Category: News from Members

Universitat d’Andorra Rector and NUSCT President Miquel Nicolau i Vila was elected to the Administrative Board of the International Association of Universities (IAU) on 28th of October, 2022, at the 16th IAU General Conference at the University College Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland.

The International Association of Universities founded in 1950, in Nice France, at the initiative of UNESCO and higher education leaders around the world, is the major international HE organization, with close to 600 members (institutions, organisations, affiliates and associates), from more than 130 countries.

The IAU serves the global higher education community by providing, among others, trends analysis, publications, advisory services, events, and advocacy to inform, affect and support global HE initiatives by intergovernmental organizations, governments and institutions worldwide.

Rector Nicolau’s election to the IAU Board comes as a recognition of his professional career, contribution to higher education, and commitment to internationalisation to ensure sustainability and peaceful coexistence. Miquel Nicolau’s participation on the IAU Board will, furthermore, ensure that universities in small countries and territories have a voice in shaping the organisation’s international HE agenda.

The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) has made known the Children’s University project of the Universitat d’Andorra (UdA). The project complements and provides an expanded framework for its Science Congress –annual event that was first held in 2014– which objective is to have children in the first courses of secondary school –aged 11 to 12–  in the Principality’s three educational systems present scientific projects of their own design.
The purposes of the Children’s University project is to have children interact with academe, strengthen faith in science  and scientific evidence at an early age, and to  promote participation in scientific projects.
More information can be found in this article: Promoting Children’s Interest in Science: The Children University Project.

The Universitat d’Andorra became a member institution of UNAI in October 2021, joining higher education institutions working with the United Nations Organization (UN) for the fulfilment of the objectives and mandates of the organization, including promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.

INTRODUCTION TO BLOCKCHAIN, NFTS AND THE METAVERSE

The Department of Digital Innovation, in collaboration with the Institute for the Future (IFF) of the University of Nicosia (UNIC), are pleased to announce the first on-site boot camp on Blockchain and crypto. The boot camp will take place at UNIC premises from the Oct 3- Oct 7, 2022.

The boot camp offers an introduction to blockchain technologies and covers a variety of hot topics such as digital currencies, DAOs, NFTs, the Metaverse and Web3. Overall, it will be a mix of understanding blockchain technologies and discussing the new possibilities that blockchain has to offer to all industries.

The course curriculum, designed by UNIC’s faculty with a duration of 30-hours, has the below objectives:

– To introduce Blockchain technology and describe and understand its technical components including

• Consensus algorithms
• Encryption techniques and hash functions
• Smart Contract

– To explain the peer-to-peer communication paradigm and its advantages over the traditional one

– To familiarize students with main layer 1 Blockchains such Bitcoin and Ethereum

– To introduce decentralized applications and present several use cases

– To introduce CBDCs and DAOs and their associated legal and security risks 

– To present NFTs, Web 3.0 (the decentralized Web) and the Metaverse

Language of instruction: English

Admission Requirements: Prior technical knowledge of Blockchain is not required.

Fees: The tuition fee for the boot camp is 350 EUR and it is payable at registration. Tuition Fees are waived for student/faculty/staff of NUSCT Network members.

Contact: For more information and questions regarding the Boot Camp please visit   https://www.unic.ac.cy/introduction-to-blockchain-nfts-and-the-metaverse/ or contact Dr Melpo Iacovidou at iacovidou.m@unic.ac.cy 

Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, rector of NUSCT member University of Nicosia, just released a very comprehensive and highly informative report “The University of Nicosia Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic (March 2020- October 2021)”

The full report is accessible here.

Member University of Malta colleague, Prof Frank Bezzina, co-authored  the publication  “Public Service Reforms in a Small Island State: the Case of Malta”, that was launched on 9 September, 2021 at the Maltese President’s Palace, with co-authors Dr Emanuel Camilleri and Dr Vincent Marmara.

