the UK’s case, its target of increasing its investment in research and development to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, as part of its industrial strategy, will not be achieved unless this happens on a larger scale.
However, industry legitimately worries that academics are not interested in addressing its strategic priorities and needs, while academics legitimately fear losing freedom and scientific credibility. There are even fears among some scholars and commentators that increasing interdependence between universities and industry could see higher education being “sold out” if individuals are not given clear guidance on potential conflicts of interest.
There have certainly been numerous examples in recent years of ethically dubious practices in both academia and industry, with at least as many studies of academic bias as an outcome of industrial funding. There is ever-increasing pressure on academic researchers to win funding, publish papers and generate social or economic impact. In such a high-pressure environment, the conventional -laissez-faire approach to ethics and responsible conduct in higher education is no longer effective.
It is vitally important that universities retain academic freedom and neutrality while collaborating with industry or other sponsors, especially if our research is to maintain public support and wider strategic relevance. But how to achieve such a balance? Even with full disclosure of all possible conflicts, we each, as individuals, retain our filters that skew and colour everything that we perceive. And every funding body has its bias, however subtle.
I suggest that it is the institution’s responsibility to set clear and binding policies on what demands and expectations from funders are ethically and legally acceptable. The guidelines should also stipulate what constitutes a conflict of interest for individuals, and what transparent governance and communication mechanisms are needed.
The university should firmly rule out any funding with strings attached that could compromise academic freedom and integrity, while being flexible on other issues, such as ownership of intellectual property, the timing of publication and the rights to carry out future research work in the same area.
With regard to conflict of interest, I would advocate the zero-tolerance approach implemented by Stanford University in 2010, banning physicians employed by its medical school from accepting “industry gifts of any size, including drug samples” or from being paid by drug companies to deliver presentations on their products. Zero tolerance is useful because it leaves no room for confusion, unconscious bias or wilful ignorance.
A strong ethical culture is the long-term guarantee for maintaining academic freedom, neutrality and social responsibility. And this can arise only when firm expectations of academic integrity are worked into the fabric of an institution’s governance and regulation, supported and enacted at every practical level. At my own institution, we aim to make the bridge between our stated ethos of contributing to society and our actual research practice a strong yet flexible one, able to brook debate while establishing unassailable boundaries and ensuring that staff know where these boundaries lie.
To me as a scientist, ethics fundamentally means commitment to good science. As a sector, we should be able to prize good research above all things, with everything that this concept implies in terms of personal and organisational behaviour. The true value of research – and the future of the academy as trusted knowledge leader – depends on it.
Publicație : The Times
DfE hires finance expert to advise on university collapses
Department advertises for ‘policy expert on HE financial sustainability’ who will shape stance on ‘potential intervention’ if institutions risk closure
The Department for Education is hiring a policy expert whose job will include developing its position on “potential intervention” if an English higher education institution risks going bust, acknowledging in the job advert the “considerable risks” facing the sector.
That the DfE is recruiting for a “policy expert on higher education financial sustainability” – whose job will include leading for the department “on how insolvency arrangements work for HE providers” – may be seen as signalling a growing recognition of the possibility that institutions face the risk of collapse.
The new post, with a salary of between £48,000 and £60,000, also appears to be an acknowledgement by the DfE that the former Higher Education Funding Council for England’s role monitoring sector and institutional financial health is no longer being performed by its successor organisation, the Office for Students – and that this gap must be addressed.
The DfE job advert says that the policy expert role will include “understanding the OfS approach to its functions”, as well as “considering whether the department’s concerns about risks might vary from the regulator’s”.
The role will also include “developing the departmental policy position in relation to potential intervention in face of the risk of provider financial failure (where OfS as regulator is the primary actor)”.
The OfS was created by former universities minister Jo Johnson via the 2017 Higher Education and Research Act.
Since then, however, a significant number of institutions have seen their financial positions worsen – with the impact of the government’s decision to abolish student number controls often cited as a key factor. This means that the regulatory system envisaged by Mr Johnson, which saw a regime allowing for “market exit” as necessary to the functioning of a proper market, is now operating in a very different context.
As the DfE acknowledges in the job advert, “there is a considerable range of income and cost pressures and risks facing the HE provider sector currently and over the coming years”.
That was underlined last week by Higher Education Statistics Agency data revealing that 32 out of 134 English higher education institutions posted a deficit in 2017-18, up from 24 the year before and just 10 in 2015-16.
