Dr. J.M.M. Ritzen President Maastricht University Former Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Chair, Empower European Universities (NGO)

Central European University September 29, 2010

Challenge: Raise ability of European universities to be internationally competitve

Problems in the European university landscape Too few peaks in the European university landscape, losing top talent to the rest of the world Successful enrolment of students from socially disadvantaged groups is too low Overall drop-out rates are too high University research contributes too little to innovation University education is not sufficiently related to the demands of the labour market Percentage of female full professors is often no more than 10 to 20% on average The attention for efficient and effective learning of students is virtually absent and innovations in learning methods occur too rarely

Current crises Current economic crisis Demographic changes Environmental crisis Challenge: Educate a student body capable of facing dealing with these crises

The demographic crisis in Europe

European universities are far removed from providing the basis for a strong and viable Europe, in a cultural, social and economic sense. The nationalness of universities has shielded them in the past decades from international competition Nationalness is also in conflict with the internationalisation efforts of European universities and the globalised labour market of its alumni. The problem of nationalness

Providing world leadership: The need for responsible graduates Globalized leadership is the ability to function effectively on the international labour market in advanced positions; in the positions where strategic decisions are taken in the private and in the public sector. Universities need to innovate their teaching in order to be able to equip students with the skills necessary for globalized leadership.

Suffocating finance

Bureaucratic governance

Europe Building Increase the autonomy of universities New avenues after Bologna Process became national More private funding More differentiation

A Manifesto Pleading for a change level of universities level of Governments level of EU

EU A Europe Statute Competition through European finance for attractiveness

A Chance for European Universities The current crisis is a chance, so let‘s use it! My publication is available online at: Or with Amsterdam University Press Thank you for your attention!