The book offers a broad analysis on reforms and changes that have taken place in the Public Service in Malta since 2013, and their impact on the service, the client, and government employees.

The publication presents Malta as a reference point for other small island states, and its public service as a case study for reforms in public services and their successful implementation.

For more information on the Springer publication please contact frank.bezzina@um.edu.mt

From left to right:. Co-authors Frank Bezzina and Vincent Marmara, H.E. Dr George Vella (President of Malta), Mr Mario Cutajar (Principal Permanent Secretary), co-author Emanuel Camilleri

 

The Universitat d’Andorra, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Andorra and the Andorran National Commission for UNESCO, is organizing a panel discussion on “Perspectives on Art and Cultural Diplomacy” to take place face to face and online at the Congress Center in Andorra la Vella,  Principality of Andorra, on 15th July 2021, from 18:00 to 20:15CEST (UTC+2).

The panel discussion will bring together 10 international experts from national governments, intergovernmental organisations, higher education institutions, NGOs and the arts, who will share experiences on the benefits and impact of the arts as a tool for  Cultural Diplomacy.

The closing keynote address will be delivered by former UNESCO Director- General Federico Mayor Zaragoza. See full program here.

The event organisers and panelists will present the Andorra Declaration for the Promotion of Cultural Diplomacy Through Higher Education. For endorsement by panelists, participants, and institutions worldwide, follow this link.

For free registration please go to http://www.uda.ad/roundtable2021.

For additional information contact info@unesco.ad

Vaduz – The Observatory Governing Council of the “Magna Charta Universitatum” has reviewed the application of the University of Liechtenstein and approved it as a signatory of the Magna Charta MCU2020 in March 2021. At the next ceremony of the Bologna-based association, Rector Prof. Dr. Ulrike Baumöl will sign the agreement of principles.

The Magna Charta Universitatum was signed by some 400 rectors on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna on September 18, 1988. It lays down fundamental principles of university life and is intended to protect the idea of the humanistic university. The fundamental principles are the independence of institutions, academic freedom, the inseparability of research and teaching, and their moral and intellectual independence from political and economic influences. The aim of the charter is to formulate basic requirements for future university development and policy. Signatories to the charter now include 889 universities from 88 countries.

“Signing the charter places us as a young university even more firmly in the humanistic traditions of higher education and fosters bonds between European universities – including those between Europe’s small states,” says Rector Prof. Dr. Ulrike Baumöl, explaining the significance of the convention: “In addition, the ‘Magna Charta’ serves as a universal inspiration for our further development.”

The University of San Marino is happy to announce that its application to become Signatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum has been accepted. San Marino thus officially joins the group of Signatory Universities of the Magna Charta Universitatum and thanks the Universities of Andorra, Malta and Bologna for their letters of support.”

Our colleague, Chik Collins, rector of NUSCT member University of the Faroe Islands, takes a sombre look at the early responses of UK universities in the Coronavirus pandemic in a co-authored article, “Why aren’t UK universities taking a lead in this crisis“, published by the Times Higher Education.

L-Università ta’Malta announces that Routledge have agreed to launch a new book series in 2020 dedicated to the study of small states. The ‘small state studies’ series is planned to curate and publish at least 10 monographs over a ten-year period.

The news comes after a bid to edit such a book series was put together by  Godfrey Baldacchino (University of Malta, Malta), Anna-Lena Hogenauer (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg) and Nicos Trimikliniotis (University of Nicosia, Cyprus).

In their successful submission, the three scholars argued how the world is replete with small states; and yet the orientation to acknowledge, discuss and critique the condition of small size and small scale is not yet a mainstream pursuit.

This book series will provide an excellent opportunity and platform for NUSCT- affiliated scholars and researchers to consider authoring or editing a text that examines a particular condition – diplomacy, international relations, public administration, governance,  policy making, the state of tertiary education, migration … – from a small state lens and perspective.