Meanwhile, the University of Cambridge has warned staff that it is on course to post a £30 million deficit this year, citing the freeze in undergraduate tuition fees and a real-terms decline in quality-related research funding.
In the DfE’s job advert, the department says that it is “seeking to develop [its] own comprehensive understanding of HE provider financial sustainability issues”.
The advert continues: “This insight in to financial sustainability will be very significant in a policy context that currently involves a major government review of post-18 education and funding and is likely soon to involve a full government spending review.”
Andy Westwood, professor of government practice at the University of Manchester, said that this expressed “an expectation that these [the post-18 review and the spending review] are likely to make things worse for those institutions already suffering in the current regime, but also perhaps a tacit admission that a different regime is on its way”.
The OfS’ “uber regulatory-market model always looked slightly out of place the minute that Theresa May started talking about reforming post-18 [education] when she became prime minister”, he added.
After the post-18 review, the future policy landscape is likely to involve more direct public funding and will be “much more reminiscent of Hefce than of anything envisaged for OfS in HERA”, Professor Westwood said.
A DfE spokeswoman said: “The role being advertised is a routine matter of ensuring suitable capacity in the policy team which deals with these topics.”
Publicație : The Times
Concerns grow alongside popularity of income-based student loans
Advocacy groups worried by entry of high-cost private lenders to market
As total student debt in the US reaches $1.5 trillion (£1.2 trillion), policymakers and private lenders – as well as universities – are increasingly turning to income-based repayment as a potential solution.
The model ties repayments to salaries for a fixed term and is seen as a way of preventing borrowers from owing more than they earn.
But advocacy groups are warning that the private versions may offer students little relief and greatly increase their long-term costs.
“It’s a little overbearing to use [the term] ‘indentured servitude’,” Jessica Thompson, director of policy and planning at the Institute for College Access & Success, said of some of the more emphatic criticisms of the private version, “but it’s a little bit more like that model.”
That’s because the private offering – known as an income share agreement (Isa) – has no principal balance or interest. Instead, the student agrees to pay the private investor or the institution a certain percentage of his or her salary for a set period of time after graduation.
That concept by itself may not be problematic, Ms Thompson said. But in practice, the private lender will tend to have high costs to cover, since it lacks the government’s top-shelf creditworthiness and ability to compel repayment.
That built-in cost is compounded by the known history of many private lenders to use their sophistication to further disadvantage borrowers, Ms Thompson said. That power appears even stronger in an Isa compared with a traditional borrowing arrangement, she said, given the bewildering notion of an undergraduate student calculating field-specific future income possibilities.
Such concern is now reaching Congress. Mark Takano, the chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, told a recent congressional hearing that the history of the private market abuses in college financing leaves him worried about Isas.
“Speaking frankly,” Mr Takano said, “I see Isas as another way to push the private market on to students, which has never resulted in positive outcomes.”
The emerging controversy stands in contrast to the bipartisan backing for the various forms of income-based repayment run by the federal government. There are now a half-dozen such federal programmes dating back as far as the George W. Bush administration, including models created by Congress and the Obama administration.
Donald Trump endorsed Isas as a presidential candidate, and all three of his administration’s annual budget proposals have included them. About 7 million US students now participate in them, and student advocacy groups consider the biggest problem with them to be the relative lack of their use and awareness of their benefits.
In addition to offering lower costs than private models, Ms Thompson said, federal income-based repayment programmes offered full forgiveness after the borrower has been paying for a certain number of years.
“Pretty much there’s widespread support for the concept of the federal income-driven repayment plan,” she said.
Yet the private options are steadily growing, with providers describing their products as a useful addition that can offer better long-term outcomes.
Lenders include Lumni, Upstart and Vemo. Popular targets are students in short-term courses such as computer-coding boot camps. But some higher education institutions are offering their own products, including Purdue, Clarkson and Norwich universities, and Allan Hancock and Lackawanna colleges.
Purdue works with Vemo, and typically offers a 10-year repayment period, beginning six months after the student graduates and becomes employed with a minimum annual salary of $20,000 (£15,216).
Several hundred Purdue students have tried it, and university leaders have described investors as eager to join in. The Purdue Research Foundation announced in December that it had raised more than $10 million (£7.6 million) from outside partners for its Isa programme, known as Back a Boiler.
That’s “strong indication of the growing interest in income share agreements as an alternative” to traditional federal and private loan options, said the foundation’s president, Brian Edelman.
Beyond the fears of lenders abusing students, the private Isa providers might yet struggle to overcome the inherent difficulty of finding a workable cost structure given the wider number of variables.
