On 12 May 2022, the Director of SKVC signed an order to accredit the Panevėžio kolegija (Panevėžys College) for a 7-year term.
The experts assessed the Panevėžys College performance positively.
The performance of the higher education institution is assessed in four areas. The areas of Management and Quality Assurance were rated as satisfactory - meeting the minimum requirements, but there are drawbacks that need to be addressed. The areas of Studies and Research (Art) and Impact on Regional and National Development are developed systematically and without major drawbacks and are were rated good. The experts identified seven examples of good practice and made twenty-five recommendations.
According to the experts, the College has a clear mission and vision, a comprehensive strategic plan, which is developed and regularly reviewed with the involvement of social stakeholders. However, the plan is too complex and needs not only quantitative but also qualitative indicators, and overall strategic planning needs to be more closely linked to strategic resource planning.
The College has qualified teachers and is constantly looking for more researchers. Financial resources are used appropriately. In addition to public funds, other sources of funding are attracted. However, careful consideration should be given to whether additional financial resources risk distorting the College's mission to provide knowledge-based teaching and applied research.
The quality management system of the Panevėžys College complies with the provisions and guidelines of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) as well as the requirements of ISO 9001. The institution has an ambitious approach to quality assurance, and the quality management system is elaborated. Nevertheless, the material submitted to the Panel did not focus sufficiently on the results of the system and thus on its effectiveness in achieving its objectives.
The College has succeeded in creating a strong informal quality culture that involves not only staff and students but also alumni and social partners. The sense of community at the College is extremely strong and provides excellent opportunities for continuous improvement. However, the College needs to simplify its quality management system so that the organisation is not overburdened with overly complex processes and procedures. The College should focus on a smaller set of KPIs to be met and include a number of qualitative objectives in addition to quantitative targets. The Panel considers that a simplified quality management system would be more efficient as it would allow the College to save human resources for its academic activities, which are at the heart of the institution's mission.
The studies organised by the Panevėžys College are in line with its mission to provide qualifications that meet the employment needs of the region. However, the College should ensure that its study programmes not only meet today's business and market needs, but also anticipate tomorrow's needs in today's changing world. Particular attention should be paid to internationalisation, which the College identifies as one of its objectives.
In order to achieve its goal of internationalisation, the higher education institution should ensure that the information it provides is not only available in English but also in Lithuanian, both internally and externally. Internationalisation could create greater value for the College and foster a stronger culture of change and a willingness to go beyond local boundaries. An increased focus on research and technological development and the strengthening of funding for applied research, with a view to becoming a regional centre for applied sciences, could help attract more international partners, students and faculty.
The Panevėžys College was established in 2002 from the merger of three higher schools, and in 2004 it absorbed the pedagogical division of Panevėžys Conservatory. Its current management and governance structures were adopted in 2016 and 2020. Its governing bodies are the Council and the Academic Board, with the Director the head of the management. There are three faculties, Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technology Sciences, which between them deliver 20 study programmes across seven study fields. On 1 October 2020 there were 1330 students enrolled, with 200 staff employed, 121 of them teachers (full-time equivalent - 54) and 18 administrators (all full-time). Over the last five years 1576 students have graduated.
The full evaluation report of the Panevėžys College can be found here.
