Budapest, October 17, 2017 – Central European University (CEU) states that it has taken all steps to fulfill the conditions of the amended Hungarian higher education law known as ‘lex CEU,’ and presents documents supporting its full compliance with the condition regarding educational activities in our institution’s country of origin.
The Hungarian authorities negotiated the text of a bilateral agreement with their counterparts in the State of New York (NYS). The draft bilateral agreement enabled CEU to take action to comply with the requirement for educational activities in NYS.
CEU concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bard College, a higher education institution chartered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), on September 8. This MOU, which we release today, specifies the educational activities that CEU will conduct in New York. The text of the MOU, authorized by the Boards of Trustees of the two institutions, was officially submitted to the Hungarian authorities by the legal counsel of the Governor of New York. The validity of the agreement has been confirmed in a letter sent to the Hungarian government by the highest higher education authority in the state of New York, which we also release today.
Following the signing of the MOU, CEU now has its own facilities on Bard’s campus. CEU has registered with NYSED a joint program with Bard, taught by CEU and Bard professors. Other educational activities, as specified in the MOU, include bilateral student and faculty exchanges, research activities by CEU academics and graduate students in NYS, and practical training (internships) for CEU students in the U.S.
In short, CEU complies fully with the requirement of educational activities in the US, as specified by the Hungarian authorities in the agreement negotiated with NYS.
Having fulfilled its obligations under the draft agreement, CEU calls on the Hungarian government to sign the agreement and send it to Parliament for ratification. The extension to the deadline for compliance, voted on today by the Hungarian Parliament, is an unnecessary delay that subjects the university and the Hungarian academic community to a further year of legal uncertainty.
Press conference photo credit: Zoltan Adrian
CEU COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
COLLEEN SHARKEY | International Media Relations Manager
E-mail: sharkeyc@ceu.edu Mobile: +36 30 916 2273
