GOOD PRACTICES AT FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES (2)

CZAS PRZECZYTANIA TEKSTU: 3 minut(y) / READING TIME: 3 minutes

I have just returned from my first foreign business trip in a long time. The role of the Deputy Dean for International Cooperation grounded in the pandemic is … a specific experience.

I visited the capital of Georgia – beautiful Tbilisi, and there – our partner: Caucasus University. As a lecturer, I took classes with students of master’s and doctoral studies, as provided for in the Erasmus Plus program rules. I was also there as the Deputy Dean for International Cooperation and Development, and as part of this role, my goal was to look at the good practices at our Georgian partners.

The text – like the previous one – was written for people who visit my profile. Perhaps the practices described will be a source of inspiration for them. It is worth sharing good practices. Of course, I also intend to persuade the Dean of my faculty to use at least some of the spied (the word „suspects” sounds ambiguous) practices.

The seat of the school is located in the building of the former Armenian seminary from 1909. The seminary operated here in 1911-1924. Then the building gradually deteriorated until it was completely renovated. The elements of traditional decorations and ornaments remained, but the interior was arranged in a fully modern way. Interestingly, the authors of the new arrangement of the building are CU graduates, which additionally increases its attractiveness.

Here are a handful of insights and some illustrative photos from Caucasus University (CU) in Tbilisi:

There is an ad hoc meeting room in the school – there are several two-person workstations with computers, with chairs set vis-à-vis, where the lecturer can spontaneously meet the student at any time of the day to talk about matters related to studies – without having to stand in the corridor, in noise, etc.

2. The walls of the entire school are decorated with works of art. As explained to me – the school owner is a collector and art lover and shares his collection with students. It is impossible to list all the unquestionable advantages of communing with art in a short summary. In addition to functioning in the vicinity of beautiful canvases – students learn that it is worth sharing the acquired goods with others. The pride of the collection is the work of Pablo Picasso himself. For obvious reasons, a copy has been displayed on the wall, but the original kept in the safe is also available to interested students.

3. The school emphasizes the openness of the authorities to contact with students – making an appointment with the dean or the rector is simple and quick.

4. My special attention was drawn to the „Brainstorm Room” – a youthfully decorated room for meetings held in order to commercialize and „monetize” student ideas. It turns out that students of economics and business as well as law students come here most willingly and most often to develop cooperation. In the room, training sessions, meetings with representatives of government agencies supporting entrepreneurship and the creation of start-ups, with practitioners and businessmen (especially from among graduates) are organized, and finally – numerous meetings of the youth themselves, who spend days thinking about marketing strategies and legal forms of planned activities.

5. Modern design of the building in line with the latest trends and fashions, colors, furniture, accessories used – everything is very well thought out and gives a very professional impression, and this way one is encouraged to use these spaces.

6. The school has a small TV studio for student use only under professional supervision.

7. Significant support for the activity is provided by the media team – supporting the promotion and tailored to the needs of individual fields of study, taking into account their specificity also in terms of forms of promotion (the law department is promoted differently, and differently – IT or rehabilitation).

8. A historic chapel was reconstructed at the top of the building. This is the only part of the building that has remained traditional decor. The former chapel, destroyed by the Soviets, was carefully reconstructed. Apparently, this is a place very liked by students – both believers and non-believers. Some people find there a silence that allows them to reflect and relax. Others come to pray (crowds before exams). The chapel itself is a small work of art.

9. The school has a professional simulation room for organizing hearings and moot-courts (I had lectures in this room – very nice experience).

10. One of the important principles of internationalization is conducting common activities for foreign and Georgian students. There are no classes specifically for international students. Georgian students are required to complete several lectures during their studies in English.

11. Class groups consist of a maximum of 25 people.

12. The dean’s office is organized in the open-space formula, thanks to which the student can take care of all formalities in one large room, or rather – any formalities.

13. The library is quite small because the vast majority of the collections have been digitized and students can access them online from anywhere, also from home.

14. Attention is drawn to the emphasis placed on the spaces for student integration – from numerous rooms and places to aesthetic and useful furniture. Pro-studentness is also manifested in promoting and rewarding the participation of students and graduates in creating the school’s interior. An example is the decoration of one of the windows in the main hall, in the form of a stained glass window with a Christmas motif. The window’s decoration was made as part of the annual interiors’ Christmas decoration created by students. Most of these ornaments are of a one-off nature and are removed after the holiday season. Everyone liked the idea and form of the stained glass window so much that, by the decision of the authorities and students, it remained permanently (after proper reinforcement and consolidation).

15. Finally, the gender proportions in university authorities and administration are definitely in favor of women. At the meeting with the Dean of the Faculty of Law and the international affairs team – I was the only man. Georgia is a very conservative country, but what is important – women have had a very strong position in society for centuries. The most important king of Georgia was … a woman (King Tamar). Similarly – the most important saint who brought Christianity to Georgia and opened its doors to a new culture and civilization – also was a woman (Saint Nino). I really like working with women who I value for their high professionalism and diligence with a hint of empathy that sometimes we – men – lack.