The mission of Alecu Russo Balti State University is to pursue internationalization by integrating the University into the unique European area of knowledge and research and by promoting and facilitating international cooperation and mobility activities for its academic staff and students. These aspirations stem both from current educational and research policies and from the specific profile of the University of Bălți as a higher education institution with a distinct multicultural and multilingual character, marked by national and international openness. Members of the academic community plan and carry out their activities in the spirit of the common European space, promoting the fundamental values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. As a result, the Department promotes the philosophy of social and economic progress through lifelong learning and research, focusing on new educational orientations of the European Union. Participation in international projects enables University staff to become familiar with the perspectives of policymakers responsible for the European Higher Education Area, to share their own experiences, and to disseminate acquired best practices. At the same time, increased attention is paid not only to the challenges faced by higher education in the Republic of Moldova, but also to strategies for addressing them. The strategic priority of internationalization at Alecu Russo Balti State University is reinforced by the long-standing practice of implementing projects funded through programs such as: Tempus, ERASMUS-MUNDUS, AUF, UNESCO, Pestalozzi, DAAD, FULBRIGHT, EDMUND S. MUSKIE, CEEPUS and the Seventh Framework Programme.
Currently, Alecu Russo Balti State University has established more than 50 cooperation agreements with national and international higher education institutions, including (but not limited to): Volda University College/Hogskulen i Volda (Norway), L’Universite Chouaib Doukkali D’el Jadida (Morocco), the East European State Higher School in Przemyśl (Poland), Moscow State Linguistic University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Yelets State University (Russian Federation), the Research Institute of Radiophysics of the Federal Agency for Science and Innovation in Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation), the Ethnographic Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Crimean Humanitarian University (Ukraine), Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukraine), Mozyr State University (Republic of Belarus), Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați, Petru Maior University of Târgu Mureș (Romania), I. Arabaev Kyrgyz State University (Kyrgyz Republic), the Azerbaijan University of Languages, and others.
There is a growing need to expand the support provided to members of the academic community by informing them about international programs, offering modern language courses, and facilitating participation in a wider range of initiatives. The University aims to broaden the scope of its international cooperation activities and to enhance the efficiency of international project management.
International Objectives for 2013–2018:
Objective 1. Facilitating the development of effective international cooperation programs
Actions:
- Developing international cooperation at the level of institutional didactic and research structures: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral studies (including joint supervision/co-tutelle);
- Promoting educational and training activities focused on internationalization, thereby contributing to the European integration of University structures, in strict compliance with the Bologna Process and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS);
- Annual participation in international project calls funded by TEMPUS, Erasmus-Mundus, CEEPUS, Jean Monnet, the Seventh Framework Programme, Marie Curie, etc.;
- Facilitating international academic exchange;
- Expanding support for members of the academic community by providing information on international programs;
- Cooperating with representatives of embassies and international organizations.
Objective 2. Increasing the effectiveness of staff and student mobility
Actions:
- Developing and implementing regulations on academic mobility;
- Implementing international projects focused on the assessment and strengthening of quality culture;
- Facilitating the development of effective cooperation programs leading to advanced academic exchange competencies, the adoption of best practices, and the transfer of successful experiences from international academic environments;
- Encouraging teaching in widely used international languages within the University.
Objective 3. Ensuring visibility and dissemination of the University’s internationalization processes
Actions:
- Disseminating best practices acquired from partner universities and University actors within the academic community by annually promoting events such as Tempus Day, the Day of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, Erasmus Mundus Day, etc.;
- Systematically reflecting international projects involving University staff on the University’s website;
- Capitalizing on and maintaining the activities of the European Union Information Center and the Euroclub, established in partnership with representatives of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova;
- Disseminating international projects and experiences of University staff through mass media.