Repayment percentages in Isas tend to be lower for higher-paying careers such as medicine and engineering. One of the oldest such efforts, launched at Yale University in the early 1970s, failed by the end of the century in part because wealthier alumni grew tired of compensating for their less-prosperous classmates.
The lesson from the Yale experiment, Ms Thompson said, “is that we can’t rely on small targeted approaches that are not universally applied, that are not equally applied, and assume the goodwill and good faith of everybody involved”.
“It reinforces the idea that financing higher education is a public good,” she said, “and doing it equitably is a public good.”
Publicație : The Times
Sur Internet, les ventes de cours entre étudiants irritent professeurs et universités
ENQUÊTE - Plusieurs plateformes en ligne permettent aux étudiants de mettre en vente leurs cours, à des tarifs parfois exorbitants. Certains enseignants dénoncent une pratique qui ne respecte pas la propriété intellectuelle.
«Je n’ai pas pu assister au dernier cours de finance, l’un d’entre vous pourrait-il m’envoyer ses notes s’il vous plaît?» Quel étudiant n’a jamais vu passer un message similaire dans son groupe Facebook de promotion? Cette pratique de troc de cours, plutôt bon enfant en temps normal, prend parfois une autre ampleur. Des plateformes telles que Monamphi.com, StuDocu.com, ou encore Numerus Clausus permettent aux étudiants assidus de revendre leurs notes de cours, soit à ces sites qui les diffusent ensuite via des systèmes d’inscription, soit directement aux étudiants. Notes de cours, corrections de sujets d’examen, graphiques ou schémas anatomiques... Tout peut se vendre, à des tarifs parfois exorbitants. Et dans certains cas, la question de la propriété intellectuelle se pose.
Cours «Premium»
Sur le site StuDocu.com par exemple, on peut accéder -la plupart du temps gratuitement, mais parfois sur abonnement pour certains cours jugés «Premium»- à des notes de cours dispensés dans 55 universités françaises, comme l’université de droit de Lille, l’École Normale supérieure, les Universités Paris Descartes et Paris Diderot, ou encore Sciences Po. Créé aux Pays-Bas en 2013, le site est aujourd’hui présent dans plusieurs dizaines de pays et fréquenté par plus de 2,5 millions d’utilisateurs. Et pour atteindre une telle audience, StuDocu a utilisé une technique bien rodée: lorsqu’un étudiant propose des notes de cours d’une école qui n’est pas encore référencée sur le site, il est rémunéré par la plate-forme.
«Cette rémunération peut varier entre 10 et 200 euros selon la qualité de la prise de notes», explique Marnix Broer, cofondateur et CEO de StuDocu. Cette méthode, surtout utilisée pour emmagasiner le plus de contenu de cours possible à l’arrivée de StuDocu en France fin 2018, est moins utilisée aujourd’hui, et le site se rémunère surtout par un système d’abonnements pour les fameux cours «Premium».
Pour le cofondateur de StuDocu, vendre ses notes de cours ne s’apparente pas à une violation de propriété intellectuelle, même si elles correspondent parfois au mot près aux propos tenus par le professeur dans l’amphithéâtre. «Elles sont rédigées par les étudiants et fondées sur le savoir transmis par leurs enseignants, qui se sont eux-mêmes instruits grâce à d’autres enseignants. Ce savoir ne leur appartient donc pas», souligne Marnix Broer, qui affirme vouloir «rendre accessibles à tous les informations nécessaires à la réussite d’études supérieures».
Un argument avec lequel le corps enseignant des universités françaises semble en désaccord. Pour Emmanuel Aubin, vice-président des Affaires juridiques et éthiques de l’université de Poitiers, il s’agit «d’un accaparement de la création et de la pensée des enseignants-chercheurs sans leur consentement». Alerté de la présence en ligne de plusieurs cours de droit, le président de l’université de Poitiers Yves Jean a réagi en envoyant un courriel à l’ensemble de ses étudiants, en leur demandant de les retirer. «La Conférence des doyens de la faculté de droit et la Conférence des présidents d’universités (CPU) travaillent à la réponse juridique appropriée», indique également Emmanuel Aubin.
500 euros pour un lot de cours de PACES
Mais les étudiants ne se limitent pas toujours à leurs notes de cours, et certains sont parfois tentés de revendre des documents dont ils ne sont pas les auteurs. Sur le site de vente de ressources pédagogiques Numerus-Clausus, de nombreuses annonces, classées par régions, proposent à la vente pour 200, 300, voire 500 euros des lots comprenant les cours de Paces du premier et du deuxième semestre, mais aussi des livres entiers numérisés, ou encore des sujets de concours blancs. Pour attester de la qualité de leurs produits, certains étudiants font même état de leur classement au concours de médecine.
