Cooperation, Need for Communication and Resumption of Dialogue in relation to Age-groups Dr. Laura...

Cooperation, Need for Communication and Resumption of Dialogue in relation to Age-groups

Dr. Laura Gressnerová, M.A., Ivan Prelovský, MSc., JUDr. Karin Raková, MSc., MBA

The largest technical university in Slovakia with rich old tradition linked–up to Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica established by Maria Theresa in 1762, the first technical university of this type in the world.

The widest spectrum of engineering study branches (7 Faculties, 1 Institute).

Department of International Mobility of Students of STU Teaching and research workplace of STU with university-wide area of competency.

Main activities Activities relating to foreign students. Project activities in the field of education and lifelong learning, ERASMUS

Multilateral projects DICBDPEC, ERASMUS NETWORK NICE, ERASMUS Intensive programmes MEIA-EUC.

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava


Project Project


The project Cooperation, Need for Communication and Resumption of Dialogue in relation to Age-groups – CONCORDIA has been carried out with the support of the European community as part of the Lifelong Long Programme GRUNDTVIG.

TOPIC of the 2nd conference: Significance and task of ALUMNI clubs in the field intergenerational dialogue and cooperation, proposals of new approaches, innovations and transfer of good experience

THEMA: Importance of ALUMNI Clubs in intergenerational dialogue

Project is regulated by Slovak Academic Association for International Cooperation (SAAIC). Project is realised with the support of the European community.

ALUMNI CLUBS ■ objectives ALUMNI CLUBS ■ objectives

ALUMNI CLUB at STU ■ focus ■ activities ALUMNI CLUB at STU ■ focus ■ activities

UNIVERSITY of 3 age at STU ■ meaning ■ activities UNIVERSITY of 3 age at STU ■ meaning ■ activities

STUDENTS ■ portal of graduates STUDENTS ■ portal of graduates

CONCLUSIONS ■ recommendations CONCLUSIONS ■ recommendations

Topic Topic


Selection of the topic Selection of the topic

ALUMNI CLUBS / ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS are the organisations associating the former students of higher education institutions. Their mission rests in maintaining contacts between the Faculty (University) and graduates.

They have their own tradition and a good name in the world (in the United States and the United Kingdom the alumni clubs have a long-year tradition).

Membership in the alumni clubs is a matter of pride and prestige.

Services provided by clubs are adapted to the line of individual universities and to conditions and customs.

These associations often organise social events, publish newsletters or magazines, and raise funds for the organisation.

Many provide a variety of benefits and services that help alumni maintain connections to their educational institution and fellow graduates.



They create a platform for efficient cooperation between the institution and graduates, and between graduates themselves.

Alumni associations can also include associations of former employees of a business.

These associations are growing in popularity and becoming an important part of a personal business network.

They contribute in a significant way to increasing the level of quality of scientific and pedagogical process and to better enforcement of university concerns at social or political level.



ALUMNI CLUBS / ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS in Slovakia are relatively little known, actually their operation has not yet been clearly defined, conceptually worked-out and functional.

the awareness of the alumni associations is minimal,

the term of alumni club is rather unknown to laic public,

it‘s many a time fully unknown to present-day university students, too,

only a small percentage of students of the faculties where such associations exist and perform their activities, know them.


ALUMNI club STU ALUMNI club STU

ALUMNI CLUB at STU / ALUMNI ASSOCIATION was founded in 2007 at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, as a civic, nonpolitical, special interest association, which associates the STU graduates and friends, based on voluntariness.The aim is:

to create a new space for communication between graduates themselves, and graduates and the University,

to enable mutual cooperation and contact between graduates, their patrons, friends and supporters,

to support educational activities of students both at home and abroad,

to provide for the access to library funds,

to organize vocational student exchange, excursions,



to provide for annual professional and social meetings of the STU graduates,

to support the professional, sports and cultural activities and events of ALUMNI members,

to seek new forms how to innovate the graduates‘ relations with their Alma mater,

to cooperate with their members at establishing contacts with foreign entities, at information exchange and other forms of gaining new knowledge,

to cooperate with organization of similar line in the SR and abroad,

to carry our publishing activities,

to realize promotional activity,

to help provide for multisource financing of STU in agreement with the Higher Education Law.



