Proposal of joint european project CHAIN-E

involvement in new projects, bilateral and multilateral agreements between

the Russian and foreign universities is possible. It is obviously possible,

that the mentioned structures, using the accumulated links, can offer the

whole range of services to organizations and population. This will ensure

additional sources of financing.

The Ural universities consortium has an intention to save and to develop

the academic network established in the framework of the CHAIN-E project.

For this purpose it is planned to offer and to realize the joint projects,

financed from the respectable sources. All the Ural universities have an

experience of grants getting from the national and non-governmental funds:

“The Fund of Higher Education Development”, “National Fund for Staff

Preparation” (The Government of the Russian Federation and the

International Reconstruction and Development Bank), “G. Soros Fund (Opened

Society Institute)” etc. During the academic network creation the

universities will try to provide the financing from these sources of the

respectable joint project in the field of Economics and Education. At the

present time the USVPU and the USU have already got the positive decision

of the “National Fund for Staff Preparation” about the loan rendering for

the realization of the Innovation Education Fund project in the field of

economical education of these universities.

IV.3. MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT

3.1. Management structure

Role and responsibilities of each consortium member

The structure of management of the project is indicated in the scheme

below.

The University - Contractor is Ghent University (RUG). During the first

year of MJEP fulfillment it acts as the University - Coordinator of the

project, but it delegates some part of the responsibilities in Russia to

the USVPU. Such control circuit has been already tested in 1994-98. In a

course of realization of the Ural universities consortium work with the

Ghent University within the framework of the multilateral agreements, and

also the USVPU with Ghent, Rotterdam and Valladolid universities under the

URAL project (Tempus/Tacis) T-JEP-10094-95-RF. The positive administrative

experience accumulated for these years allows to recommend the used circuit

of work.

During the second and third years functions of University - Coordinator of

the project executes the USVPU, and some part of the responsibilities on

coordination of works in Europe are preserved for RUG. The delegation of a

coordinating role to Russian university (USVPU) has two reasons: first, the

major part of work under the project is carried out in Russia; secondly,

the fulfillment of managing functions will allow the USVPU to fix and to

advance those skills of a realization of international cooperation, which

were incorporated by joint activity of the Russian-European consortium of

universities in 1994-98.

The problems of CHAIN-E and Russian-European subprojects development

strategy (as well as development strategy of the URAL subprojects and other

projects connecting universities of Ural and Europe into the network) will

be settled by Council of the Rectors, which includes Prof./Dr. G. Romantsev

(USVPU), Prof./Dr. V. Tretyakov (USU), Prof./Dr. V. Kamyshov (USUE),

Prof./Dr. S. Naboichenko (USTU), Prof./Dr. V. Zhavoronkov (USPU) on the

part of Ekaterinburg universities.

The operating project management is carried out by the Coordination Council

of the managers of works at the universities. To be such managers: a Vice-

Rector - coordinator of the international programs (USVPU), Prof./Dr. I.

Kolobkov - Chairman of Coordination Council; a Vice-Rector on international

relations (USUE), Prof./Dr. A. Maltsev – deputy head of the Coordination

Council; the dean of Economics Faculty (USU), Prof./Dr. D. Nesterova; Head

of the Department of The Analysis of Systems and Decision Making (USTU),

Prof./Dr. O. Nikonov; a Vice-Rector on educational work and international

relations (USPU), Prof./Dr. M. Igoshev are appointed. The managers of works

at the universities coordinate aspirations of faculties and departments

involved in the project in the correspondence with the annually developed

general plan of the activity, which is approved in Tempus Department of the

ETF.

A big role in carrying out of the MJEP CHAIN-E activities is played by the

ECTS-coordinators, appointed at the universities, who are responsible for

the ECTS implementation while realization of student exchanges. The strict

fulfillment of ECTS principles, which is steadfastly monitored by the ECTS-

coordinators, is the lien of that the procedures of academic recognition of

study results will be facilitated, and the students who wish to study

abroad, will not be afraid of extension of terms of their study because of

a problem with academic recognition. In 4 of five Ural universities the

ECTS-coordinators already exist and have passed training periods abroad and

followed special courses in the USVPU: Prof./Dr. A. Zhuchenko Vice-rector

of the USVPU; the Head of the Educational Department (USTU) Prof./Dr. V.

Shavrin; the employee of the Educational Department (USPU) Prof. M.

Yelisafenko; Prof./Dr. of the International Relations Department (USU) V.