À Poitiers par exemple, le Comité régional des étudiants en médecine (Crem) a constaté que certains anciens inscrits à son programme de tutorat en Paces revendaient leurs polycopiés sur cette plateforme, mais aussi sur Facebook et Le Bon Coin. «Ces documents relèvent de la propriété intellectuelle du Crem et de la faculté de médecine de Poitiers. Légalement, les étudiants n’ont donc pas le droit de les revendre. Cela est également contraire à notre démarche, qui est de proposer un programme de tutorat accessible à l’ensemble des étudiants (90 euros l’année), par opposition aux prépas privées», se désole le président du Crem Jean-Félix Berteaud.
Si cette pratique est particulièrement marquée chez les étudiants en médecine, c’est parce que la compétition et le stress qui règnent dans cette filière créent une forte demande pour ce type de documents. «Ce sont des documents auxquels auront de toute façon accès les étudiants inscrits en première année de médecine, mais la tension est telle que certains cherchent à se les procurer quelques mois avant la rentrée, voire dès la classe de Terminale. Souvent, ce sont même les parents qui les achètent pour leurs enfants», explique Jean-Félix Berteaud.
Publicație : Le Figaro
À Sorbonne Université, une pièce de théâtre antique annulée à cause de «blackface»
Les Suppliantes, une pièce du dramaturge Eschyle, a été annulée à la suite d’un mouvement étudiant encouragé par des associations antiracistes. Celles-ci accusent la mise en scène d’être «raciste» car certains comédiens sont grimés en noirs.
La pièce de théâtre Les Suppliantes devait être interprétée ce lundi 25 mars à Sorbonne Université. Elle n’aura finalement jamais eu lieu. Ce classique du dramaturge grec Eschyle, mis en scène par l’un de ses grands spécialistes Philippe Brunet, s’est en effet retrouvé au cœur d’une polémique après que le Conseil représentatif des associations noires de France (Cran) l’a accusé de «propagande coloniale». En cause, le fait d’avoir grimé en personnes noires ses comédiens lors de représentations précédentes.
Devant les manifestations d’étudiants et d’associations, les comédiens ont donc décidé d’abandonner la scène. Alors que l’association fustige un nouveau cas de «black faces», la direction de l’université défend férocement la troupe en estimant dans un communiqué qu’«empêcher, par la force et l’injure, la représentation d’une pièce de théâtre est une atteinte très grave et totalement injustifiée, à la liberté de création».
«Pratiques théâtrales antiques»
«La pièce fait partie intégrante du festival ‘‘Les Dionysies’’ qui a lieu chaque année», explique au Figaro le service culturel de Sorbonne Université. L’an dernier, elle avait été jouée avec des comédiens effectivement grimés en noirs, et avait accueilli «quelques commentaires» selon l’université. Pour cette édition, le Cran, accompagné du syndicat Unef, avait appelé au boycott de la pièce qui devait avoir lieu lundi soir, dans les locaux de l’université. Devant la cohue, les comédiens avaient alors précisé qu’ils joueraient cette fois-ci avec des masques, blancs et noirs. Mais la solution n’a pas convaincu les détracteurs. Ces derniers ont fait annuler la pièce. «C’était un parti pris de Philippe Brunet de baser sa mise en scène essentiellement sur des pratiques théâtrales antiques, dont celle-ci» se désole l’université.
Philippe Brunet, sur sa page Facebook, a également tenu à donner une réponse à cette polémique naissante: «Le théâtre est le lieu de la métamorphose, pas le refuge des identités, écrit-il. Le grotesque n’a pas de couleur. Les conflits n’empêchent pas l’amour. On y accueille l’Autre, on devient l’Autre parfois le temps d’une représentation. Eschyle met en scène à l’échelle du monde. Dans Antigone, je fais jouer les rôles des filles par des hommes, à l’Antique. Je chante Homère et ne suis pas aveugle. J’ai fait jouer les Perses à Niamey par des Nigériens (c’est dans le dernier film de Jean Rouch), Ma dernière Reine perse était noire de peau et portait un masque blanc.»
