In connection with the model change, Zoltán Bács, Chancellor of the University of Debrecen, was a guest of the M5 channel. According to the head of the university, the institution can only benefit from the change, as the university is facing a market role and innovation development that has been less possible so far.
The University of Debrecen has been occupying a prominent place in various international rankings for years in terms of individual fields of study and specializations. The international recognition that can be measured through them can improve the competitiveness of the institution in the business sphere, but its efficiency can be most facilitated by the ongoing model change at the university, said M5 This is the question … on Tuesday night.
Zoltán Bács, Chancellor of the University of Debrecen, reminded that in 2000, at the first stage of university integration, when the University of Debrecen and its centers were established, many people were afraid of changes, although there was a great need for it, as today we see a more internationally competitive higher education in Debrecen became a university.
– The establishment of the centers as a solution in Debrecen was a fundamental step in ensuring the transition, in reaching the next stage, in the development of a truly integrated university. It lasted for 14 years, in 2014 it really became a university in Debrecen. However, in order to create a large institution with many multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, the professions had to work together, we managed to eliminate many parallels in the individual trainings, a kind of model change started already at that time, in his evening show.
According to the chancellor, the current, ongoing change is also another milestone, as it can significantly increase the university’s room for maneuver in order to make it easier for the institution to achieve its goals in the business sphere while maintaining its traditional values.
– The Public Finance Act regulates the operation of institutions, the same management rules apply to universities as, for example, government offices, although universities are competitive organizations, they operate in the market. Special regulations are needed for higher education. Wherever we approached this issue, we have not been able to move forward in the last decade and a half. From 2013, in the current regulatory environment, we have gone to extremes in that regulatory environment, but we should move on. In addition to traditional educational research and patient care, culture, sports and the utilization of knowledge have also appeared on the institution’s palette as a third mission, and then another area, market utilization, has also become a priority. Today, the University of Debrecen has 34 companies, in 15 of which we are strongly majority-owned, and in the others we cooperate with other companies. It is difficult to operate them with different rules for us and our partners, he added.
Responding to a question from reporter István Gulyás, the head of the university emphasized that 10 thousand employees are waiting for the developments related to the model change, they have nothing to fear, as without the employees the institution would not prosper, a motivated success-oriented community is important in the institutional strategy. He added that the medical and professional community is still going through a big change, and in addition to the model change, the university also needs to manage this. He emphasized that the University of Debrecen is in a kind of start-up state, it can be much more capable of unlocking potentials from which the institution is currently stifled.
– DE has been a determining factor in the economic success of the offensive city management so far, during the investor negotiations the representatives of the large foreign companies were brought to the university by the city management, we also gave several presentations in the case of BMW. We also try to make the region more attractive to foreign companies in order to settle here, but the development of domestically owned industry is also a very important aspect. It is enough to think that the university innovation center will be completed within a month or two, we will establish food processing plants with our corporate partners, the Faculty of Pharmacy will receive a new building together with a production plant. In the field of innovation, the University of Debrecen can and will do a lot for the economic development of the region and the city in the future
– Chancellor Zoltán Bács pointed out.
Although the world is increasingly moving towards online, distance education for many reasons, and this form may persist with the end of the epidemic, the chancellor says personal presence is important for some 23,000 domestic and 7,000 foreign students studying at the university. For many years, the strategy of the University of Debrecen has been to provide students with excellent quality of life, in addition to excellent education, whether it is for entertainment or sports. As he put it: two brands, the university and DEAC run in parallel, it is able to work with us in the same way as in America.
On the question that the number of university students in teacher education may decrease nationwide, he explained: the number of admissions and applications is currently rising, the Faculty of Arts is improving the indicators, but the field of science needs to be strengthened, as the decline is already visible. Zoltán Bács emphasized that a separate strategy should be developed for this training, as the industries settling in Debrecen require specialists in the field of natural sciences. The Chancellor noted that it is also planned that the university will further strengthen its teacher education profile as a strategic area, as well as pay special attention to the natural sciences. The institution seeks to carry out an enrollment activity that allows parents to see that if a child chooses a career in science, serious job opportunities await at the end of their studies.
In addition to Chancellor Zoltán Bács, the guest of the program was György Lajos Szabó, Deputy Rector of Education of the Corvinus University of Budapest, István Stumpf, Government Commissioner for Model Change, and Zoltán Gaál, Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pannonia, former Rector.
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