ON THE ESTABUSHMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLES OF EUROPE

The article is a plea for the establishment and the development of the University of the Peoples of Europe (UPE). As Europe comes together following the end of the post‐Second World War division, it is confronting a number of serious common problems of a kind amenable to solution by the concerted action of academics. The UPE, as a network of existing centres of academic excellence, could be harnessed to solve pan‐European problems of this sort on a pan‐European basis. As a part of its action, it would promote student mobility, but above all, it would facilitate the international movement of professors and advanced researchers. Steps should be taken to enhance the prestige of the participating institutions and to provide for the remuneration of participating academics.     

THE UNIVERSITY AND EUROPE

Asked to comment on Mr. Felix Peregudov's proposal for the creation of a University of the Peoples of Europe, the author concludes that the Council‐of‐Europe‐sponsored University of Europe that was founded in 1985 has a very similar scope and set of objectives. The latter, however, is an extended university, a network of existing institutions, not a compact institution like that which Mr. Peregudov is proposing. The author considers that a compact institution could not perform the tasks proposed for it in Mr. Peregudov's proposal.     

INTER‐UNIVERSITY CO‐OPERATION IN EUROPE: THE IMPACT OF REGIONAL UNIVERSITY CO‐OPERATION ON THE PROMOTION OF EAST‐WEST RELATIONS

The development of inter‐university co‐operation in Europe is conditioned by such major sets of events'as the evolution of the EC, growing environmental awareness, and the recent revolutionary changes in eastern Europe. Attempts to develop inter‐university cooperation between eastern and western European universities must still cope with the heritage of some forty‐five years of a divided Europe. Such strong points of the eastern European universities as research capacity should be recognized. A very good way to further inter‐university co‐operation on a broad front is through interregional co‐operation, particularly that linking contiguous regions on the East‐West European divide.     

THE PRESENT CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN ACADEMIC EXCHANGE: THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO EUROPEAN CO‐OPERATION IN THE DOMAIN OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

This article outlines the activities of the Council of Europe in favour of inter‐university co‐operation and exchange. First, the role and tasks of the CC‐PU and then the work programme of the Council of Europe on higher education and research are examined. With regard to academic mobility and European inter‐university co‐operation, the Transfrontier Regional University Co‐operation Programme, the European Postgraduate Training Programme, and the Inter‐university Co‐operation Programme between Europe and Latin America are described. Finally, both the European Networks for Scientific and Technical Co‐operation and the Open Partial Agreement on the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters and their constituent activities are evoked.     

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLES OF EUROPE: BLUEPRINT OF AN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

This article reviews the Soviet proposal for the establishment of a University of the Peoples of Europe. It outlines the necessary conditions and the arrangements which must be made so that serious planning can get underway. It reiterates the proposed general purposes and objectives of the university and the proposals which have been made with regard to its administrative structure, organization, and working methods. If successfully established, the University of the Peoples of Europe would not only contribute to the solution of all‐European and world problems but would serve as a milestone on the road to European intellectual integration.     

FUNDAMENTAL DELIBERATIONS ON THE DETERMINATION OF EQUIVALENCES BASED ON THE AUSTRIAN EXPERIENCE

International university co‐operation which serves to Internationalize science and knowledge requires that students, teachers, and scientists be internationally mobile. For mobility to occur on a wide scale, it must be the object of inter‐university and international bilateral and multilateral agreements. The various sorts of agreement which have been negotiated and enacted since the 1950's have been very successful. Recognition and equivalence must be based on qualitative rather than on quantitative factors, and above all on trust Recognition procedures could be further perfected by such actions as the preparation of a set of harmonizable recommendations, on the determination of equivalences, greater co‐operation among the various European information networks on equivalence, and publication of a manual on recognized universities in Europe.     

THE UNIVERSITIES AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW EUROPEAN HOME

This article focusses on the types of assistance which the universities in the western European countries could render to their peers in Eastern Europe. It explores the ways in which this aid would contribute to the elaboration of the transnational culture of the New European Home. Stress is laid on the need to integrate the educational and research activities of European universities for the training of new intellectual élites. A considerable expansion of student exchanges is suggested, particularly the training of foreign language teachers in foreign universities. The universities should rediscover and lay stress on humanism and end their participation in military research. They should prepare bachelor's and master's degree holders capable of working as teachers in other types of higher education institutions and as researchers and theorists in various types of cultural establishments. The article concludes with an examination of the scope and the operation of the International Environmental and Cultural Centre of Norway which is operated by the Byelorussian State University and the Folk High School of Agder, Norway. This centre is cited as an example of the type of inter‐university centre which should be established all over Europe so as to further the integration of European universities.     

IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES ‐‐ STAFF (FACULTY) DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES AS A FIELD OF CO‐OPERATION BETWEEN EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

In virtually all the countries of the world, the need for staff‐development programmes for university and other higher education teachers has been recognized. Because the developed countries of Europe and of North America have a head start in the domain, specialists from these countries have frequently been called upon to create and to offer staff‐development programmes in the universities of developing countries. This article discusses the appropriateness of European conceptions of staff‐development for African universities. Concluding that Euro‐centric staff‐developers and pre‐packaged European programmes are not appropriate, that they run the risk of becoming a form of cultural neo‐colonialism, the author considers ways in which European specialists can collaborate with their African colleagues in the structuring of staff‐development programmes that are not only African‐centred but are geared to the real needs of African universities as they are perceived by Africans themselves. If the author's suggestions are accepted, African universities will be able to make use of those aspects of European staff‐development concepts and programmes which have universal value without having to accept European cultural tutelage along with them.     

THE DECLARATION OF HELSINKI AND THE UNIVERSITIES OF EUROPE

The 13th Bi‐annual Conference of the Standing Conference of Rectors and Vice‐Chancellors of European Universities (CRE), held on 21‐22 October 1976 in Athens, discussed the problem of co‐operation between European universities in view of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The participants put more emphasis on the removal of obstacles to existing forms of links between universities than on seeking new ways of inter‐university co‐operation.

Two papers were presented during the conference:

• “Necessity and evolution in the European Scientific Community” by Professor Zygmunt Rybicki, Rector of Warsaw University;

• “Difficulties in European Inter‐University Co‐Operation” by Professor Jean Tuscoz, President of Nice University.

The Bureau of CRE prepared a report “The Declaration of Helsinki and the Universities in Europe”, on which the information below is based, It gives an idea of the present state of development of relations between universities in Eastern and Western Europe.     

ASSISTANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION LEGISLATION: THE LEGISLATIVE REFORM PROGRAMME OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Between 1989 and 1992, the Council of Europe responded to the perceived need to assist eastern and central European countries to develop a legal basis for their higher education systems that would lead to a workable and equitable balance between state control and university autonomy and academic freedom. Thus the Legislative Reform Project of the Council of Europe got underway in the spring of 1992. The results so far have been very positive. In 1996, the Council on Higher Education and Research of the Council of Europe recommended the continuation of the Project, now known as a Programme, for another four‐year period and its extension to the sectors of science and technology.     

Why (not) assess? Views from the academic departments of Finnish universities

In Europe, national quality assurance systems of higher education have begun to be established. In Finland, this development has had the consequence of forcing universities to take notice of assessment procedures. However, little is known about the procedures taking place in individual academic departments as a result of this pan‐European trend. This article describes how academics currently comprehend quality assessment, paying particular attention to self‐evaluations and quality assurance systems. Altogether, the paper casts light on how academics are responding to the increasing university assessment activities.     

UNIVERSITY HEADS IN EUROPE AND IN THE U.S.A.: A STATISTICAL COMPARISON

In an effort to draw conclusions as to the relative level and quality of training of university heads in western Europe and in the United States, the author has examined the results of two surveys, one of European and one of American heads of universities. He has concluded that as a general rule the average European university head has achieved a more rigorous level of training than has hi3 American counterpart. He has also concluded that the selection procedure for a European head of university is usually more democratic that that employed in the selection of an American head of university.     

THE ROMANIAN ACADEMY AND THE FREEDOM OF SCIENCE

In common with the Academies of Science of the other European countries, the Romanian Academy traces its origins back to a local scholarly society founded in 1795 in Sibiu to promote the study of the Romanian Language and of Romanian history. Such origins were as much influenced by Herder's stress on the importance of local culture as by Liebnitz's urging that all the great rulers of Europe create academies of science to be in the service of the state. In common with the Academies in the other eastern and central European countries, the Romanian Academy suffered under communism but was re‐established with a new lease on life after the collapse of the communist regime. The oldest international non‐governmental organization committed to international scientific co‐operation is the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) that was created in 1931. Its Standing Committee on the Free Circulation of Scientists (SCFCS), created in 1963, contributed to liberalizing science in the communist countries and in bringing about the rebirth of the Academies in eastern and central Europe after the collapse of communism. The Romanian Academy was a founding member of ICSU.     

TYPES OF ACADEMIC EXCHANGES AND TARGET GROUPS: BALANCES AND IMBALANCES

The article considers, on one hand, the need to increase East‐West and West‐East academic exchanges in Europe, and on the other, to reduce or to rationalize imbalances. The three major segments of university populations, students, faculty members, and administrators, are each examined with regard to participation in exchanges, and pertinent suggestions are made. The author particularly insists on the importance of involving university administrators in exchange programmes even to the extent of moving them physically to other universities for stays of varying length. In closing, he evokes the setting up of the European Association of International Exchange Administrators.     

