At the beginning of October 2024, SWPS University in Warsaw hosted the European Reform University Alliance’s (ERUA) Council of Vice-Rectors for Educational Affairs and some representatives of all member universities. The goal of the meetings and workshops was to develop innovative education pathways for ERUA students.
Meeting of ERUA Vice-Rector’s Council
Professor Ewa Gruszczyńska, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at SWPS University hosted the meeting of ERUA Council of Vice-Rectors for Education. The Vice-Rectors were tasked with making key decisions enabling the development of a joint study program.
They also discussed educational initiatives that are being implemented by the consortium, including the matter of the so-called microcredentials (i.e., qualifications focused on a specified professional or career discipline, which tie credentials to specific skill sets). They also discussed the ongoing matters of the Alliance, such as the organization of the upcoming ERUA Day (scheduled for December 12), the language policy concerning common educational initiatives, progress in strategic goal completion, and the 2024/2025 operating plan.
It was the third meeting of the ERUA Vice-Rectors Council for Educational Affairs. Our two-day discussions were not only very intensive, but also hugely productive. Alle key decisions are made by mutual agreement. They also indicate where, despite our efforts, we face some challenges, mainly of formal and legislative nature, which allows us to gain knowledge about opportunities and challenges concerning our planned introduction of the joint European university diploma.
Ewa Gruszczyńska, Ph.D. / Associate Professor, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at SWPS University.
Foundations of the joint university diploma
Parallel to the meeting of the Vice-Rector’s Council, we held workshops, attended by representatives of all ERUA member universities. The attendees were working on the foundations of the future ERUA joint university diploma, which is envisaged as a 2-year interdisciplinary graduate program with sociology as the leading component.
The program will be concerned with migration, with a particular focus on the wellbeing and inclusion of migrant children and adolescents in various areas of societal life. Additionally, student mobility will be an important component of the program, which will enable students to learn about migration from various perspectives. Students will be required to complete a one-semester internship at one of ERUA’s member universities. During the internship, they will carry out research that will provide bases for a research-based Master’s thesis.
The workshops were conducted by Professor Ilaria Pirone, Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs at Paris 8 University in France, and Radosław Stanczewski, Director of the Office for International Cooperation of SWPS University.
