Academic Consortium

The Academic Consortium was established in 2005 as an initiative of the common founder. Its members are Tischner European University in Kraków, University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, and Zamość University of Management and Administration.

It is a pioneering undertaking in the national scale. It shows an effective path of the consolidation of non-public high education. The consortium's main aim is a cooperation in the field of the education process's quality and common research for education and economic environment. A measurable result of this project is a rich didactic offer adapted to the market conditions, which promotes 24 faculties on 1^st and 2^nd degree, and more than 100 faculties of professional studies.

During about 4 years of functioning, the Consortium introduced at the member universities an integrated system of management "XP University" which takes advantage from the newest achievements of the IT trade, helps in the process of managing the universities, and offers rich course of study. Worth highlighting is also the fact that a unified scholarship system functions in the whole consortium. The basis of this system is the member universities' resources, resources from the Budget and the sums transfered by the sponsors, which results in an impressive amount of students receiving scholarships. Among 15 thousand consortium's students, more than a half receives different form of financial support. In order to achieve the aim of improving the education quality, the consortium introduced unified systems of selecting the staff and evaluating the employees, as well as advanced system of control and improving the teaching staff' qualifications, and coordinated system of promotion. A measurable effect of cooperation is the amount of 30 mln PLN gained by the consortium's members as part of completed sctientific grants and other projects realized on the basis of the EU resources.

The next stage of consolidation will be the introduction of a system which allows the process of the universities' internationalization, which is particularly important in the face of proceeding multiculturalism. The system has been working already at the University of Information Technology and Management.

The aim of the Academic Consortium's existence is the development of both member universities and higher education in general. The consortium is not only an institution which consumes earned values. It also shares the results of its research and finished products with interested institutions of both private and public sectors.

More than 50 Polish universities use the "XP University" system. What is more, we offer the anti-plagiarism system created within the consortium and international IT and language certificates.

The Academic Consortium gives student many advantages:

• Studying on two universities in the same time - students who decided on the second faculty at the partner university pay only 70% of the tuition and do not pay the enrolment fee
• The alumni of the I degree can continue studies on the second degree at the partner university without the qualification process and without the enrolment fee
• International certificates - the preparation to achieving international business, language and IT certificates is guaranteed on selected faculties in the students' programme. While graduating, students receive certificates recognized worldwide.
• Expanding the didactic offer on selected faculties students have an opportunity to receive two diplomas (ukończenia studiów) from the home and foreign universities
• Traineeships, co-organization of summer schools, camps and trips, which allow students to increase the competitiveness on the job market confirming their skills
• Additional classes for students are realized in the cooperation with prominent lecturers, students can take part in classes and lectures (selected by themselves) at the member universities
• Exchange of knowledge and experience among the universities - the universities co-organize discussions with Polish and foreign authorities, seminars, conferences, meetings with authors, photography exhibitions, multicultural workshops
• Common students' initiatives, among others "Meetings with the Orient" and "Middle and Far Cultures" (days of Indian, Chinese, Iranian, Ukrainian, Nigerian and Tibetan cultures), organized by The Institute of Research on Civilizations established by TEU and UITM
• Common platform of information exchange - students of three universities create common Internet platform which aims at information and experience exchange concerning studying and student life
• The system of the university management and servicing the didactic process the most modern in Poland - uses the latest technologies and IT solutions, e.g. Distance Learning, Virtual Deanery - an access to all data (exam marks, fees, schedules etc.) through the Internet, information kiosks, Virtual University platform and SMSes). In the same time, the work of the finance office, the deanery or teaching department was improved, and students immediately receive selected data, without the need to visit the university

• The Center of Tourism and Recreation at UITM in Kielnarowa - students of the member universities can use the complex conference and recreational base, where they have an access to e.g. a sports hall (one of the biggest in Poland), a stud, a rope park, and equipped conference rooms and computer labs, and many specialist laboratories. Thanks to these facilities, students can use their knowledge in practice.