Central European University
President Shalini Randeria | | |
Rector | Shalini Randeria | |
---|---|---|
Academic staff | 200 (2022–23)[2] | |
Administrative staff | 775 (2018–19)[2] | |
Students | 1,479 (2022–23)[3] | |
Undergraduates | 176 (2022–23)[3] | |
Postgraduates | 806 (2022–23)[3] | |
396 (2022–23)[3] | ||
Location | ||
Campus | Urban | |
Language | English | |
Colors | Turquoise [4] | |
Website | www |
Central European University (CEU;
CEU was founded in 1991 by
CEU is a part of The European University of Social Sciences (CIVICA).
History
Early years
CEU evolved from a series of lectures held at the
The university was founded in 1991 in response to the
Budapest
In its second decade, CEU broadened its focus from regional to global, with a special emphasis on
CEU began the region's first master's degree programs in
On 14 October 2007, George Soros stepped down as chairman of CEU Board. Leon Botstein (president of Bard College, New York), who had previously served as the vice-chair of the board, was elected as new chairman for a two-year term. George Soros is a Life-CEU trustee and serves as honorary chairman of the board.[22]
On 1 August 2009, Rector Yehuda Elkana was succeeded by human rights leader and legal scholar John Shattuck.[23] On 5 May 2016, it was announced that Michael Ignatieff would succeed Shattuck, becoming the fifth president and rector of the university.[24] Ignatieff's inauguration took place at the university's new auditorium on 21 October 2017.
Relocation
Announcement and CEU's initial reactions
On 28 March 2017, Hungarian Minister of Human Resources
CEU issued a statement expressing its opposition to the bill, noting that "these amendments [to Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education] would make it impossible for the University to continue its operations as an institution of higher education in Budapest, CEU's home for 25 years", and that "CEU is in full conformity with Hungarian law."[26]
The same day, the pro-government news website
On 29 March 2017,
On 31 March 2017, Viktor Orbán stated in an interview on public radio that the future of "Soros University" depended on US-Hungarian talks. He said that CEU was "cheating" by awarding both Hungarian and American degrees, despite not operating abroad. This was a breach of Hungarian regulations, which gave an unfair advantage to CEU over the other 21 foreign universities in Hungary. In response to those claims, CEU issued a statement rejecting the suggestion that it was cheating and in breach of Hungarian regulations. Indeed, according to CEU, no laws in effect required universities such as CEU to also operate in their countries of origin.[28] However, Szilard Nemeth, vice chairman of Fidesz, was more blunt, stating that civil society groups with funding from Soros should be "swept out" of Hungary.[29]
Media reactions
According to The New York Times, "Mr. Orban has long viewed the school as a bastion of liberalism, presenting a threat to his vision of creating an 'illiberal democracy,' and his desire to shut it down was only deepened by its association with Mr. Soros, a philanthropist who was born in Hungary. [He] has spent years demonizing Mr. Soros, a Jew who survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary, accusing him of seeking to destroy European civilization by promoting illegal immigration, and often tapping into anti-Semitic tropes."[30]
Vox wrote that "The university was a casualty of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's turn toward authoritarianism, his development of a quietly repressive system that I've termed 'soft fascism'. CEU, a university dedicated to liberal principles and founded by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, posed a threat to Orbán's ideological project. So Orbán put into place a set of characteristically sneaky regulations aimed at forcing out CEU without needing to formally ban them, eventually crushing the university's ability to operate."[31]
The Washington Post commented that "[CEU] has become the prime target of Orban's campaign to dismantle Europe's multicultural, tolerant liberalism and cement a culture that is unapologetically Christian, conservative, and nationalist."[32]
Author
Expressions of support for CEU
On the same day, the
Hungary's
Academics and academic institutions from Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries have expressed support for CEU. CEU itself has started a campaign of support, with the slogans #aCEUvalvagyok Central European University in Hungarian and #IstandwithCEU Central European University in English. The campaign uses social media to call on supporters to express their solidarity to CEU and write to Hungarian representatives.
