Minutes

General Assembly, Liverpool 16 October 2008

Minutes

1.      General Secretary’s annual report

a.      Membership: At present UNeECC counts 45 member institutions. Members that have not paid their annual contribution yet are invited to do so. Members that have not paid their contribution for 3 consecutive years will not benefit from UNeECC advantages (reduced conference fees, communications through the website, etc).

b.      Financial report 2007-8: The 2008 accounts have a positive balance (€ 5429)

c.      Budget approval 2008-9: The expenses for 2009 will be higher, as the conference papers have to be published (balance: € 2429) (see annex 1)

2.      Procedures

a.      Appointment of Vice-Presidents On-Site: All institutions that organize the annual conference and GA will have the right to appoint a Vice-President-on-Site, who can participate in the Board during that year.

b.      New Board members’ selection procedure: The Board will invite new members when the need (expertise etc.) occurs. F. Carrijn also announces that her three-year term as president will expire next year. A call for presidential candidates will be distributed later this year.

c.      Creation of Sub-Committees: In addition to the existing committees, which were hitherto run by Board members, there is need for new sub-committees, in which people from outside the Board should play a prominent role. The following sub-committees are envisioned:

                                                  i.      student sub-committee

                                                 ii.      Erasmus co-ordinators sub-committee

                                               iii.      Summer School sub-committee

                                              iv.      Bid Writers’ sub-committee

                                                v.      Research/PhD students sub committee

3.      Internal relations

a.       Call for members to be more actively involved, to create more opportunities for networking among academics, students and staff (DM, website, events): especially people are solicited to engage in one or more of the sub-committees. Interested persons are requested to contact the Secretary General and/or one of the Board members

b.       Student involvement as priority: So as to prevent UNeECC from becoming a solely managerial organization, both academics and students are invited to be more directly involved in UNeECC’s activities. Especially students are invited to use UNeECC as a forum for actions/ideas that may appeal to students in other member institutions.

c.       UNeECC Award: the issue has been postponed

4.      External relations

a.      Attracting new members: Membership should be worthwhile – therefore A. O’Neill has drawn a list of benefits for UNeECC members (annex 2)

b.      Relationship with other organizations: As decided last year, these organization can become supporting members. All members are invited to communicate about UNeECC in the networks they are part of.

5.      Communication: events and actions in 2008

a.      Liverpool: ‘The Big Hope’: W. Chambers relates gives an overview of the Big Hope, an international, ecumenical youth congress to which several members sent students

b.      UNeECC Networking Reception at EAIE Antwerp: The reception was organized by Lessius University College Antwerp and was a considerable success.

c.      EU Culture Call – Project proposal from UNeECC Consortium: the University of Patras has entered a bid within the EU Cultural Programme. 5 other members have subscribed to the bid.

d.      Further UNeECC Projects: So as to reach its goals – support for ECCs and student/teaching staff exchange between member institutions – the University of Pécs wants to start a Summer Seminar in Cultural Management (see annex 2 for provisional programme) and proposes to  invite Erasmus Institutional Co-ordinators from the members universities for a meeting to our Annual Conference in Vilnius in 2009

6.      Events in 2009 and beyond

a.      UNeECC Networking Reception at EAIE Madrid, September 2009: It would be great if (one of) the Madrid universities could organize an informal UNeECC meeting during next year’s EAIE conference, especially as the one in Antwerp proved to be very successful (see 5b)

b.      GA & Conference 2009, Vilnius: The next conference will be jointly hosted by Mykolas Romeris University and Gediminas Technical University. The conference will take place on 15 and 16 October 2009, and the theme will be: ‘Innovation, Creativity and Culture’. Possible strands are: ‘Innovations and their Influence for Universities Activities in the 21st Century’ and ‘Creativity and Innovation: Threat or Opportunity for Culture’.

c.      GA & Conference 2010, Pécs: The University of Pécs will organize the conference in collaboration with the Compostela group of Universities.

d.      ECCs 2011: Turku and/or Tallinn?

e.      GA & Conference 2010 & 2011: call for themes, candidates & timing

Dr Wim Coudenys

Annexes:

1.     Budget 2008 & 2009

2.     Summer Seminar Proposal University of Pécs

3.     Benefits of Being a UNeECC Member

Annex 3: Benefits of Being a UNeECC Member

·         Visibility of universities throughout the network

·         Networking on all matters of interest. Sharing ideas, worries, experiences

·         Joint (academic) projects

·         Organization of student workshops and activities

·         Participation of academic staff in conference, publication of papers, mobility between member institutions

·         Creation of an Erasmus Network

·         Newsletter to share initiatives and news

·         Blending academic and local authorities

·         Links with European Commission (through ECC)

·         Accessible, open-minded, young organization

·         Encouraging Student and Teaching Staff mobility

·         Dynamic website

·         Tutoring in academic, student, administrative affairs by more experienced members

·         Sharing experience in educational matters

·         Wide interests within cooperation

·         Spread information about your university

·         Become involved in the ECC movement: universities and administrations

·         ‘Bid writers’ club’: how to get your university involved in the ECC-campaign

·         ‘Find an expert’: PhD student corner where ideas, expertise etc. can be shared & consults taken

·         Contribute to the conference (publication)

·         Blending student activities across Europe: getting them involved in culture through a ‘Summer School’

·         Sharing your university activities (courses, lectures, festivals…) with others, either through direct involvement or virtual participation (videoconferencing, streaming, website)

