10th European Conference for Higher Education in the Life Sciences Relating to Agriculture, Forestry, Food, Natural Resources and the Rural Environment

Bologna Declaration 10 years on –

Promising and delivering quality in Life Science education across Europe

held ay University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture (Sveučilište u Zagrebu Agronomski fakultet)

Svetošimunska cesta 25, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Conference Focus 

The Bologna Declaration was signed by the ministers of education from 29 European countries in 1999 with the aim of increasing the international competitiveness of European higher education within the concept of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The Bologna Process has led to a ground breaking restructuring of European higher education, with a speed of change that many did not anticipate in 1999.  This move towards a common structure and process is made whilst respecting the diversity in our European education systems.  Diversity is a strength to be exploited rather than a barrier to cooperation. 

The US National Academies’ recent report on Transforming agricultural education for a changing world has highlighted that many of today’s major challenges — food and energy security, human health, and climate change — are closely tied to the global food supply and natural resource enterprises.  Higher education in the life sciences in all parts of Europe must attract school leavers to our degree programmes in order to assure the next generation of leaders and professionals needed to address these challenges.   

The themes of this conference ask you to reflect on the success and continuing challenges of the Bologna Process in developing graduates in the life sciences who will have the skills and attitudes to play their part in an increasingly global, and rapidly changing and challenging world, and to focus on the challenges still to be addressed by 2020.   

Programme 

Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Welcome Reception by the Zagreb City Mayor, Palača Dverce, Katarinin Trg 6

Thursday, 17 June 2010

Words of welcome
Davor Romić, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture
Aleksa Bjeliš, Rector, University of Zagreb
Jaume Lloveras, Chair, ECHAE Standing Committee
Jasmina Havranek, President, Agency for Science and Higher Education
Radovan Fuchs, Minister, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports 

Session 1: Attracting and educating the next generation of leaders and professionals in the applied life sciences; enhancing employability, supporting life long learning 

Invited speakers 

Kenneth L. Esbenshade (North Carolina State University)
"Building Programs of Study in Agriculture and Life Sciences that are Responsive to Students, Employers and Society"   

Jacob Søby Bang (University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences)
"Targeted recruitment based on knowledge about mega trends and personal Involvement" 

Offered paper 

Jennie C. Litten-Brown, Colin W. Litten-Brown (University of Reading, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development)
"Development of online land-based learning resources for FE/HE students and industry stakeholders" 

Session 2: Reflection on success and challenges in the implementation of the Bologna Process during the past ten years and looking forward to 2020 – lessons learnt 

Invited speakers 

Gerhard Wenzel (Technische Universität München)
"10 years Bologna - benefits and challenges cumulating in a students' strike" 

Jasmina Havranek (Agency for Science and Higher Education, Croatia)
"Reflection on success and challenges in the implementation of the Bologna Process during the past ten years and looking forward to 2020 – lessons learnt" 

Cosmin Salasan (Banat's University of Agricultural Sciences Timisoara, Faculty of Agricultural Management)
"The Bologna system and the Romanian Higher Education in Agriculture/Life Sciences" 

Offered papers 

Jaume Lloveras (University of Lleida, School and Agriculture and Forestry
"The Bologna System in the Agricultural and Forestry degrees in Spain. an update" 

Sonja Marić, Tomislav Jurić, Darko Kiš, Zdenko Lončarić, Vlado Guberac (University of J.J. Strossmayer, Faculty of Agriculture in Osijek)
"Implementation of Bologna Declaration – FoA Osijek experience" 

Zrinka Knezović, Ana Sabljo (University of Mostar, Faculty of Agriculture and food technology)
"Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology University of Mostar B & H" 

Sofija Pekić Quarrie, Vesna Poleksić, Ana Pešikan, Slobodanka Antić, Steve Quarrie (Belgrade University, Faculty of Agriculture)
"Bologna works or does it? Reflections on challenges at the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade" 

Michal Lostak (Czech University of Life Sciences), Chistine Notté and Catherine Constant (AgroSup Dijon)
"Sustainable development at the heart of a new approach: transversality and harmonization in the teaching of agronomy" 

Renata Husinec, Valentina Papić (Križevci College of Agriculture)
"Developing a mobile and employable graduate through languages for special purposes (LSP) education in Life Sciences"

 Friday, 18 June 2010  

Session 3: Developing a creative and employable graduate

Invited speaker

Martin Blum (University of Hohenheim)
"Student-centred learning: a means to promote creativeness and graduate employability"

Offered papers 

Andrew H. Cobb (Harper Adams University College)
"Teaching; informed and enriched by research" 

Slobodanka Antić, Vesna Poleksić, Ana Pešikan, Sofija Pekić Quarrie, Steve Quarrie (Belgrade University, Faculty of Agriculture)
"Student-centred curriculum: Improving students’ learning or just “the Emperor’s new clothes” 

Eva Šimková (University of Hradec Kralove, Faculty of Education)
"About the necessity of tourism research" 

Invited speaker

 Thomas Guggenberger (University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna – BOKU)
"Promoting quality within a QA network" 

Session 4: Developing an international outlook in our graduates

 Invited speaker 

Pim Brascamp (Wageningen University and Research Centre)
"Components of an international university. The Wageningen example."

Offered papers 

Agnieszka Wojciechowska and Krystyna Gutkowska (Warsaw University of Life Sciences)
"The stages of Bologna Process and internationalization process implementation at SGGW" 

Marija Romić (University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture)
"Increasing mobility and academic cooperation in environmental sciences by an international curriculum development"

Ramona Franić (University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture)
"Developing an international outlook in our graduates" 

Closing of the Conference: 
Philippe Choquet, President, ICA and Milan Mesic, Chair, ECHAE 2010