2017 Protests in Hungary were held on April 2 in the form of a walk from Budapest's Corvinus University to Parliament, passing by Eötvös Loránd University and CEU. The demonstration brought together thousands of protesters according to Reuters, with protest speeches held by both CEU and foreign academics and activists, and was broadcast live on Facebook by Hír TV.[39]
In the wake of the new Hungarian legislation, the
Legal action by CEU and acceleration of the legislative procedure
On 3 April 2017, CEU submitted a legal memorandum to the Hungarian Parliament, raising substantial issues about the legality and constitutionality of the proposed amendment to Act CCIV of 2011 on national higher education, and pledged to continue to contest this law using all available legal means in Hungary and in the EU.[41]
On the same day, the Hungarian parliament decided to debate and vote on the draft bill the following day, after a request by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, also head of the Christian Democrats, the junior party in the government coalition. Semjén said his request was justified by "government interests to pass the law early."[42]
Vienna
On 3 December 2018 the university announced it would relocate the majority of its operations to Vienna in September 2019, after the Hungarian government's refusal to sign an agreement allowing it to continue teaching its US-accredited programs in Hungary. Less than one fifth of CEU's programs, that are locally accredited, would remain in Budapest.[43] "The university retains accreditation as a Hungarian university and has sought to continue teaching and research activity in Budapest as long as possible, with current students completing their studies in Budapest.[44]
After failing to promote a deal between the US and Hungary that would keep the CEU in Budapest, US Ambassador to Hungary,
This withdrawal is the result of a long legal battle between the university and
In June 2021, Ignatieff announced that he would be stepping down as president and rector of the university, and that Shalini Randeria would succeed him as the sixth rector and president. Randeria is the first woman to serve in this role at the university.[51]
In October 2023, Russia designated the university as an 'undesirable' organization.[52]
In the context of
CEU published a statement clarifying that the university does not tolerate antisemitism or all forms of hate speech, or any form of harassment or discrimination. The statement clarified that the university has processes in place to ensure that its students can report any incidents of antisemitism as well as all other forms of ethnic or religious hate speech, which are dealt with by its internal mechanisms within the parameters set out by CEU's Code of Ethics. CEU’s founding mission in defence of open societies enjoins it to protect critical discussion, and the freedom to scrutinize competing ideas. Such academic freedom includes the freedom to dissent respectfully and to expound controversial ideas within the bounds of legality and civility.[56]
Organization
The university is composed of 14 academic departments and 17
- Department of Cognitive Science
- Department of Economics and Business
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy
- Department of Gender Studies
- Department of History
- Department of International Relations
- Department of Legal Studies
- Department of Medieval Studies
- Nationalism Studies Program
- Department of Network and Data Science
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of Political Science
- Department of Public Policy
- Department of Social Anthropology
- Doctoral School of International Relations[58]
Academics
Admission into CEU programs is highly selective. In 2021, the admission rate of the university was 13%.[59] As of 2019, 1217 students were enrolled in the university, of which 962 were international students, making the student body the fourth most international in the world.[60] CEU offers doctoral programmes in 13 different subjects and master's programmes in 37 different subjects, in addition to 3 interdisciplinary bachelor's programmes. All programmes at CEU have a heavy research focus, and all courses are delivered in small, seminar-style classes, emphasising a low student-faculty ratio of 7 to 1.[61][62]
Rankings
QS World University Rankings by Subject (2022)[63] | |
---|---|
Politics | 24 |
Philosophy | 33 |
Sociology | 65 |
History | 51–100 |
Social Policy and Administration | 51–100 |
Anthropology | 101-140 |
Law and Legal Studies | 101–150 |
Arts and Humanities | 124 |
Economics and Econometrics | 151–200 |
Social Sciences and Management | 180 |
Until the 2019–2020 academic year, CEU was exclusively a postgraduate university and therefore not eligible for general world university rankings. However, two new bachelor's degree programs were introduced in the 2020–2021 academic year and this should soon be reflected in new ranking tables.[64][65] Regardless of this limitation due to the intentionally small size and specialised nature of the university, CEU has consistently performed well in subject rankings produced by various publishers.
In 2014, the university's Economics department was ranked eighth in Europe by the European Research Council (ERC), based on research excellence.[66]
CEU's Department of Legal Studies was ranked first in Central Europe by the Czech newspaper, Lidové noviny. The survey included Austrian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Polish, and Slovak universities.[67]
Of the three that came to Hungary two were awarded to CEU faculty.[68]
Accreditation
CEU is organized as an American-style institution, governed by a
Facilities
Library
The CEU Library has a large English-language print collection of more than 150,000 documents and over 50,000 e-journals and 200,000 e-books.