·         Commitment to a dynamic organisation

General Assembly, Liverpool 16 October 2008

Minutes

1.      General Secretary’s annual report

a.      Membership: At present UNeECC counts 45 member institutions. Members that have not paid their annual contribution yet are invited to do so. Members that have not paid their contribution for 3 consecutive years will not benefit from UNeECC advantages (reduced conference fees, communications through the website, etc).

b.      Financial report 2007-8: The 2008 accounts have a positive balance (€ 5429)

c.      Budget approval 2008-9: The expenses for 2009 will be higher, as the conference papers have to be published (balance: € 2429) (see annex 1)

2.      Procedures

a.      Appointment of Vice-Presidents On-Site: All institutions that organize the annual conference and GA will have the right to appoint a Vice-President-on-Site, who can participate in the Board during that year.

b.      New Board members’ selection procedure: The Board will invite new members when the need (expertise etc.) occurs. F. Carrijn also announces that her three-year term as president will expire next year. A call for presidential candidates will be distributed later this year.

c.      Creation of Sub-Committees: In addition to the existing committees, which were hitherto run by Board members, there is need for new sub-committees, in which people from outside the Board should play a prominent role. The following sub-committees are envisioned:

                                                  i.      student sub-committee

                                                 ii.      Erasmus co-ordinators sub-committee

                                               iii.      Summer School sub-committee

                                              iv.      Bid Writers’ sub-committee

                                                v.      Research/PhD students sub committee

3.      Internal relations

a.       Call for members to be more actively involved, to create more opportunities for networking among academics, students and staff (DM, website, events): especially people are solicited to engage in one or more of the sub-committees. Interested persons are requested to contact the Secretary General and/or one of the Board members

b.       Student involvement as priority: So as to prevent UNeECC from becoming a solely managerial organization, both academics and students are invited to be more directly involved in UNeECC’s activities. Especially students are invited to use UNeECC as a forum for actions/ideas that may appeal to students in other member institutions.

c.       UNeECC Award: the issue has been postponed

4.      External relations

a.      Attracting new members: Membership should be worthwhile – therefore A. O’Neill has drawn a list of benefits for UNeECC members (annex 2)

b.      Relationship with other organizations: As decided last year, these organization can become supporting members. All members are invited to communicate about UNeECC in the networks they are part of.

5.      Communication: events and actions in 2008

a.      Liverpool: ‘The Big Hope’: W. Chambers relates gives an overview of the Big Hope, an international, ecumenical youth congress to which several members sent students

b.      UNeECC Networking Reception at EAIE Antwerp: The reception was organized by Lessius University College Antwerp and was a considerable success.

c.      EU Culture Call – Project proposal from UNeECC Consortium: the University of Patras has entered a bid within the EU Cultural Programme. 5 other members have subscribed to the bid.

d.      Further UNeECC Projects: So as to reach its goals – support for ECCs and student/teaching staff exchange between member institutions – the University of Pécs wants to start a Summer Seminar in Cultural Management (see annex 2 for provisional programme) and proposes to  invite Erasmus Institutional Co-ordinators from the members universities for a meeting to our Annual Conference in Vilnius in 2009

6.      Events in 2009 and beyond

a.      UNeECC Networking Reception at EAIE Madrid, September 2009: It would be great if (one of) the Madrid universities could organize an informal UNeECC meeting during next year’s EAIE conference, especially as the one in Antwerp proved to be very successful (see 5b)

b.      GA & Conference 2009, Vilnius: The next conference will be jointly hosted by Mykolas Romeris University and Gediminas Technical University. The conference will take place on 15 and 16 October 2009, and the theme will be: ‘Innovation, Creativity and Culture’. Possible strands are: ‘Innovations and their Influence for Universities Activities in the 21st Century’ and ‘Creativity and Innovation: Threat or Opportunity for Culture’.

c.      GA & Conference 2010, Pécs: The University of Pécs will organize the conference in collaboration with the Compostela group of Universities.

d.      ECCs 2011: Turku and/or Tallinn?

e.      GA & Conference 2010 & 2011: call for themes, candidates & timing

Dr Wim Coudenys

Annexes:

1.     Budget 2008 & 2009

2.     Summer Seminar Proposal University of Pécs

3.     Benefits of Being a UNeECC Member

Annex 3: Benefits of Being a UNeECC Member

·         Visibility of universities throughout the network

·         Networking on all matters of interest. Sharing ideas, worries, experiences

·         Joint (academic) projects

·         Organization of student workshops and activities

·         Participation of academic staff in conference, publication of papers, mobility between member institutions

·         Creation of an Erasmus Network

·         Newsletter to share initiatives and news

·         Blending academic and local authorities

·         Links with European Commission (through ECC)

·         Accessible, open-minded, young organization

·         Encouraging Student and Teaching Staff mobility

·         Dynamic website

·         Tutoring in academic, student, administrative affairs by more experienced members

·         Sharing experience in educational matters

·         Wide interests within cooperation

·         Spread information about your university

·         Become involved in the ECC movement: universities and administrations

·         ‘Bid writers’ club’: how to get your university involved in the ECC-campaign

·         ‘Find an expert’: PhD student corner where ideas, expertise etc. can be shared & consults taken

·         Contribute to the conference (publication)

·         Blending student activities across Europe: getting them involved in culture through a ‘Summer School’

·         Sharing your university activities (courses, lectures, festivals…) with others, either through direct involvement or virtual participation (videoconferencing, streaming, website)

·         Commitment to a dynamic organisation