CEU Hosts Erasmus Staff Week on Managing a Global University

CEU hosted the Erasmus Staff Week April 11-15 with the theme “Managing a Global University: What Does It Take?” and participants from 10 countries from Iceland to Kyrgyzstan. CEU, with students from 107 countries and faculty and staff from 49, and strategic partnerships from the U.S. to Poland, Kyrgyzstan to Myanmar, was pleased to host the event and exchange ideas and experience with Erasmus member universities on topics from recruitment to admissions, partnerships to human resources, communications to research collaboration.


Erasmus Staff Week participants received CEU branded materials. Image credit: CEU

The week kicked off with a welcome by Zsuzsa Gabor, director of CEU’s Academic Cooperation and Research Support Office, the host unit for the event, and an overview of CEU’s administrative structure as a uniquely global institution, by Vice-President for Administration Margaret Bolter. CEU Provost Liviu Matei then provided an overview of higher education in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region.

“During the post-communist transition, the CEE countries found themselves in a very bizarre situation: they had the chance to and pressure to reform their higher education systems. This makes CEE countries different from Western countries because, over here, we started from zero,” said Matei. “Today, one of the major differences between Western European and CEE higher education systems is the high percentage of private universities here; almost one-third of universities in CEE are private, while only 6.3 percent in Western Europe are.”

Budapest was in focus that evening, when participants boarded a boat for a cruise on the Danube as the sun set. This was an opportunity to network, one of the key goals of Erasmus Staff Week program, as well as enjoy the weather and the glittering city skyline.


Erasmus Staff Week participants cruised the Danube during their week in Budapest. Image credit: CEU

Tuesday was all about students - how they find CEU, apply and are accepted, how they experience life on campus, how they find jobs as they prepare to graduate, and how CEU keeps in touch when they become alumni. Student recruitment, admissions, student life, alumni relations, and career services colleagues presented and discussed their experiences.

Due to the University’s size and international applicant pool, CEU offers an individualized approach, even when handling 5,000 applications per year, according to Admissions Manager Katalin Horvath.


CEU Admissions Manager Katalin Horvath speaks to participants. Photo: CEU.

“We must clearly define eligibility, we have to be aware of cultural differences, we have to be flexible to accommodate unexpected circumstances, and we have to maintain regular contact with immigration authorities,” Horvath said, describing the University-wide cooperation required to reach admission decisions and the challenges of serving a global audience. Coordinator Zsuzsanna Bukta followed with a presentation on the customized services offered to students applying for non-degree programs at CEU.

Alumni outreach and getting alumni involved in shaping the University after they graduate were the subject of a presentation by Judit Jakab, alumni campaign and networks officer at CEU. Career Services Coordinator Csilla Domotor emphasized that her office offers lifelong services to students and alumni, keeping them engaged with the University and with each other.

International cooperation and mobility through strategic partnerships, research collaboration, other academic exchange programs were the focus on Wednesday, including a lively discussion about best practices led by Anna Szathmari, CEU's Erasmus coordinator. This was followed by an overview of CEU’s strategy for communications to a global audience.

The packed program continued Thursday with a focus on human resources - recruiting and keeping international employees, including topics such as HR support, development opportunities, mobility and pensions. CEU’s Human Resources Office supports foreign employees in attaining residence and work permits, driving licences, a tax number, health insurance and other documents necessary in Hungary. Since employees come from around the world, exploring the different taxation treaties and bilateral social security agreements is a constant part of their job, Human Resources Specialist Janos Gocsman said.

HR Director Gabriella Kemeny introduced RESAVER, the Pan-European Supplementary Pension Plan for research and academic institutions, of which CEU is a founding member. The plan will be launched soon for institutions, an excellent opportunity to offer employees a pension plan that can move with them when they move.

On the last day, participants met with their counterparts at CEU for a chance to directly exchange ideas, experiences and best practices with those in the same field of higher education administration before leaving Budapest.

For a slide show of photos of the Danube cruise, click here.