Kouzmine. Besides, the ECTS technology is widely known to the

administrative and academic staff of the USVPU, who can be involved to

management of the process of ECTS introduction into other Ural

institutions.

The course of works under the project is weekly discussed by the Head of

the Coordination Council with the representatives of international

departments of universities (liaison-officers). The meetings of liaison

-officers, as an element of operating control, are widely applied in

activity of the consortium of Ural universities in 1994-98. The functions

of liaison-officers execute the following persons: Prof./Dr. T. Begalova

(USTU), Mrs. Y. Tokpiseva (USPU), Mrs. R. Shamsutdinova (USU).

The managers of works under the project at the universities act in a close

contact with services of international cooperation. These services at

various universities are on the different stages of development, however

they can effort to cover needs of the project. The main work will be

carried out by the most developed subdivisions of the University -

Coordinator (USVPU): the Regional Office for International Cooperation,

Language Center, Regional Centre for Student Exchanges.

The Regional Office for International Cooperation of the USVPU in

cooperation with international departments of other universities[1] is to

fulfill the following functions:

34. Regularly instructs the managers of works at the consortium

universities and various participants about new possibilities and new

kinds of activity in the framework of the project and gives practical

advises.

35. Distributes information about a course of realization of the project,

ensures feedback.

36. Organizes coordination meetings of the managers of works.

37. Realizes interaction with the foreign partners - participants of the

projects.

38. Realizes planning and monitoring the course of realization of the

project.

39. Elaborates the reports (intermediate and final).

40. Represents outcomes of the project to a wide academic public.

41. Organizes international and regional conferences, seminars and

meetings.

42. Realizes developing and issuing of the newsletters.

43. Carries out the accumulation and systematization of materials on the

results of foreign training periods and of the employees of the

consortium universities.

44. Organizes sending and receiving of the official invitations.

45. Realizes communication with embassies and consulates to settle problems

of visa support.

46. Organizes visa maintenance to the foreigners in Ekaterinburg.

47. Helps in registration of the passports, insurance and other necessary

documents for departure abroad.

48. Helps in booking of the travel tickets and hotels.

49. Organizes residing, feed and leisure of the foreign visitors to

university.

50. Creates information and methodical databases for elaboration of social-

cultural programs both for the foreign visitors, and for the university

employees and students departing abroad.

51. Organizes cultural information maintenance concerning country of stay

for students the university employees departing abroad.

52. Organizes a supply.

53. Realizes print-design works of the department.

54. Organizes text translations.

55. Provides serviceable operation of all kinds of communication

(telephone, fax, mail, DHL post, e-mail).

56. Realizes the collection of the financial documents (invoices, waybills,

travel tickets) and their registration in the correspondence with

requirements of the project.

57. Realizes planning and monitoring expenditures of financial assets of

the project.

58. Elaborates the financial report on the expenditures of grant money.

59. Conducts accounting and remittances in various currencies.

60. Inspects and adjusts the use of financial assets of the university by

the department.

Thus, the international departments of both Ural, and European

universities bear responsibility for the most general organizational

aspects of the realization of the project: operative-circumspect activity,

planning, monitoring and reporting, distribution of outcomes of works,

technical support of the mobility, publishing works, supply and financial

management.

The inclusive aspects of the project concerning development of higher

economic education, tutoring at foreign universities and academic

recognition of study periods, and also individual problems of organization

of mobility are assigned to Regional Centre for Student Exchanges (Vagant

Center) of the USVPU, which bears responsibility for the fulfillment of the

following functions:

Introduction of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in the Ural

universities; the guaranteed carrying out of the obligations of

universities on observance the ECTS principles and mechanisms while its

using among Russian institutions as well as while international student

exchanges;

Rendering of the methodical and organizational assistance while

introduction ECTS in the Ural universities; rendering of organizational and

information support to the institutional ECTS-coordinators beginning the

introduction of the ECTS; involving of academic staff in a procedure of

credit allocation among subjects of the curricula;

Coordination of the Ural universities activity on their adaptation to the

requirements of the European educational dimensions;

Informing of the university administrators, students and teachers-users of

the ECTS concerning educational possibilities of the European and Russian

universities; requirements and possibilities of their reception;

coordination, preparation, elaboration and distribution of information

packages of faculties, electronic presentation versions (Home pages) and

student Handbooks and Guides in Russia and countries of Western Europe.

