Erasmus Policy Statement

I.

The Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) aims at developing and disseminating knowledge, creating the best possible research conditions, and training students, PhD students and academic staff. According to its statute, ‘SGH accomplishes its tasks by maintaining ties with domestic and foreign scientific, social and business organisations, and by taking part in the creation of the European Higher Education Area’.

In reference to the Erasmus programme, the strategy of SGH is aimed at supporting the implementation of the SGH mission statement. It intends to take part in all Erasmus activities in 2007-2013 for which the major priorities and objectives are:

1. Mobility

• Mobility of students (including placement in enterprises), teaching staff and other staff.
  It is intended to engage the largest possible number of students and staff in the international exchange to enable them to benefit educationally, culturally and linguistically from the experience of learning or teaching in other countries, and to enrich the process of in-home internationalisation. SGH will attempt to develop the exchange through the promotion of the programme and the acquisition of new European partners.
• Intensive Programmes
  SGH will promote IP to raise the number of teachers and students involved in work within multicultural groups, and to allow teachers to exchange views on teaching content and new curricula approaches.
  

2. Multilateral projects

SGH aims to improve the quality, competitiveness and European dimension of its educational range on offer, to develop its lifelong learning strategies and to integrate ICT in its educational, training and research system. In order to achieve this SGH declares institutional support and willingness to participate in:

• CD projects at all levels of study, supporting e.g. innovative teaching methods, developing double or joint degree programmes and European modules, as well as new forms of continuing education
• projects aimed at co-operation with enterprises
• projects supporting development of SGH strategies for funding, governance and modernisation of its curricula
• projects within Virtual Campuses priorities.

3. Thematic Networks

SGH will initiate and support projects related to education, research and innovation, with strong focus on quality assurance and promotion synergies between teaching and research.

SGH intends to participate in other activities of LLP i.e.the Grundtvig, Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius, Jean Monnet Programmes and the 4 key activities of the Transversal Programme, priorities of which are compatible with the SGH mission statement.

The information on Erasmus activities will be published in the SGH news bulletins and on its website. Student and staff information meetings will be held.

The Erasmus Charter and the EPS will be publicized on the University website.

SGH shall comply with the principles of gender equality, integration of disabled students and staff, enhancement of social and economic cohesion, and combating xenophobia and racism.

II.

SGH shall implement the programme of student and teaching staff exchange according to the principles of the Erasmus programme, doing its best to ensure the highest quality of academic mobility activities, in particular through:

1. transparent and demanding selection procedures based on language and records criteria
2. up-to-date, easily accessible and transparent curriculum information (publication of ECTS Booklet)
3. the application of the ECTS as the credit transfer and accumulation system, to give transparency to the procedures
4. provision of learning agreements with the students on the work programmes related to the students’ academic profiles
5. full recognition of activities satisfactorily completed abroad by SGH students, according to the LA signed by the student and SGH, and confirmed by the host institution
6. providing incoming students with transcripts containing full information on the activities completed at SGH
7. providing linguistic preparation for Erasmus students including elementary Polish training for incoming students
8. keeping academic and organizational contact with the partner institutions
9. provision of services and academic advice to students and staff:
   • tutors and student mentors for incoming students
   • monitoring of outgoing students
   • introduction to the host university and assistance with practical matters for outgoing and incoming students (accommodation, medical insurance, travel etc.) before and during their mobility periods
   • counselling and assistance to university staff through “helping” contacts with partner institutions and with their mobility organisation (trips, accommodation etc.)
   • integration of visiting students in SGH activities with the help of the student organisations
10. facilitating and acknowledging Erasmus teaching activities and including them in the SGH educational range on offer.
11. acknowledgement of teaching activities abroad as a part of the academic career
12. organisation of feedback from returning students and staff.

III.

SGH student placement activities within the Erasmus programme are aimed at:

1. learning the structures and mechanisms of European companies and institutions
2. acquiring skills indispensable to execute future jobs and tasks.
3. acquiring knowledge of European labour markets and their requirements
4. developing favourable conditions of student job activation on the European labour market.

In order to ensure the highest quality of placement activities, SGH shall follow the rules enumerated below:

1. full recognition will be given by SGH for the period spent abroad
2. all agreements between SGH and the companies will be handled by the appointed University department to monitor the course of the project
3. the placement is to be implemented on the basis of the placement contract concluded by SGH, the student and the placement organising institution
4. the work-programme will be settled by SGH and the company on the basis of the student and company profiles
5. the company will describe the work programme and the related tasks, as well as the student’s duties and rights in a training agreement endorsed by SGH
6. SGH will ensure the student service, i.e.:
   • language and cultural preparation
   • counselling and assistance in the organisation of student placement (trips, student accident insurance etc.)
   • keeping contact with the student and the company for the whole placement period
7. the company will help the student integrate into the new environment and find accommodation
8. the work-programme and student’s progress will be monitored by the tutors appointed by both parties
9. placement will be recognised on the basis of the report submitted by the student, describing the course of the placement, accomplished tasks and on-the-job achievements
10. the report will be acknowledged by the company placement supervisor and assessed by the SGH tutor
11. the placement will be recognised in the curriculum and will be granted ECTS credits according to the general SGH regulations.