ALUMNI club STU organizes regular (each month, the first Tuesday) club meetings „Interviews with Science“, in which outstanding personalities from the field of science, research, culture, economic and social life, as well as university students participate.



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Among the STU graduates there are employees, significant experts from the world of work, scientific workers, representatives of the State and public administration.

Contacts with the people of this kind are of great significance for the University as they contribute a great deal to increasing the quality of scientific and educational process as well as to better assertion of its interests at the social and political level.

University of 3 Age University of 3 Age

UNIVERSITY OF 3 AGE at the STU is among the „younger“ universities of the third age in Slovakia, being established in 1998.

In the academic year 2012/2013, the U3A STU entered the 15th year of its existence. Each year it opens the first general year for new applicants, with the solemn immatriculation of newly enrolled students.

At present, U3A STU offers 10 study courses (SC) for all those who wish to continue their studies after having finished the first general year at the U3A STU or at any other university of the third age in Slovakia.

The study courses in thematic areas:

Architecture

Lifestyle and Health

Information and Communication TechnologiesCooperation, Need for Communication and Resumption of Dialogue in relation to Age-groups

University of 3 age University of 3 age


Form of teaching:Regular lectures (in general year and in ten study courses) to be followed by discussions, once in a fortnight, at least 14 lectures per academic year. Practical training (in ICT study course).

The educational activities take place in every academic year according to time schedule set in advance, as shown in the Study Programme.

Teachers are outstanding scientific-pedagogical workers from STU and other Slovak universities, scientific-research institutions and from practice.

The professional value of the study courses falls within the competence of selected professional guarantors. According to present evaluation by students the lectures are very interesting, understandable even for laymen in the given field and the live discussions represent many a time a mutual exchange of experience.

University of 3 Age University of 3 Age

The education is realized: by using ICT, themes of lectures are available on the website „Lectures“, in print form, publications „Study Programmes of U3A" are issued for the respective academic year.

Form and study management:The study is as a rule three-year (general year + 2 years of the study course).A part of „Study Programme“ in each academic year is „Organization Order“ and „Study Rules“.


University of 3 age University of 3 age

Admission requirements: filling-out the application form, secondary school-

leaving certificate / diploma, tuition for the study (set for the given academic year)

Age limit women: 45 years, men: 50 years

According to present evaluation by students the lectures are very interesting, understandable even for laymen in the given field and the live discussions represent many a time a mutual exchange of experience.


Portal of Graduates Portal of Graduates


Nonetheless important task is the creation of social networks (networking) between the graduates themselves, eventually, between the graduates and undergraduates. The former students often help to fresh graduates and undergraduates to find placement at the labour market.The associations create a platform for regularcommunication, cooperation and informationexchange.

.

Portal of Graduates of STU is designed to all graduates, undergraduates, friends and supporters of STU in Bratislava.Through its mediation one gets information on topical events, or to seek amongst our fresh graduates perspective employees for their companies.

Successful graduates of the STU Successful graduates of the STU


Technology Prize of the Slovak Republic 2012Slovak and world patent for bioplastics Prof. Dr. P. Alexy

IT Person of the Year 2008Co-founder ESETM. Trnka, MSc.

Director General of of Siemens AKPresident of Slovakia-German Chamber of Commerce member of the Board Slovakia-Austrian Chamber of CommerceIng. Vladimír Slezák

Dean of Faculty of ArchitectureAss. Prof. Dr. Ľ. Vitková

The main architect of the City of Bratislava Ingrid Konrad, M.A.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


WEAKNESSES

Cooperation and communication between higher education institutions and students and their graduates are among the issues to be paid appropriate attention.

Cooperation with graduates appear to be little systematic, it lacks conceptual approach on the part of higher education institutions.

Reserves, especially in the field of basic communication with graduates, or cooperation with external experts from practice within the framework of educational process.

Particularly, as regards realization of educational activities, there is a large space for organization of educational events in the context of lifelong education programmes. The efficient functioning of alumni clubs presupposes a positive relation of the graduates to the University in which he/she had studied.


