The project is actually titled “Invisible, ‘other than’, necessary. University administration towards academic excellence”. The first part of the title might not make sense to an English speaker. The ‘other than’ refers to how HEI administration is referred to - namely, as HEI staff other than academics. Thus, there are two categories of staff at HEI: academics and other than academics.
This project is managed by the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Nicolas Copernicus University in Toruń together with SGH Warsaw School of Economics and University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw within the framework of the DIALOG programme of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The project consists of two components:
- scientific, which should provide knowledge on the roles of administrative staff at HEIs,
- training, which will transfer the knowledge into practice by providing administrative staff with new skills and knowledge.
The project is headed by Anna Mielczarek-Taica, who is the head of the Dean’s Office at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
The team at SGH Warsaw School of Economics is responsible for task 8: Study visits / job shadowing.The aim of this task is to increase both the knowledge and skills of administrative staff (middle and upper level) at Polish HEIs. The study visits will be organised in a similar manner to Staff Mobility Erasmus+. However, while Erasmus+ is international, our study visits will promote mobility within Poland - to an HEI located in another administrative district. During these visits, the participants will be able to get to know the administrative unit, and wider HEI, learn how the work is organised and what organisational culture looks like. Each participant will be asked to prepare a written report from the visit and participate in an anonymous survey online. There are going to be 40 participants - 2 calls x 20 participants. The details will be published on the Polish version of the website by early 2020.