Archives
The Blinken Open Society Archives at CEU (OSA) is a Cold War research facility, holding over 7,500 linear meters of material, 11,000 hours of audiovisual recordings and 12 terabytes of data[71] related to communist-era political, social, economic and cultural life. OSA's collection includes an extensive archive of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty transcripts and reports, along with a large collection of underground samizdat literature and materials from Central and Eastern Europe under communism. The archive also houses a growing collection of documents and audiovisual materials on international human rights and war crimes.
CEU Press
CEU Press is the largest English-language publisher in Central and Eastern Europe. Since its founding in 1993, it has played an important role in publishing books on the economic, social, and political transformation of the region, including titles by Hungarians or on Hungarian themes. Four of its top-10 best-selling books worldwide are related to Hungary.[68]
International relations
Graduate students of CEU and
Alumni and faculty
Alumni
Since Its inception, 16,795 students from 147 countries have graduated from CEU, the majority of whom went on to be employed in business, education, research, or government.[74]
Among the university's alumni in law and government are the former
Central European University also has alumni who are academics in the social sciences, environmental sciences, and humanities.
The university also has alumni in the fields of art and activism, including Azerbaijani dissident Rashadat Akhundov and filmmaker Dylan Mohan Gray.[81]
-
Giorgi Margvelashvili, Former president of Georgia (MA 1994)
-
Monica Macovei, Former Romanian Minister of Justice, Current Member of the European Parliament (LLM 1993)
-
Orsat Miljenic, Diplomat and Former CroatianMinister of Justice (MA 1995)
-
Lívia Járóka, Current Hungarian Member of the European Parliament (MA 2001)
-
Polish Minister of Justice and former Polish Ombudsman, recipient of the 2018 Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize(LLM 2000)
Notable current or former academic staff
See also
Notes
- ^ "Stichtung CEU Foundation Holland". 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via Central European University website.
- ^ a b "CEU Facts and Figures – Central European University". Central European University. 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Students – Central European University". Central European University. 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "CEU Refreshes Its Visual Identity". Central European University. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Lydia Gall (25 October 2018). "Central European University". Human Rights Watch.
The CEU, one of the most prestigious universities in Central Europe...
- ^ "Politics & International Studies". Top Universities. 25 February 2020.
- – via www.nature.com.
- ^ "Elite university could close | DW | 20.04.2017". Deutsche Welle.
- ^ Bollag, Burton (2 November 2001). "George Soros will give $250-million to Central European University". Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- S2CID 219803889. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
The idea was that this small but highly complex part of the world, whose tragic experiences typically had been studied from a safe distance, would finally come to possess its own international hub of academic excellence in a Western-dominated and increasingly liberal world. After the sudden implosion of communist regimes, the great expectation was that the yawning gap which had opened in the region's scholarship in the twentieth century—between experience and reflection, or perhaps rather between intellects and institutions—could finally be closed.
- ^ a b "EVROPAEUM SUMMER SCHOOL SPEAKERS BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES" (PDF). europaeum.org/. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ "Rethinking Open Societies: Schools and Departments". Central European University. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". info.lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "Central European University". www.ceu.edu. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "About CIVICA - CIVICA". www.civica.eu.
- ^ "Inter University Centre Dubrovnik". iuc.hr. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ISBN 963 85230 4 2
- ^ Struhárik, Filip (25 September 2016). "Bratislava mohla mať prestížnu univerzitu. Politici a nacionalisti tento plán zničili". Denník N.
- ^ Durcanin, Cynthia. "Central European University to Leave Prague". The Prague Post. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "ceu.hu – Welcome from the President and Rector". Archived from the original on 17 January 2012.
- ^ a b "CEU | About CEU & Budapest". Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2008. Bard College: About CEU and Budapest
- ^ "George Soros Steps down as Chairman of CEU Board". Archived from the original on 23 October 2007.
- ^ "ceu.hu – John Shattuck Commences Term as New CEU President and Rector". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012.
