Proposal of joint european project CHAIN-E

and third years functions of University - Coordinator of the project executes the USVPU, and some part of the responsibilities on coordination of works in Europe are preserved for RUG. The delegation of a coordinating role to Russian university (USVPU) has two reasons: first, the major part of work under the project is carried out in Russia; secondly, the fulfillment of managing functions will allow the USVPU to fix and to advance those skills of a realization of international cooperation, which were incorporated by joint activity of the Russian-European consortium of universities in 1994-98.

The problems of CHAIN-E and Russian-European subprojects development strategy (as well as development strategy of the URAL subprojects and other projects connecting universities of Ural and Europe into the network) will be settled by Council of the Rectors, which includes Prof./Dr. G. Romantsev (USVPU), Prof./Dr. V. Tretyakov (USU), Prof./Dr. V. Kamyshov (USUE), Prof./Dr. S. Naboichenko (USTU), Prof./Dr. V. Zhavoronkov (USPU) on the part of Ekaterinburg universities.

The operating project management is carried out by the Coordination Council of the managers of works at the universities. To be such managers: a Vice-Rector - coordinator of the international programs (USVPU), Prof./Dr. I. Kolobkov - Chairman of Coordination Council; a Vice-Rector on international relations (USUE), Prof./Dr. A. Maltsev – deputy head of the Coordination Council; the dean of Economics Faculty (USU), Prof./Dr. D. Nesterova; Head of the Department of The Analysis of Systems and Decision Making (USTU), Prof./Dr. O. Nikonov; a Vice-Rector on educational work and international relations (USPU), Prof./Dr. M. Igoshev are appointed. The managers of works at the universities coordinate aspirations of faculties and departments involved in the project in the correspondence with the annually developed general plan of the activity, which is approved in Tempus Department of the ETF.

A big role in carrying out of the MJEP CHAIN-E activities is played by the ECTS-coordinators, appointed at the universities, who are responsible for the ECTS implementation while realization of student exchanges. The strict fulfillment of ECTS principles, which is steadfastly monitored by the ECTS-coordinators, is the lien of that the procedures of academic recognition of study results will be facilitated, and the students who wish to study abroad, will not be afraid of extension of terms of their study because of a problem with academic recognition. In 4 of five Ural universities the ECTS-coordinators already exist and have passed training periods abroad and followed special courses in the USVPU: Prof./Dr. A. Zhuchenko Vice-rector of the USVPU; the Head of the Educational Department (USTU) Prof./Dr. V. Shavrin; the employee of the Educational Department (USPU) Prof. M. Yelisafenko; Prof./Dr. of the International Relations Department (USU) V. Kouzmine. Besides, the ECTS technology is widely known to the administrative and academic staff of the USVPU, who can be involved to management of the process of ECTS introduction into other Ural institutions.

The course of works under the project is weekly discussed by the Head of the Coordination Council with the representatives of international departments of universities (liaison-officers). The meetings of liaison -officers, as an element of operating control, are widely applied in activity of the consortium of Ural universities in 1994-98. The functions of liaison-officers execute the following persons: Prof./Dr. T. Begalova (USTU), Mrs. Y. Tokpiseva (USPU), Mrs. R. Shamsutdinova (USU).

The managers of works under the project at the universities act in a close contact with services of international cooperation. These services at various universities are on the different stages of development, however they can effort to cover needs of the project. The main work will be carried out by the most developed subdivisions of the University - Coordinator (USVPU): the Regional Office for International Cooperation, Language Center, Regional Centre for Student Exchanges.

The Regional Office for International Cooperation of the USVPU in cooperation with international departments of other universities is to fulfill the following functions:

Regularly instructs the managers of works at the consortium universities and various participants about new possibilities and new kinds of activity in the framework of the project and gives practical advises.

Distributes information about a course of realization of the project, ensures feedback.

Organizes coordination meetings of the managers of works.

Realizes interaction with the foreign partners - participants of the projects.

Realizes planning and monitoring the course of realization of the project.

Elaborates the reports (intermediate and final).

Represents outcomes of the project to a wide academic public.

Organizes international and regional conferences, seminars and meetings.

Realizes developing and issuing of the newsletters.

Carries out the accumulation and systematization of materials on the results of foreign training periods and of the employees of the consortium universities.

Organizes sending and receiving of the official invitations.

Realizes communication with embassies and consulates to settle problems of visa support.

Organizes visa maintenance to the foreigners in Ekaterinburg.

Helps in registration of the passports, insurance and other necessary documents for departure abroad.

Helps in booking of the travel tickets and hotels.

Organizes residing, feed and leisure of the foreign visitors to university.

Creates information and methodical databases for elaboration of social-cultural programs both for the foreign visitors, and for the university employees and students departing abroad.

Organizes cultural information maintenance concerning country of stay for students the university employees departing abroad.

Organizes a supply.

Realizes print-design works of the department.

Organizes text translations.

Provides serviceable operation of all kinds of communication (telephone, fax, mail, DHL post, e-mail).

Realizes the collection of the financial documents (invoices, waybills, travel tickets) and their registration in the correspondence with requirements of the project.

Realizes planning and monitoring expenditures of financial assets of the project.

Elaborates the financial report on the expenditures of grant money.

Conducts accounting and remittances in various currencies.

Inspects and adjusts the use of financial assets of the university by the department.

Thus, the international departments of both Ural, and European universities bear responsibility for the most general organizational aspects of the realization of the project: operative-circumspect activity, planning, monitoring and reporting, distribution of outcomes of works, technical support of the mobility, publishing works, supply and financial management.

The inclusive aspects of the project concerning development of higher economic education, tutoring at foreign universities and academic recognition of study periods, and also individual problems of organization of mobility are assigned to Regional Centre for Student Exchanges (Vagant Center) of the USVPU, which bears responsibility for the fulfillment of the following functions:

Introduction of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) in the Ural universities; the guaranteed carrying out of the obligations of universities on observance the ECTS principles and mechanisms while its using among Russian institutions as well as while international student exchanges;

Rendering of the methodical and organizational assistance while introduction ECTS in the Ural universities; rendering of organizational and information support to the institutional ECTS-coordinators beginning the introduction of the ECTS; involving of academic staff in a procedure of credit allocation among subjects of the curricula;

Coordination of the Ural universities activity on their adaptation to the requirements of the European educational dimensions;

Informing of the university administrators, students and teachers-users of the ECTS concerning educational possibilities of the European and Russian universities; requirements and possibilities of their reception; coordination, preparation, elaboration and distribution of information packages of faculties, electronic presentation versions (Home pages) and student Handbooks and Guides in Russia and countries of Western Europe.

The accumulation, processing and distribution of an information on problems of mutual academic recognition among institutions of the Ural Region;

Organization of training periods for the teachers and administrators of the Ural consortium universities concerning student exchanges and academic recognition; generalization of obtained outcomes and their distribution in the Ural universities consortium;

The coordination and approvement of the normative documents on academic recognition;

Participation in the development of general curricula and Russian State educational standards;

Maintenance of constant contacts with the ECTS-coordinators from other universities: exchange with the applications, agreements on study terms; coordination of the curricula and educational programs; preparation of the documents on transcription of outcomes of study; fixing of the