To actively work with students from the beginning of the study and if possible also in the period immediately before it. The school‘s interest is to provide high quality education of graduates well prepared for the world of work, while spreading good reputation of the school attended.

To maintain permanent contact with graduates, upon completing the study to search for, address and prepare projects for eventual cooperation with their former fellow students.

To increase the information of graduates on ALUMNI club existence and their activities and in this line to undertake activities aimed at promotion of these associations.

To gain a feedback on the part of students as well as the former graduates, as early as during their study, that will enable them to better adapt the educational process to real needs of students and the practice.

RECOMMEMDATIONS



To achieve more feedback from graduates on the part of higher education institutions, which has an impact on interconnection of educational process in higher education institutions with real needs of the labour market. It builds a positive precondition for potential cooperation of graduates within he framework of alumni clubs.

To regularly map out satisfaction of university graduates with the provided education, to treat the results on the part of university representatives that should be interested in quality of the provided education and in satisfaction of their graduates.

To concentrate on gaining the feedback, especially through inquiry surveys, to realize them on the level of individual higher education institutions in such a way as to be able to remove concrete insufficiencies within the framework of teaching at the particular faculties.

RECOMMENDATIONS



To work out and accept the university / faculty strategy of communication and management aimed at former graduates which should be directed, managed and continuous activity and a part of management of universities / higher education institutions.

To create centres for communication with the graduates that would be concerned with searching and addressing the former students, establishing and deepening cooperation with them. The task of the centre should consist of coordination and umbrella activities connected with the graduates.

Communication of the school with a former student after completing his/her study has significant advantages for both parties. The graduates maintain important posts in State administration, self-government, Parliament, executive, and the like.

Use of such feedback may represent an excellent opportunity for better enforcement of interests of the higher education institution in the society.

RECOMMENDATIONS


Thank you for your attention!

Thank youDr. Laura Gressnerová, M.A.

Ivan Prelovský, M.Sc. JUDr. Karin Raková, MSc., MBA

Department of international mobility of students of STU

Work programme Work programme


For achievement of project aims the partners will organise conferences (5), discussions aimed at intergenerational dialogue, promotion of the contribution of the transfer of experience, knowledge, skills of older generation to the young adults, cooperation of the education sector with the labour and employment sector.

WP1: Conference I Country

National policies and strategies within the framework of partner countries in the field of intergenerational dialogue and solidarity.Strategies, trends and perspectives in the field of solidarity within EU. A survey of relations and views between the generations, their interaction, support, acceptance.Dimensions of Diversity and Integration.Internationalization process and improvement of intergenerational dialogue.

Slovakia

WP2: Conference II Country

Significance and task of ALUMNI clubs in the field intergenerational dialogue and cooperation, proposals of new approaches, innovations and transfer of good experience.

Work programme Work programme


WP3: Conference III Country

State and possibilities of cooperation of the education sector and institution of labour market, opinions of employers on preparedness of graduates at the national and international level.

Placement of school leavers at the labour market, state of unemployment, gender equality and generation discrimination within the framework of occupations and sectors, causes of this development and measures for promoting their transfer from schools to labour market.

WP4: Conference IV Country

The influence of megasocial trends in the world on technical education. To focus on the problem of population ageing, involvement in the further education (task of universities of the third age). The role of Alumni clubs in this problem.

WP5: Conference V Country

The task of intergenerational dialogue in policy. Population in the EU gets older.

Is the inception of the seniors’ political parties justified? Will the seniors’ parties lead the way of policy for the future or will the existing political parties accept the seniors’ needs?

Role of Alumni clubs in policy.

Slovakia

Participants Participants


No. Participating organisation No. of planned outgoing

activities (staff)

No. of planned outgoing

mobilities (pupils/ learners/ trainees)

Total of participants

P1 Association "Alumni Club of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

8 16 24

P2 Karadeniz Technical University 8 4 12

P3 Czestochowa University of Technology

2 10 12

P4 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)ZAK | Center for Cultural and General Studies

8 0 8

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