- ^ "Michael Ignatieff Elected 5th President and Rector of CEU". Central European University Newsroom. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ a b Spike, Justin (29 March 2017). "CEU faces existential threat under proposed legislation". The Budapest Beacon. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ a b "CEU Responds to Proposed Amendments in Hungarian Higher Education Law". Central European University. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "CEU Statement on Proposed Higher Education Legislation Following Meeting With Minister Palkovics". Central European University. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "PM Orbán: "CEU Enjoyed Unfair Advantage Over Hungarian Universities" – UPDATED: Reaction by CEU & Statement By U.S. State Department!". Hungary today. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ Than, Krisztina (11 January 2017). "Ruling Fidesz party wants Soros-funded NGOs 'swept out' of Hungary". Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ Beauchamp, Zack (4 December 2018). "An assault on a Hungarian university shows authoritarianism in action". Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ Witte, Griff (3 September 2018). "Amid illiberal revolution in Hungary, a university with U.S. roots fights to stay". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ a b c "I don't recognise Viktor Orbán as a 'tyrant'" by Tibor Fischer, The Guardian, 20 April 2017
- ^ "CEU info". Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Government of Hungary's Proposed Legislation Impacting Central European University (CEU)". United States Government, State Department. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Ombudsman Says Amendment Discriminatory Against CEU, Pesti Sracok Reports". Central European University. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Navrasics Stands by CEU". Central European University. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Former President of Hungary Solyom Supports CEU". Central European University. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ Than, Krisztina (2 April 2017). "Thousands rally in Hungary in support of Soros-founded university". Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Babiš chce do Prahy přilákat Sorosovu Středoevropskou univerzitu. Nabídněme jí Invalidovnu, navrhuje". Aktualne.cz. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "CEU Submits Legal Memorandum to Hungarian Parliament". Central European University. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ Gorondi, Pablo (3 April 2017). "Hungary: Parliament to rush bill targeting Soros school". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ a b Walker, Shaun (3 December 2018). "'Dark day for freedom': Soros-affiliated university quits Hungary". Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "CEU forced out of Budapest". ceu.com. Central European University. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "The Trump administration tried to save a U.S. university by playing nice with an autocrat. It failed". washingtonpost.com. Washingtonpost. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "George Soros-funded CEU 'forced out' of Budapest". www.aljazeera.com.
- ^ Frum, David (10 April 2017). "Freedom Fights for Survival in Hungary". The Atlantic.
- ^ Foer, Franklin (9 May 2019). "Viktor Orbán's War on Intellect". The Atlantic. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Legal Victory for Central European University Is Too Little, Too Late". Balkan Insight. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ "The conditions introduced by Hungary to enable foreign higher education institutions to carry out their activities in its territory are incompatible with EU law" (PDF). Court of Justice of the European Union (Press release). 6 October 2020.
- Budapest, Hungary. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Russia Bans Central European University as 'Undesirable' Org". The Moscow Times. 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Uni Wien zieht Reißleine und sagt "Palestine"-Vortragsreihe ab". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "CEU Talks: Hamas' 7 October Attack, Terrorism Strategy and State-building". Central European University. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Außer Kontrolle: Antisemitismus an der Central European University". OTS.at (in German). Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "CEU Stands Against Antisemitism and Defends Academic Freedom | Central European University". www.ceu.edu. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Schools and Departments". Central European University. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- ^ "Schools and Departments | Central European University". www.ceu.edu. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "Institutional Factbook: Student Admissions | Central European University". www.ceu.edu. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "QS World University Rankings 2020". Top Universities. 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Central European University". Top Universities. 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Teaching | Central European University". www.ceu.edu.
- ^ "Central European University". Top Universities. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "QS Intelligence Unit | Policies & Conditions". Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "CEU Undergraduate". CEU Undergraduate.
- ^ "European Research Council – Economics". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Předplatné LN". Archived from the original on 4 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Central European University – Contributions to Hungary" (PDF).
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Central European University. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Accreditation | Central European University". www.ceu.edu.
- ^ "About Us – OSA Archivum". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
- ^ "CEU Cooperation". studieren.univie.ac.at. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Academic Cooperation Agreements | Central European University". www.ceu.edu. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Alumni". Central European University. 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Archived- President of Georgia". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
- ^ "Archived- Lívia Járóka". Archived from the original on 23 June 2009.
- ^ "CEU kündigt Teilübersiedlung von Budapest nach Wien an". Salzburger Nachrichten/APA. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ Budný, Lubomír (17 May 2017). "Středoevropská univerzita se do Olomouce nepřestěhuje". Olomoucký deník (in Czech). Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ "Adam Bodnar nagrodzony przez Central European University w Budapeszcie". bip.brpo.gov.pl (in Polish). 23 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ "Pawel Rowinski (ENVS '91)". Alumni Relations Office. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ "CEU Alumni Profiles". Central European University. 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
Further reading
- Enyedi, Zsolt (2018). "Democratic Backsliding and Academic Freedom in Hungary". Perspectives on Politics. 16 (4): 1067–1074. S2CID 150203242.
External links
- Official website – Central European University
- CEU Executive MBA
- Notable alumni of Central European University