Frederick University braces for major leaps in Cyprus

— Aim to attract more students from Greece

 

The overwhelming changes taking place at Frederick University will see it attracting more students from Europe, particularly from Greece, while a 60% leap in the payroll will allow it to attract more high-caliber professors.

With fees only expected to rise 10% after the second year and then in accordance with the cost of living index, funds are expected to come in from research grants, as well as incubator programmes and joint ventures.

However, its annual budget is expected to jump from the present CYP 7,5-8 mln (EUR 12,8-13,6 mln) as FIT to CYP 11 mln (EUR 18,8 mln) as Frederick University. That alone will be a tough burden to carry.

The Frederick, as it is more commonly known, is the only of the three new private universities to boast six academic schools, while it will maintain the Frederick Institute of Technology as a separate but downsized entity with an estimated 500 students following career-driven diploma courses. Its academic role is being taken over by the University and FIT will continue with a two-year programme for beauticians, secretarial, audio-visual and communications.

“This change is great for us, it is big, and we hope to gradually increase our student body from the present 3,000 to 3,500 with the new academic year and a target of 4,500 to 5,000 at the end of the four-year probation period,” Christoforos Charalambous, Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, told the Financial Mirror.

Dr Charalambous was one of the six-member Executive Committee charged with the tasks assigned by the interim governing body, until the final university permit was announced by the Ministry of Education last week.

“Now all our students have the same rights and recognition as all the students at the University of Cyprus. Furthermore, with 80-85% of our student body at present coming from the local market, we hope to increase the number of foreign students, especially from Greece that has an estimated 60,000 students at accredited overseas universities,” Charalambous said.

Plans to upgrade FIT to a university started over 15 years ago, when the founders decided to move away from the public perception the college had gained as a vocational school.

 

— Milestone

 

“This (licensing) decision was a milestone,” Charalambous said. “Many things will change. For the students, they will enjoy a rise in the value of their degree. They will have the same rights and recognition as graduates of the University of Cyprus.”

He said that there will be a fundamental boost in staff and student numbers and quality. “Now we will even see a surge as it will be easier to attract new academic staff, but it will cost more.”

Salary scales for professors at Frederick University will now be identical to those at the University of Cyprus, which means that the payroll will go up by about 60%. At present Frederick employs 250 academic and administration staff and the aim is to maintain a teacher to student ratio of 1:12.5, which is universally acceptable. At FIT this ratio was higher. While some staff will move from FIT to the university, the first year will also see a general increase in staff.

The university is operated by Mesokeleas Ltd., a non-profit company established by the founders of FIT, the Frederikou family. The new entity can maintain high reserves, but reinvest any surplus in the university or research or to finance the increased aid to students of CYP 1 mln (EUR 1,71 mln) in the form of annual scholarships, Charalambous said.

“For ten years now we have based our courses on university standards and at the end of the four year assessment period, the university will gain a permanent accreditation.”

“At FIT even the name had a misconception of heavy leaning to engineering, while our biggest school is that of the arts, which will now become the school of Applied Arts to include graphic, advertising and interior design as well as architecture by the end of this academic year,” he said.

The other five schools at Frederick University offering Bachelors and Masters degrees are Engineering and Applied Sciences (civil and mechanical), Economics, Education, Health Sciences to eventually support the development of paramedical studies with nursing, health management (in cooperation with the business school) and biology introduced as new courses.

The last is the School of Social Sciences and Humanities that contains the existing course for journalism and a course for social workers.

 

— Skills

 

The trend is to provide education to develop skills that are transferable to the market.

“We have to become industry oriented and keep direct links with the real needs of the Cyprus economy,” Charalambous said.

“An issue of concern is electronic illiteracy, so we plan to give out free PCs to students in the first year and for the second and third years secure them at heavily reduced prices.”

Even though the transformation from a college to a university will see its first year budget increase by just under 40%, Frederick has many ways to secure grants (through research), incubator programmes and joint ventures.

One of the strongest features of FIT was research, with many EU-funded programmes financed from the 5^th and 6^th Framework Protocol as well as the Institute of Research Development of Cyprus.

Cyprus must conform with the EU target set by the Lisbon Agenda to raise R&D investments from 0,2% to 3% of GDP, new sources must also be shared.

Hinting that the three new universities may consider working together, Charalambous  said that “we hope to gain more from cooperation than competition.”

But that will be determined by the new management structure that will see the present Governing Council chaired by former Education Minister Ouranios Ioannides and the new academic senate to be elected in three months’ time.

However, the transition will be smooth as the present dean of FIT, Prof Michalis Papadopoulos of the world-renown Aristoteleio University of Greece, is not expected to be challenged and will most likely become the first Rector of Frederick University.