«Pratique raciste»
Ghyslain Vedeux, le président du Cran, ne voit évidemment pas les choses de cette manière. «Les étudiants de Sorbonne Université connaissaient nos campagnes contre les «blackfaces» et nous ont demandé notre soutien, explique-t-il. Nous avons donc fait un appel au boycott, qui a été particulièrement suivi, sur les réseaux sociaux et au sein de l’université. Ce lundi soir, il y avait énormément de monde pour empêcher cette pièce. Elle a donc été logiquement annulée.» Et Ghyslain Vedeux de rappeler la position du Cran par rapport à cette pratique: «Le blackface est une pratique issue de l’époque de la colonisation et de l’esclavage, qui hiérarchise les êtres humains et qui est donc raciste.»
Ce n’est pas la première fois que des «blackfaces» se retrouvent sur le devant de la scène. Antoine Griezmann avait du s’excuser après une photo de lui déguisé en basketteur noir américain. Plus récemment, le créateur de la marque The Kooples Laurent Elicha a été également accusé pour s’être «déguisé» en «membre d’une tribu africaine».
Publicație : Le Figaro et Le Monde
Troyes, Poitiers, l’Europe universitaire « par la bande »
Les deux universités ont répondu à l’appel d’offres pour la création de 12 campus européens. De Riga (Lettonie) à Coimbra (Portugal), elles misent sur des « alliances multiculturelles » pour faire avancer l’Europe universitaire et rompre leur isolement.
L’Europe universitaire, ce n’est pas qu’Erasmus. C’est aussi le grand projet d’universités européennes, lancé en 1998 à Bologne et repris par Emmanuel Macron dans son discours de la Sorbonne, le 26 septembre 2017. Pas moins de 54 consortiums, fédérant quelque 300 universités au sein des 27 pays de l’Union européenne (UE), ont répondu à l’appel d’offres pour la création de douze campus européens lancé par l’agence Education, audiovisuel et culture (EACEA) de la Commission européenne, en octobre 2018 – vingt ans après Bologne.
Au moins deux universités françaises ont fait savoir haut et fort qu’elles avaient postulé : celle de Troyes (université de technologie, UTT), dans l’Aube, et celle de Poitiers, dans la Vienne. Une façon, que leur candidature soit retenue ou pas en juin, de casser leur isolement régional et français, en ces temps de mondialisation. « Contribuer à surmonter les idées préconçues des identités régionales et nationales, et créer une Europe unie et plus forte », telle est la feuille de route du projet poitevin. Le message est clair avant les élections européennes (23 au 26 mai) qui s’annoncent décisives, sinon explosives. Reste à joindre le geste à la parole.
L’UTT de Troyes, très investie en Chine
La plus petite des deux, l’UTT, est déjà très investie en Chine, par l’université de technologie sino-européenne de l’université de Shanghaï (UTseuS), créée en 2006 avec les deux autres universités de technologie, à Compiègne (UTC) et Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM). Elle a confié à Timothée Toury la mission de recentrer sur l’Europe cette ouverture à l’international. « A Troyes, déjà un quart de nos 3 000 étudiants sont étrangers, mais nous n’avons pas assez d’Européens », reconnaît cet enseignant-chercheur en optique, qui fut directeur de la formation et de la pédagogie de l’UTT.
Objectif : la création d’une université de technologie européenne – un statut qui n’existe pas à l’échelle de l’UE. Troyes s’est rapprochée de Sofia (Bulgarie), Riga (Lettonie), Cluj (Roumanie), Dublin (Irlande), Darmstadt (Allemagne) et Valence (Espagne), où se trouvent des universités formant aussi des ingénieurs. Concrètement, « nous devons créer un statut et un objet », résume M. Toury. Le statut, c’est donc celui d’« UT ». L’objet, « un multicampus européen » regroupant quelque 130 000 étudiants et 12 500 salariés, enseignants et chercheurs. Dans les sept pays, les partenaires vont mettre en réseau leurs laboratoires et leurs échanges d’étudiants et d’enseignants. La lingua franca de l’ensemble ne sera pas le seul anglais, mais « un kaléidoscope de langues européennes ».
Publicație : Le Monde
E l'Accademia delle scienze di Torino rinuncia alle borse di studio sovraniste
La prestigiosa istituzione per tredici anni ha pubblicato due bandi discriminatori. "Cinquemila euro per ingegneri e matematici italiani figli di italiani". Il Comitato dei diritti umani, Leu e il mondo universitario hanno reagito: "Principi razzisti". Ora la retromarcia: "Riesaminiamo il caso, non faremo più differenze"
ROMA - L'Accademia delle scienze di Torino, nell'arco di quattro ore dal caso esploso con immediato fragore, decide di rinunciare alle due borse di studio "solo per italiani figli di iatliani" che ogni anno, dal 2007, consegnava a neolaureati in Ingegneria e neolaureate in Fisica e Matematica.
