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The MBE Faculty Association was
formed at Miskolci Bölcsész Egyesülét, Miskolc, Hungary to encourage student and
faculty exchanges with other colleges and universities. The earliest exchange programs
were made with individual schools, such as the University of Georgia, Rocky
Mountain College, Central Oregon State College, Duquesne University, the
University of Leeds, and the Aristotle University of Thessoloniki.
These programs were made with reference to the International Student Exchange
Programs (ISEP). The second group of programs was
facilitated by the Baltic and East European Educational Exchange Program
(BEEP). Students were placed in programs all over the United States
with financial assistance from the Federal Government. These schools
included Sonoma University, the University of Arizona, the University of
Montana, When the BEEP program was
discontinued, the exchanges reverted back to individual exchange agreements
with schools such as Southern Arkansas University, Calvin College, Geneva
College, and Robert Morris College. To date, 28 Hungarian students
have benefited from the exchange programs. Only one has failed to
complete their studies. The benefit which the students enjoy from this
cross cultural experience is tremendous. All of them have obtained
meaningful positions upon returning to Hungary, and many have gone into
business for themselves. In developing exchange programs
we have often found that American registrars are surprised at how Europeans
record their classes. In Europe, and specifically in Hungary, the
student maintains the original class records - complete with the professor's
signature. The colleges may keep informational copies of these
transcripts. In the United States, the system is opposite. The
school keeps the original records, and the students may opt to keep an
informal copy. This often causes confusion in both countries. European registrars have no
referent to the American concept of "college." They have
universities which run to doctoral level degrees, or trade schools.
Graduating from an American "college" requires additional
explanation. There are two contrasting views
on independent certification. American schools are licensed by the
state, and accredited by independent agencies. In Europe, the schools
are licensed and accredited by the Ministry of Education. Europeans view
independent accreditation as a redundancy. This reflects the
cultures. The Faculty Association has
passed resolutions through the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United
Methodist Church regarding foreign student
exchange agreements. The first
encourages Methodists to enhance student exchange agreements. The
second encourages the United Methodist Board of Ministries in Higher
Education to recognize, and even accredit, schools in the former Warsaw Pact
nations. The church publishes the "International Association of
Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities"(IAMSCU). The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools provides a method for independent school accreditation. The Board currently recognizes, and
accredits, schools in every part of the world except only these former Warsaw
Pact nations. The Association continues to
enable students to study in cross-cultural programs, and currently has
several applicants. |
