On May 25, 2006, another session of the EHU Senate was held. At the beginning of the session, the Senate said goodbye to its member Prof. Rolandas Pavilionis, who died on 10 May 2006, observed a minute of silence in his memory.
Prof. Pavilenis, a Lithuanian politician, member of the European Parliament and former rector of vilnius University, was a loyal friend and associate of EHU, who made an invaluable contribution to the rebirth of the university in exile. The European Humanities University mourns the death of a friend and expresses its condolences to his family. Learn more
On 23 May 2006, the European Humanities University was visited by Nordic officials, including Ms. Berit Andnor, Swedish Minister for Social Affairs and Nordic Cooperation, Mr. Per Unkel, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers (SMSS), Mr. Teppo Hayskanen, Director of the SMSS office in Vilnius, representatives of Denmark and Iceland. The participants of the foreign delegation met with the leadership of EHU and the University of Roemeris, discussed the needs of the EHU and the prospects for further cooperation. During the meeting with the students, the possibilities of academic and cultural exchanges were discussed.
The delegation’s arrival was connected with the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Vilnius office of the SMSS. Since the beginning of 2006, the SMSS office in Lithuania has been coordinating a joint project between the SMSS and the European Commission to support the EHU.
On 9 May 2006, representatives of leading international donor organizations and the diplomatic corps met in Vilnius to discuss the strategy for the further development of the EHU at the international board of trustees of the European Humanitarian University and the donor conference.
McArthur Foundation press release
May 5, 2006. On May 2-4, a seminar was held in Vilnius. During the meetings of the management, teachers and students of the EHU with representatives of the Belarusian Humanitarian Lyceum (BGL) the issues of more effective cooperation in the preparation of future humanitarians were discussed. Academician A. Mikhailov and director of BGL V. Kolos signed on May 5 “Damova ab Uzaemadzeyanna”
April 24, 2006. From April 16 to 23, the Gallery “Galera” (ResPUBLUBLIKS, Lithuania) hosted a photo exhibition “Chronicles of Awakening.” This exhibition is one of the video sources of objective information about the Minsk protests on March 19-25, 2006. 13 amateur photographers and photographers – mostly current or former EHU students – captured the events in which they themselves took an active part. Organizers and sponsors of the exhibition: Olga Melguy, United Center for Belarusian Initiatives, European Humanities University.
April 17, 2006. The program “Social Transformations in the Border – Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova” has announced a competition for grants for researchers from Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. The program is supported by the Carnegie Corporation, New York and the Administrative Assistance of the American Councils for International Education (ACTR/ACCELS) and the American Center for Education and Research (ACER).
See the terms of the competition (MS Word files) for individual and collective grants. Documents are accepted until May 31, 2006.
On April 4, 2006, the EHU hosted a roundtable on the political analysis of the presidential elections held in Belarus. It was attended by teachers and students of political science of EHU – bachelor’s and master’s programs in European studies and master’s degrees for leaders and activists of non-governmental organizations. There was a discussion about the election strategies of candidates for the presidency of the Republic of Belarus and the prospects for the country’s development after the presidential elections. The participants offered to hold a regular analytical seminar on the socio-political situation in Belarus.
On April 1, 2006, the second stage of the “Social Transformations in Border- Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova” project began. The main goal of the project in the new phase of its work is to create a network of young teachers and researchers in the social and humanities, as well as the creation of independent interdisciplinary and interregional research groups.
March 31, 2006. On March 30-31, Prague hosted the colloquium “Autonomy and Responsibility of Universities in the 21st Century” of the Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Culture, Science and Education, which heard the testimony of the rector of the European Humanities University Prof. Anatoly Mikhailova and a number of students who were persecuted for political reasons and were expelled from Belarusian universities.
As a result of the colloquium’s work, the Commission adopted a statement strongly condemning the violation of the principle of academic freedom in the Republic of Belarus. The statement reads in part: “The Commission welcomes the support provided by the international community and, in particular, Lithuania, to the European Humanities University, which was expelled from Minsk (Belarus) and currently works in Vilnius. The Commission called on member governments, as well as universities in Europe, to cooperate with the European Humanities University and establish student exchanges and teacher exchanges.”
PACE press release in Russian and English.
On March 28, 2006, the first session of the EHU Senate was held after the official registration of the university in Lithuania. A number of rulings and a statement were adopted at the Senate, which reads: “We, members of the ESU Senate, give a letter to the patrabavaanna summoned the z-pad aryshta, yakya prahodzyl, the Pass of the pez-yenk. We are abulana parushenem akademy right moladze, yak pas palty matyvas turn off the Belarusian VNU. The Senate is zayaya ab zaya gato-gassy for pratsyau on adpavednya pragrams of the ESU Student, yakya strycula such magchimastsy y Belarus.”
On March 27, 2006, a regional seminar “Exploring the East/European Frontier” was held, with which the first stage of the program “Social Transformations in the Border – Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova” was completed. The results of the three-year programme’s activities were summed up, as well as the development goals for the second phase of the programme.
On March 24, 2006, at 10 a.m., a signing ceremony was held in Vilnius between the Council of Ministers of the Nordic Countries (SMSS) and the European Humanitarian University (EHU) to support this Belarusian university in exile. The contract, worth 2.78 million euros, allows 350 students from Belarus to study at the EHU for three years under various bachelor’s and master’s programs.
The treaty between SMSS and EHU was signed by Mr. Per Unkel, Secretary General of the Northern Ministers’ Council, and Mr. Anatoly Mikhailov, Rector of the European Humanities University. The signing ceremony was attended by the heads of EU embassies in Lithuania, representatives of the Lithuanian ministries of foreign affairs and education and the administration of the University of Roemeris, students, teachers and the administration of the EHU. Before signing the agreement, Mr. Teppo Hayskanen, Director of the Lithuanian Office of the Council of Ministers of The Nordic Countries, addressed the audience. The address of the European Commissioner for Foreign Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrera-Waldner and the Norwegian Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers were also read out during the ceremony.
SMSS press release (English, Lithuanian and Russian)
Signing ceremony programme (in English and Russian)
March 21, 2006. The European Humanities University has published new master’s enrolment rules and announced the start of admission to master’s programs for the 2006-2007 academic year. For more information on the conditions of admission to the master’s degree, see here. Press release.
On March 9, 2006, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Steven D. Mull met with students, faculty and staff at the European Humanities University. The meeting was also attended by the ambassadors of Finland and Sweden in Lithuania, the director of the Vilnius office of the Nordic Council of Ministers, representatives of the Lithuanian ministries of education and foreign affairs, and the administration of the University of Roemeris. Mr. Mull conveyed the words of greeting from U.S. President George W. Bush, gave a speech on the role of the EHU in the process of democratization of Belarus, and answered questions from students.
Text of the speech by the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Stephen D. Mallah (in English and Lithuanian).
The text of the letter from U.S. President George W. Bush (English, Lithuanian and Russian).
On March 7, 2006, a number of factions of the German Federal Parliament issued a statement “Belarus on the eve of the 2006 presidential elections.” Noting the increasing political control over the education system in Belarus, which led to the closure of the European Humanities University and its expulsion, as well as the use of repressive measures against schoolchildren and students participating in the activities of the opposition, the parliamentarians called on the Federal Government to “continue to support academic cooperation with the European University of Humanities – International in Vilnius and universities in Belarus” (p.3 of Title II). Read the statement document on the German Parliament’s website (in German).
March 1, 2006. The European Humanities University has announced the next admission of students to the programs of bachelor’s and part-time education for the 2006-2007 academic year. For more information on the rules of enrollment on bachelor’s programs, click here. Press release.