Questa mattina Repubblica.it ha raccontato la storia delle borse annuali e sovraniste offerte da una delle Accademie scientifiche più prestigiose d'Italia, istituita "con regie patenti" nel 1783 da Vittorio Amedeo III. L'Accademia di Torino oggi raduna soci importanti - lo scrittore Magris, il costituzionalista Cassese, l'italianista Serianni, lo storico dell'arte Settis - e sul suo sito ufficiale, dove si può leggere che per statuto l'ente contribuisce "al progresso scientifico e alla diffusione del sapere", in questi giorni ha pubblicato un bando che offre cinquemila euro a un neolaureato magistrale (percorso di cinque anni, quindi) in Ingegneria meccanica e Ingegneria aerospaziale del Politecnico di Torino e altri cinquemila euro a una neolaureata in Scienze, Matematica e Fisica naturale dell'Università di Torino. Le borse erano destinate, si vede, ai due atenei locali e in entrambi i casi il beneficiario, spiegava il testo dell'Accademia, "dovrà essere di nazionalità italiana" nonché "figlio di famiglia italiana e residente in Italia". Non solo prima gli italiani, ecco, ma prima gli italiani figli di italiani.
La borsa di studio, che aveva scadenza 6 maggio prossimo e avrebbe dovuto essere distribuita in due rate a partire dal primo giugno, era intitolata a "Ernesto e Ben Omega Petrazzini" ed è stata elargita dall'Accademia, appunto, dal 2007. Siamo giunti alla tredicesima edizione del bando sovranista, sovranista ante litteram quindi, e il suo regolamento nelle stagioni è sempre stato lo stesso: "Il laureato dovrà essere di nazionalità italiana e figlio di genitori italiani". La vedova Petrazzini - Ben Omega fu direttore di produzione della Fiat Mirafiori ai tempi di Valletta, siamo nei Sessanta - aveva lasciato questa indicazione nel testamento: l'Accademia delle scienze di Torino, diligentemente, per tredici anni ha eseguito chiedendo ai candidati, oltre alla tesi di laurea e ai voti ottenuti nei singoli esami, "il certificato di nascita proprio e quello di entrambi i genitori".
La direttrice (e cancelliera) dell'Accademia di Torino, Chiara Mancinelli, in un primo tempo aveva spiegato imbarazzata: "Purtroppo il lascito è stato questo e noi dobbiamo attenerci. Ciò che viene scritto nel bando dei premi è definito direttamente da chi ci affida il legato, siamo obbligati a definire le regole secondo quanto indicato. Se qualcuno ha mai contestato il bando? Fin qui non è accaduto, d'altro canto dal Duemila siamo un ente di diritto privato".
No, l'Accademia fino ad ora non aveva mai pensato di rinunciare al lascito discriminatorio, ma dopo la pubblicazione della notizia e gli attacchi del Comitato regionale dei diritti umani ("inaccettabili principi razzisti"), di Liberi e uguali ("i soldi per la scienza non possono avere una connotazione razziale") e i commenti indignati sul personbale sito Facebook, oggi alle 14 ha scelto di rendere pubblico questo post: "Abbiamo ricevuto parecchi messaggi che in parte contengono giudizi affrettati sulla nostra Istituzione sempre attenta ai problemi di giustizia sociale e politica, ci rendiamo conto comunque di come il problema evidenziato sia rilevante e per questo sarà cura del presidente sottoporlo in tempi molto brevi alla valutazione del Consiglio di presidenza, unico organo che può deliberare in materia. La prima scelta", si legge a proposito del testamento discriminatorio accettato per tredici stagioni, "è stata fatta nel 2007 per senso di responsabilità nei confronti delle nuove generazioni di studiosi. In ogni caso possiamo essere certi che il Consiglio di presidenza riesaminerà il caso escludendo l'attuazione di ogni forma di discriminazione, indipendentemente dalle conseguenze pratiche per il finanziamento della ricerca che ciò possa comportare". In concreto l'Accademia delle scienze di Torino rinuncerà a 10 mila euro l'anno per i prossimi dieci anni, "a meno che non troveremo eredi pronti a cambiare il contenuto del lascito".
Publicație : La Repubblica
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