A ROMANIAN STUDENT ABROAD CONSIDERS FOUR MYTHS OF AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION

One consequence of western aid to Romanian academic life has been the opportunity for young Romanian scholars, schoocco1led in their early university years under the aegis of the communist system, to study with western European and North American visiting scholars in Romania, and/or to attend higher education institutions in both western Europe and North America, and generally to participate in worldwide academic life. Such vital inter‐cultural, inter‐social, and inter‐political life experiences provide the expressed raison d'être of western academic aid.     

Experiencing Multicultural Organization: The Case of Babe#st‐Bolyai University

How does a democratic country in eastern Europe undergoing transition to a market economy and pluralist democracy deal with minority claims for cultural and linguistic autonomy? The author, formerly the Rector of the Babes‐Bolyai University of Cluj‐Napoca, and currently the Minister of Education of Romania, describes the way his university dealt with such claims. The solution, resulting from a university‐wide consultation, led to the creation of Romanian, Hungarian, and German sections throughout the university, not only on its main campus, but on several branch campuses, in such a way that the university as a whole did not break up into several ethnically separate institutions but remained one institution. The result, the author argues, is illustrative of a creative switch from ethnic nationalism to civic nationalism and from historical patriotism to constitutional patriotism.     

CULTURE AND THE UNIVERSITY

In this article, the author who is the present Director‐General of Unesco, gives both an overview of the development of links between culture and higher education in Europe and suggestions for the continued expansion of these links. Universities are called upon to assume major roles in the Plan of Action of the World Decade for Cultural Development (1988‐1997) and in other Unesco activities, in Europe as well as world‐wide. For the university has a role to play not only in preserving that which is best in European culture but in furthering cultural innovation and cultural dialogue in Europe itself and between Europe and other regions of the world. The university is equally well‐suited to bridge the gap between the technical and the humanistic cultures, humanizing the one while making the other more rigorous, as well as the gap between popular and academic culture. In fulfilling its role, world‐wide, as preserver, transmitter, synthesizer, and innovator in the realm of culture, the universities will contribute greatly to the accomplishment of the universal mission of Unesco.     

THE TRANSNATIONALIZATION OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE THROUGH MIGRATION: IS THERE AN IMPACT ON HIGHER EDUCATION?

In an increasingly interdependent and inter‐linked world, the phenomenon of migration takes on added importance. It has existed in Europe for many years even if in recent times the immigrants have come from outside Europe rather than from southern European to northern European countries. Economic problems have stimulated increased xenophobia on the part of host societies while at the same time, the children of the first generation of immigrants have faced challenges and have promoted the cultural enrichment that comes from bi‐culturalism. Multi‐culturalism is well worth studying and promoting for it represents a cultural enrichment for Europeans leading to a new cultural synthesis for the continent. Both schools and higher education institutions must take up the challenge of multi‐cultural education which should be more than a superficial dose of folklore, dancing, and exotic food. The children of the second generation of immigrants have frequently studied their home cultures and languages in their university courses, this in order to better understand themselves and their relationship to their two cultures. In their active lives, these graduates will further enrich European culture by helping to elaborate a new cultural synthesis.     

FACING THE CHALLENGES OF “EUROPEANIZATION”: SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE GREEK UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

The admission of Greece to the European Community at a moment when the European economic context was undergoing profound mutation has required a major effort of adaptation. The development of higher education in Greece has been very rapid and the employment structures have had difficulty in adapting themselves to the new situation. The close links one can notice between training and employment make education all the more vital for turning the European Communities into a united Europe. A number of decisions, among these being decision no. 89/48 adopted by the EEC at the Council meeting of 21 December 1988, are aimed at achieving this goal. A European university system is conceivable only through a harmonious integration of teachers and students into an environment characterized by great fluidity. With a view to meeting European requirements, Greece intends to improve the basic and specialized training of its administration and restructure its ministries. The need for more and better information as well as training with regard to European matters is becoming increasingly obvious. So that this effort will lead to concrete results, the role of specialists on European questions should be reconsidered.     

Reviewing a European Union Initiative on Environmental Education within Programmes of Pre‐service Teacher Education

The need for coherent programmes of environmental education in all aspects and in all phases of education systems has been strongly and persuasively argued within the European Union (EU) and beyond. However, nowhere yet across the EU has environmental education been introduced in a consistent or coherent fashion into pre‐ or in‐service teacher education programmes. Although a range of factors are at work here, the lack of a commonly understood and agreed pedagogical‐didactical basis to this aspect of the curriculum and the lack of teaching/resource materials may be seen as a major contributory factor to this lack of consistency and coherence. As a consequence, opportunities for broad pan‐European developments in this essential area are constrained. This paper discusses development work carried out under the auspices of the Association of Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE) with the assistance of funding from the European Commission's Directorate General XI and from individual institutions. The five papers which follow are written by members of the project and provide examples in greater detail of work carried out in five member states. Fuller detail of the work of the Environmental Education into Initial Teacher Education in Europe project in all eleven countries has been reported to the Directorate General XI and a number of aspects have already been published (see Brinkman & Scott, 1994).