“EHU Governing Board expresses our sincere support to everyone illegally detained during the recent brutal actions of the Belarusian authorities. We are following the situation closely and stand in solidarity for the immediate release of all unjustly detained and convicted, including students and graduates of EHU”, stressed EHU GB Chairman Per Carlsen during opening of the meeting.
EHU GB members conducted a strategic discussion on the potential scenarios of University’s further development, encompassing EHU’s experience and achievements in the implementation of the liberal arts model of education, alongside with strengthening academic ties and teaching and learning excellence with counterparts across the region and beyond, given a thorough examination of the necessary financial resources to be allocated for the purposes of further development.
“I am pleased with the pro-active engagement of the Governing Board members into discussing and sharpening further directions of European Humanities University’s development, particularly on the edge of EHU’s upcoming 25th anniversary. On behalf of the Governing Board, I express gratitude for the level of the preparations conducted for this very important meeting and I am looking forward to implementing the vital decisions, undertaken during these two days” – added Per Carlsen.
On March 28 GB members held an informal introductory meeting with the Head of the European Commission Representation Office in Vilnius Arnoldas Pranckevičius and discussed further directions of strengthening mutual ties of cooperation between the European Commission and EHU. Additionally, a set of informal meetings with the leadership of the University Senate and student representatives took place in the framework of EHU GB members’ presence in Vilnius.
EHU GB members discussed the status of the implementation of the International Search for EHU Rector and the progress of the Selection Committee’s work. University leadership presented to the GB members the status of financial liquidity and the progress of the AY 2016/17 budget implementation, alongside with the reporting on the conducted internal risk analysis. GB members were introduced with the recent external consultancy survey, conducted by the Swedish Development Advisers, in order to provide recommendations on the further enhancement of internal management of the University’s operations.
Results of the series of the University leadership’s meetings with EHU major stakeholders, conducted in February-March 2017 were presented to the EHU GB together with the status of University’s preparations for self-evaluation report in terms of the upcoming institutional accreditation. EHU GB members paid additional attention to the status of preparations for the upcoming Donors Conference and the forthcoming University’s relocation to the former Augustinian Monastery of the Vilnius Old Town.
Following the November 2016 decision of the General Assembly of Part Owners to reinforce the financial auditing procedure at EHU, auditing report of the period 2007-2015 was presented to EHU GB members and supplemented by the lawyers’ comment and recommendations. Given the findings and eventualities of the presented 2007-2015 auditing report, University leadership addressed major University’s stakeholders, in order to outline clarifications of the complexities of the issue and to find a common solution for the report’s findings and recommendations.
During the sessions of the meeting, EHU GB members were accompanied by the Chairman of the General Assembly of Part-Owners and President of the Eurasia Foundation Horton Beebe-Center and Head of the Division for Environment, Market Development and Eastern Europe of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency Mirja Peterson.