The accumulation, processing and distribution of an information on problems

of mutual academic recognition among institutions of the Ural Region;

Organization of training periods for the teachers and administrators of the

Ural consortium universities concerning student exchanges and academic

recognition; generalization of obtained outcomes and their distribution in

the Ural universities consortium;

The coordination and approvement of the normative documents on academic

recognition;

Participation in the development of general curricula and Russian State

educational standards;

Maintenance of constant contacts with the ECTS-coordinators from other

universities: exchange with the applications, agreements on study terms;

coordination of the curricula and educational programs; preparation of the

documents on transcription of outcomes of study; fixing of the courses

recognition and recognition of study periods; designing of the individual

educational programs; combination of academic requirements and personal

interests of the students;

Monitoring of a course of study in the framework of the ECTS: maintenance

of adaptation and integration of foreign students at the university;

maintaining of contacts with the outgoing students for promotion of their

adaptation and progress in study.

Establishment and maintaining of contacts with structures realizing

sponsorship of study abroad, national organizations financing the programs

of student exchanges.

In a course of project the creation of the Vagant Centre branches at

the Ural universities consortium and delegation of a part of functions of

Regional Centre for Student Exchanges are supposed. Together with it, the

part of the responsibility under the project for study of the students

abroad is transmitted also to the Ural universities.

At the European universities the responsibility for the listed above

kinds of activity are assigned to student advisory centers and to

international relation offices. In all cases at the Russian universities as

well as in institutions of European Union the kinds of activity are carried

out with participation of faculty and university ECTS-coordinators.

The responsibility for language preparation of the students and

trainees is assigned separately to each university of the consortium.

However, the perfecting of language knowledge at the Russian participants

is supposed to be realized with use of possibilities of the modern Language

Center (USVPU), which has not only modern equipment, but also progressive

technologies of teaching. In a course of the project it is supposed to

create branch of the Language Center in opposite from the USVPU side of

Ekaterinburg on the basis of the Ural State University for Economics, to

which the part of functions and responsibility on language preparation of

the most numerous quota of the students of economic specialties among Ural

institutions will be delegated.

The success of the project in many respects depends on information

support, which should be regular, reliable, relevant and rapid. Information

exchange between universities of the consortium, search of it in computer

networks, conduction of teleconferences for the experience exchange and for

project management realization are assigned on created during the previous

joint universities activity Information Network Centers, which are

responsible for this kind of activity.

Management structure

Project management experience of the Coordinator; his/her participation in

other programs of international cooperation

Mrs. Lieve Bracke is the manager of the International Relations Office

since 1987. The department has qualified workers, who are incorporated

in two groups: conceptual and administrative. The department has

experience of coordination of the European educational projects

(Erasmus, Lingua, COMMET, Tempus), and also programs of European Union

outside Europe (EC - USA, MEDCAMPUS, Alpha, UNITWIN (UNESCO)). The

equipment, know-how and qualification of the Office employees allow to

operate and to realize these programs successfully.

Mrs. Lieve Bracke has been acting as the coordinator of student exchange

programs between the Santander group universities ICP-94-NL-2020/17,

joint European projects on student exchanges with Hungary (in several

specialities) and pre-project Pre-JEP 00304-93 with Kiev University

(Ukraine), in which university of Leeds (Great Britain) participated as

coordinating institution. She was a member of the Santander group

Executive committee (since 1993). Now she represents Ghent university,

which is the contractor-coordinator of JEP URAL (T.JEP-10094-95 RF),

which includes universities of Ghent (Belgium), Rotterdam (the

Netherlands), Valladolid (Spain) and the USVPU (Russia). Besides she

coordinates a series of the URAL subprojects of Ghent University with 4

Ural universities and project OCTOPUSI, which envelops universities of

Europe, countries of a CIS, Southeast Asia and Southern Africa.

The Prof.-Dr. G. Romantsev, rector of the USVPU has wide experience in

international and interuniversity cooperation. The Association for

Scientific Research and Educational Methods in Vocational Education

(ASREM/VE) exists more than for 10 years, and is headed by the USVPU and

integrates more than 130 institutions and colleges. The institutions of

Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other countries

entered the Association, which activity is coordinated by the USVPU. In

1987-1990 the USVPU was one of the participants of a joint comprehensive

program of Central and East European countries "Improving the

Educational System on the Base of Using Computers ". The continuous

contacts link the USVPU with Rohr University (Bochum, Germany); Max

Plank Institute (Berlin, Germany), IBM Corporation and World ORT Union.

In 1995 the university to participant of the Tacis - Distance Learning

Pilot Project in the Economic Zone of the Urals - Russian Federation -

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