This week, the University of Pécs is hosting the EDUC Staff Week, welcoming participants from partner universities across Europe. Organized by the European Digital UniverCity (EDUC) alliance, this event is focused on enhancing collaboration and strengthening community ties among European universities. Throughout the week, the participants engage in a mix of theoretical discussions, practical workshops, and hands-on volunteer experiences all designed to foster stronger connections between alliance members and the local community.
In his opening speech, Péter Árvai, Deputy Director of the International Centre at the University of Pécs, highlighted the crucial yet often unrecognized role of community managers within university alliances.
„The community manager's role in this alliance is somehow vital, yet in many cases unseen or unrecognized," Árvai said.
He noted that building a sense of community within each university, while promoting the benefits of the EDUC alliance, can sometimes be challenging, particularly when balancing these efforts with the individual marketing and communication goals of each institution.
The four-day event is designed to address these challenges and help participants better understand key concepts such as dissemination, community management, and the diverse behaviors of target audiences. „We designed this four days of training to start off with a series of theoretical lectures to have a common understanding of what we talk about when we talk about community building, dissemination or community management," Árvai explained.
A highlight of the week focuses on practical, hands-on community building.
Participants are given the opportunity to volunteer at the university’s Department of Paediatrics or the Misina Animal Rescue Centre, helping both patients and animals in need.
This initiative not only gives the visiting staff a firsthand experience of giving back to the local community but also demonstrated the power of community engagement in action.
Árvai emphasized that while individual universities may sometimes feel they can progress faster by working independently, the true strength of the European alliances lies in cooperation.
„Alone you can go faster, but together we can go further,"
he remarked, underscoring the core philosophy behind EDUC and similar collaborative efforts in higher education. By working together, European universities can collectively shape the future of education in the region and strengthen their competitive edge globally.
One of the week's key themes is understanding how to engage with younger generations, particularly Generation Z and Generation Alpha, whose attention spans and digital behaviors differ greatly from previous generations. With shared insights, universities can help each other navigate academic seas with the help of generational research, refining how they engage with these tech-savvy and fast-paced students.
As EDUC Staff Week continues, participants are sharing best practices and success stories from their respective institutions, while also taking part in activities that help them forge stronger connections across the alliance. The week promises to be an invaluable experience, both in terms of professional development and community engagement, leaving attendees with new ideas and a renewed sense of purpose.
„This is not just about learning new concepts or sharing knowledge," Árvai concluded.
„It's about building lasting connections
because these will last longer than the slides.” – added humorously.
Ultimately, the EDUC Staff Week is not just an opportunity for professional development but also a meaningful experience in building bridges — between universities, between staff and between the university community and the city of Pécs.
