Advocacy

Accountable Guvernance in Higher Education: a program to promote principles of good governance in state-funded universities from Arad, Cluj and Timisoara University Centres, 2007 – 2008

Partner
Aurel Vlaicu University, Arad

Objective
Defining and implementing in a participatory manner a general pilot framework for accountable, transparent and efficient governance in Arad, Cluj and Timisoara University Centers with a view to the academic decision making processes, including the management of cultural diversity in higher education.

Specific objectives
Identifying and analyzing the key issues, challenges and optimal solutions for enhancing the instruments of an accountable management, including the management of cultural diversity related to the leadership structures of public universities from Arad, Cluj and Timisoara.
Creating lobby and advocacy capacities within student and youth organizations and other associations taking a stake into promoting a framework for transparency, integrity and efficiency in the decision making processes in academia.
Exchange of know-how among executives from universities and student and youth NGOs, plus relevant administrative personnel from universities in issues concerning transparency in academic PR and Communication, the management of consultation processes, and participatory management, including the management of cultural diversity.
Developing a coalition at the level of the six universities from the target group with a view to improving public accountability and transparency of leadership structures (university senate, chancellor’s office, administrative services from university, the board of student and youth organizations) and implementing the pilot framework for public accountability.

Target group
Direct beneficiaries
15 student / youth organizations from the cities of Arad, Cluj and Timisoara
6 public universities financed from state budget funds (University of West, Timisoara; Politehnica University Timisoara, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘Victor Babes’, Timisoara; University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine ‘Banat’, Timisoara; ‘Aurel Vlaicu’ University, Arad; ‘Babes Bolyai’ University, Cluj): 6 chancellor’s offices, 6 university senates, 6 faculty councils, 10 executive boards of student / youth NGOs
30 individuals, 5 per university, members of the task force for monitoring the decision making mechanism in higher education

Indirect beneficiaries
Youth organizations from Arad, Cluj and Timisoara
Students and university staff interrelated with the direct beneficiaries of the project
Higher education institutions from Romania
The 3 local communities included in the target group (Arad, Cluj, Timisoara)

Activities
Preparatory activities: elaborating the instruments and materials of the projects; establishing the communication strategy within the project
The research thread: measuring public perceptions regarding the methods of decision making within various types of leadership structures from higher education and the comparative assessment of these as concerning their transparency, public accountability and efficiency; study results dissemination conference
The capacity-building thread: trainings in lobby, advocacy and networking
The know-how exchange and coalition-building thread: workshops on themes such as ‘Transparency in PR and Communication’, ‘Management of consultation processes’, ‘Participatory management and management of cultural diversity’; ‘Accountable governance in higher education’ final conference
Evaluation of the project

The project is implemented from December 1, 2007 to October 30, 2008 with the financial support of the EUROPEAN UNION, through PHARE 2005 Program Strengthening Democracy in Romania, Component 2 – Democracy, human rights, the rule of law, independence of justice and fight against corruption. The value of the grant is 50.530 Euro.