Recognition and Accreditation of
Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs
in Europe and the United States:
Aligning Educational Systems

 June 15-17, 2009

 Organization: International University College

Venue: Golden Sands, Varna
Bulgaria

June 15, 2009

08:45 – 12:00  Registration of the participants

09:00 – 10:30    Opening Session and Presentations

BOB MILLER – Chairman of the Board of Directors International University College

• -  SCHE in the Framework of the Bulgarian Higher Education System
  Assoc. Prof., PhD Todor Radev, International University College, Bulgaria
• -  The Atlantis project on SCHE Programs
  Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof., College of Education, University of Toledo, USA

10:30 – 10:45    Coffee break

10:45 – 12:15    SCHE in Europeand the UnitedStates: Main Goals and Values of SCHE Programs

MODERATOR: Stanislav Ivanov, PhD, International University College

• - The Role of SCHE Programs and Qualifications in the Knowledge-Based Economies: Emerging Trends from the United States and Europe
  Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof., College of Education, University of Toledo, USA
• -  SCHE in the European Bologna Process. The survey in 2002 and the implications of the outcomes for the Bologna Process
  Magda Kirsch, Expert of SCHE in the European Bologna Process, Educonsult
• -  Developments in Aligning the Educational Levels in Ohio
  Penny Poplin Gosetti, Assoc. Prof. and Interim Provost of Academic Innovation, University of Toledo, USA

12:15 – 13:15    Lunch break

13:15 – 15:00   Round Table: Quality of Higher Education in Bulgaria: Issues and Perspectives

MODERATOR : Assoc. Prof., PhD Todor Radev, International University College, Bulgaria

15:00 – 16:30 Building Bridges: Improving Interactions between Business and Education

MODERATOR: Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof., College of Education, University of Toledo, USA

• - Branding Employer
  Ina Masleva, HR Expert and Consultant, I’m Consulting Bulgaria
• - Internationalization of Community Colleges
  Gretchen Carroll, Professor, School of Business, Owens Community College, Toledo, USA
• - New Collaborative Practices in Aligning SCHE in Europe and the USA, two representative cases in Europe
  Ivelina Yoveva, International University College, Bulgaria
• - US Community Colleges on a Collision Course? Mission and Money.
  David Meabon, Assoc. Prof., College of Education, University of Toledo, USA

16:30 – 16:45 Coffee Break

16:45 – 17:45  Sharing Best Practices Worldwide

MODERATOR: Gretchen Carroll, Professor, School of Business, Owens Community College, Toledo, USA

• - Research on Successful Workforce Development Programmes of US Community Colleges
  Dan DeVries, University of Toledo, USA
• - Traineeship Programmes, Tourism HR Management…
  Ina Masleva, HR Expert and Consultant, I’m Consulting Bulgaria
• - Social Dimension of the SCHE: Instrument for Specific Target Groups to Find their Way in Higher Education
  Magda Kirsch and Yves Beernaert, Experts, Bologna Process
• - Higher Education in Kazakhstan and the Bologna Process
  Gulnar Mukhametkatlieva, Dean of Faculty for Foreign Languages and Tourism , Kainar University, Kazakhstan

19:00                 Cocktail

June 16, 2009

09:00 – 10:30      The Business-Education Relationship: Strategic Investment in Human Capital

MODERATOR: Jan Nienhuis, LEIDO, Netherlands          

• - Possibilities for Developing an Associate Degree in Tourism in Bulgaria
  Stanislav Ivanov, PhD, International University College, Bulgaria
• - US Accreditation and the Quality Maintenance Mechanisms of Community Colleges
  Rose Kuceyeski, Professor, School of Business, Owens Community College, Toledo, USA
• - The Importance of Stakeholders’ Engagement in Program Quality
  David Beaumont, Special Advisor, Central Michigan University, Center for Charter Schools, USA

10:15 – 10:30      Coffee break

10:30 – 12:00      Building Bridges in Quality Maintenance: Recognition and Accreditation

MODERATOR: Jan Nienhuis, LEIDO, Netherlands          

• - Correspondence between Learning Organizations and (East-European) Educational System
  Jozef Hvorecky, College of Management, Slovakia
• - Enhancing Quality of Teaching and Learning in the US: Factors Supporting Involvement and Development of Part-time Community College Faculty
  Jamilah Jones, Ph.D. student and CC Presidential Fellow, University of Toledo, USA
• - Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area: a General View on Actual Developments
  Magda Kirsch, Expert of SCHE in the European Bologna Process, Educonsult

12:00 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 - 15:00 Building Bridges in Quality Maintenance: Sharing Best Practices Worldwide

MODERATOR: Jan Nienhuis, LEIDO, Netherlands          

• - Owens Community College: Aligning Institutional Leadership and Quality through a Shared Leadership model
  Gretchen Carroll, Prof., School of Business, Owens Community College, Toledo, USA
  Rose Kuceyeski, Prof., School of Business, Owens Community College, Toledo, USA
• -  Country-specific Examples: the Example of Bragança Polytechnic Institute
  Louis Pais and Prof. Joao Sobrinho, Bragança Polytechnic Institute, Portugal
• - Monitoring off the Pilots with the Associate Degree in the Netherlands: Outcomes, Quality Assurance and Actual Developments
  Hans Daale, Chairman of LEIDO, the Netherlands

Closing Remarks and Building the Bridge to the Next Conference in Toledo
Snejana Slantcheva-Durst, Asst. Prof., College of Education, University of Toledo, USA

16:30 – 18:30 Special edition of the film “Geratsite” – Case of implementation of national strategy for developing education and culture through cinema

16:30 – 18:30 Internal Project Partners’ Meeting