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Newsletter nr. 19 - octombrie 2009 |
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COOL FRIENDS - Interview Cristian Georgescu |
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Cristian Georgescu
Lecturer at The Economic Sciences Faculty of the University of Lower Danube in Galati
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Young people's education is still a hot topic, even in today's troubled times, if we take into consideration all the articles in the media. That's why this month we invited Cristian Georgescu, Lecturer at The Economic Sciences Faculty of the University of Lower Danube in Galati and Chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Economics to talk about the latest university ranking, student education and the way it's seen by the academic environment.
1. In Capital's University Rankings, among the top 5 universities there is just one such institution from Bucharest, the rest being from other cities in Romania. What are the reasons behind this change, taking into consideration the fact that up till now Bucharest's universities were considered as being the best?
In my opinion this surprise comes when taking into consideration the notoriety of Bucharest's universities. I can however observe that Capital's ranking was based on interviews conducted with various employers while in another older ranking
(http://www.ad-astra.ro/universitati/universities.php), based on scientific articles published by university personnel in well known international scientific journals, we can find two universities from Bucharest in the top five. What we have to consider is that all these rankings are relative and the
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conclusion is that employer's choices are based on the quality of the output and less on that of the environment that produced it.
2. In the same ranking we can also find a lot of private universities. What are the advantages of a private university as opposed to a state one?
I can, again, only guess because legally and institutionally there is no difference between private and state universities. I presume that, taking into consideration their internal structure, the students of these universities have an easier schedule which allows them to work during their university years thus gaining experience in a certain field of work.
3. For a while now Romanian employers have criticized the way students are taught in universities. Many say that what they learn during these years has no connection with the job market. What is the academic environment's point of view regarding these statements? What can universities do in order to ensure that students are adapted to the needs of the job market?
In this case we have to talk about a compromise that has to be reached between the employer's interest and that of the employee. Universities consider that it is much safer to offer the student a more general education without risking the introduction of a highly specialized study program. On the other hand the employer wants a graduate that is extremely productive in a specific area. This increased productivity is obtained by turning the student into a specialist thus limiting his choices of employers with different fields of activity. I think this risk has to be accepted by the employer by recruiting, supporting and guiding the student. Through a partnership between the employer and the future employee the latter will be able to choose the degree of preparation in certain disciplines that are part of the general curriculum and certain extracurricular activities.
4. One of the proposals that were forwarded with regard to the academic environment was that of a cutback in the number of universities and public research institutes. The idea was that they were going to be replaced by regional and metropolitan universities. Do you think this is a solution that might raise the quality level of teachers, students and the curriculum?
The job market should regulate this situation but there are a lot of personal interests that can alter this self regulating mechanism. In principle, any movement that occurs in the market should lead to a repositioning in terms of quality. If we admit that we can improve the curriculum from an administrative point of view and as a result the degree to which our students are prepared, the quality of educational activities and their adaptability can only be realized by increasing teachers' interests with regard to the economic environment.
5. A lot of foreign universities use educational marketing in order to attract both investments and students. How interested are Romanian universities with regard to educational marketing? Do they implement promotional activities or do they continue to rely on the status and image gained along the years?
Unfortunately, promotional activities regarding both students and the business environment are nowhere to be seen and when they are implemented, most lack professionalism. The regrettable exception of this state of affairs is the way the basic product (the diploma) is promoted. I believe we should have a different promotion strategy for students, employers and partners focused on aspects such as the curriculum, teaching potential and research capability. School is an academic venture but it must be managed like a business. |
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