Website: Bologna Secretariat The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) - Status Quo Ligia DECA Head of the 2010 – 2012 Bologna Follow-Up Group Secretariat ‘Funding of Higher Education’ Bologna Seminar Yerevan, Armenia Marriott Hotel, 8-9 September 2011

Website: Bologna Secretariat The BFUG Secretariat Main role: “...to provide neutral support to further the consolidation of the European Higher Education Area under the exclusive authority of the BFUG and its Chairs and Vice-Chairs.” Functions: Administrative and operational support for BFUG, its sub-structures (WG and networks) and the Board (minute-taking, background documents drafting, assisting chairs in planning the meeting, communication etc.); Create and maintain the EHEA permanent website ( and electronic archives; Act as an internal and external contact point for the EHEA, while ensuring dissemination of information on behalf of the Chairs or based on direct requests; Participate in organising the 2012 Ministerial Conference and Bologna Policy Forum.

Website: Bologna Secretariat Chairing of the BP and timeline BFUG Chairs: January – June 2011 – Hungary and Andorra July – December 2011 – Poland and Armenia January – June 2012 – Denmark and Azerbaijan July – December 2012 – Cyprus & Bosnia and Herzegovina BFUG Vice-Chair: July 2010 – June 2012 – Romania Upcoming BFUG meetings: Upcoming BFUG Board meetings: Cracow – October 2011; Copenhagen – 30 November 2011; Copenhagen – January 2012; Azerbaijan – 21 February 2012 (tbc). Copenhagen – March

Website: Bologna Secretariat Challenges The Leuven/ Louvain la Neuve (2009) agenda: “ 7. The objectives set out by the Bologna Declaration and the policies developed in the subsequent years are still valid today. Since not all the objectives have been completely achieved, the full and proper implementation of these objectives at European, national and institutional level will require increased momentum and commitment beyond 2010.” The move of focus from “structural” Bologna action lines to more “transversal” thematic priorities: social dimension, mobility, internationalisation, student centered learning etc. Inherent debates on the way forward at the beginning of the second “Bologna decade”; Maintaining political momentum at national and EHEA level.

Website: Bologna Secretariat The EHEA unfolded Bologna action lines EHEA Objectives/ HE priorities 5 Pre-Leuven (as listed in the Work Plan) Post-Leuven (as listed in the 2009 – 2012 Work Plan) Mobility Degree structure Employability Recognition Qualifications frameworks Lifelong Learning Quality Assurance Third cycle Social dimension Global dimension Stocktaking Beyond 2010 Social dimension: equitable access and completion Lifelong Learning Employability Student centered learning and the teaching mission of higher education Education, research and innovation International openness Mobility Data collection Multidimensional transparency tools Funding (?)

Website: Bologna Secretariat Funding of HE and the BP Leuven/ Louvain la Neuve Ministerial Communique (paragraph 23): ‘ Higher education institutions have gained greater autonomy along with rapidly growing expectations to be responsive to societal needs and to be accountable. Within a framework of public responsibility we confirm that public funding remains the main priority to guarantee equitable access and further sustainable development of autonomous higher education institutions. Greater attention should be paid to seeking new and diversified funding sources and methods.’ Main open questions for the conference: -Should this first statement be furthered in the frame of the EHEA level policy making? -How can public responsibility for financing of HE face the challenges brought by the financial crisis and European integration?

Website: Bologna Secretariat Projects dealing with HE Financing  EUA: European Universities Diversifiying Income Streams (EUDIS), 2009 Main aim: mapping the status of income diversification in European universities and seeking to provide useful examples of best practices. Promote the institutional perspective on the topic of funding, with a view to informing national and European policy makers of how best to facilitate a sensible diversification of income streams. Reports and recommendations available at:  ESU: Financing the Students’ Future (FINST), Main aim: increasing the knowledge of the effects of financing systems in Europe over students and to work on the capacity building of the national unions of students with regard to their active involvement in higher education funding reforms. Project updates:

Website: Bologna Secretariat Perspectives Bucharest Ministerial Conference and Third Bologna Policy Forum (26-27 April 2012), organised by Romania as a host country: Will focus/ set the agenda for the Bologna Process/ EHEA until 2015; One single report for the Bologna Process implementation; More interaction between EHEA and non-EHEA delegations (100+) and opportunity for all invited delegations to contribute to the BPF via their National Contact Persons (NCP);

Website: Bologna Secretariat Perspectives (II) Discussions and activities in view of the upcoming Bucharest MC: The European Area of Recognition – the endorsement of the EAR Manual; The EHEA Mobility Strategy; The debate on QA – the EQAR external evaluation and the MapESG E4 project; IPN - potential project application on testing the feasibility of a EHEA wide HE promotion strategy; The Social Dimension Observatory – still under discussion; The 2012 target for development of NQFs and preparation of self- certification; Thematic sessions: QA, QF and the link between EHEA and ERA, ; Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference ( October 2011), Bucharest.

Website: Bologna Secretariat The Third Bologna Policy Forum Overarching topic: “Beyond the Bologna process: Creating and connecting national, regional and global higher education spaces“. Parallel sessions‘ topics: a. “Global mobility: Incentives and barriers, balances and imbalances”; b. “Global and regional approaches to quality enhancement”; c. “Public responsibility for and of HE within national and regional context”; d. “Are HE reforms improving graduate employability?”

Website: Bologna Secretariat Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference (17-19 October 2011), Bucharest Main aim: bringing the researchers’ voice into the BP. 2 thematic tracks: Bologna Process and national reforms supporting BP implementation; 8 thematic tracks; Will feed into the Bucharest Ministerial Conference with a collection of published papers and a key-note speech of the General Rapporteur (Sir Peter Scott).

Website: Bologna Secretariat Keynote speech for the April 2012 Bucharest EHEA Ministerial Conference and/ or Policy Forum Abstracts & Final papers Reactions Thematic track 1 – Bologna Process 1. EHEA principles 2. Prospects in teaching and learning (SCL, Employability, Access in HE) 3. Quality Assurance 4. Mobility Thematic track 2 – Future of HE 1. HE Governance 2. HE Financing 3. Diversification of HEI missions as a response to global challenges 4. Foresight /Futures of HEI Outcome of Proceedings (volume 1) Outcome of Proceedings (volume 2)

Website: Bologna Secretariat Thank you very much for your attention!