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COPYRIGHT 2002 Southern Public Administration Education Foundation, Inc.
The European higher education area
The Bologna Process
After predominantly US and Australian universities recognised and actively embraced globalisation more than a decade ago, the 1999 "Bologna Process" has now led most European universities and governments to actively promote the internationalisation of the university system. By doing so, they have recognised that a Europe of culture and education, which must develop alongside a Europe of trade, industry and currency--if the unification process is to succeed--can only be brought about if future graduates as the top performers of European societies, experience the European concept of "unity in diversity" as a significant component of their education, and thus develop to both sensibly and productively use this diversity as a unique resource. Great productivity potential lies in the exchange between European cultures, and appropriate structures and forms of co-operation are being developed within the framework of Campus Europae to exploit this potential in a university context.
Historical Roots
For more than 1,000 years, Europe has been viewed as having a common culture. Despite the differences in cultural experiences in each individual country, all are linked by a common tradition and an awareness of their "unity in diversity".
With the start of the European university system in the 11th century, it was natural over a period of several hundred years for students and lecturers to move around freely. The "Barbarossa Privilege" afforded the special protection of the King to those migrant scholars who had become "homeless for the love of science (amore scientie facti exules)". Using Latin as the lingua franca, universities were international beyond the Age of Enlightenment, without having to emphasise this characteristic.
The era of nationalism over the past 300 years has not left the universities unaffected. At times, they almost became strongholds of chauvinistic thought. After the Second World War, however, this nationalist concentration has met with little response in European universities. With the end of the Cold War, the last wall, which blocked personal mobility and the free exchange of thought, has been removed. The path is once again clear for a fresh Europeanisation of the university system.
The Present Situation
Internationalisation and globalisation are the dominating phenomena in the current global debate. They will shape the foreseeable future of science and business, politics and culture, even when confronted with counter-movements seeking to impose regionalism and isolation. The Europeanisation of higher education is therefore not just a key idea in a historical sense. It is equally the necessary conclusion to be drawn from current endeavours to encourage Europe to grow...
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