Economic return (both private and social) from bachelor and master education is positive;
DU ensures the possibilities for the students to continue studies.
Weak points:
there is no systematic approach to developing and discussing long-term and short-term development plan.
Solutions:
to form the DU long-term and short-term development planning system;
to form a unified system of the DU activity quality control and analysis.
8. summary
strong points:
DU has successfully carried out a study reform in the result of which a contemporary study system, which is harmonized with the system of other Latvian and European leading higher education establishments, has been created (bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degrees, credit point system and accreditation);
the possibilities to study in different thematic spheres are expanding;
pursuant to the DU strategy the proportion and significance of the research work for the development of the university have essentially grown; the number of professors and associate professors in different branches of science with the basic job at the establishment has substantially grown;
the number of master and doctoral students has essentially increased;
the Centre of Doctoral studies and Research Coordination and Information department have been founded in the DU Department of Science;
the amount of the attracted funding and DU participation in international and local research projects have grown;
the cooperation with regional industrial enterprises and local authorities is expanding;
the international cooperation and exchange of students and lecturers are expanding;
the academic staff is considerably younger than that in other Latvia’s higher education establishments;
to promote the growth of the portion of the academic staff’s scientific and methodological work a new order of distribution and registration of academic staff’s workload has been established;
the DU structure has been optimized by establishing new faculties, institutes and administrative structural units;
the Budget Committee is responsible for strategic issues of finances, thus assuring the transparency of the use of financial resources;
new technologies are used to improve the DU library work; two free-access reading-rooms have been opened;
in several branches the projects of scientific literature exchange are successfully realized;
study premises, students hostels and the sport complex are being repaired and renovated;
the number and intensity of the use of computer technologies and audio-visual equipment in the study process have considerably increased.
weak points:
the DU does not completely meet the requirement for professional study programmes and programmes bearing on engineering sciences and agriculture which it might implement;
there are certain problems pertaining to assurance of the potential foreign students with the courses in English;
insufficient and outdated technical basis in laboratories;
because of financial problems many regional industrial enterprises take little part in promoting the development of science and their interest in cooperating with the university is, therefore, small;
the number of researchers and leading researches is comparatively smaller than average indicator in other Latvia’s higher education establishments;
the university lecturers are not sufficiently active in using opportunities of having in-service training in universities abroad and seldom take leaves for research work;
the decision of management and other decision-making institutions are insufficiently reflected in the university newspaper and in the DU web site;
several structural units are not active enough in attracting financing from Latvia’s and EU funds, industrial enterprises and municipalities;
the attraction of financial resources for certain sectors of the university utilities is comparatively ineffective.
solutions:
to proceed with creating new study programmes in compliance with the regional requirements and in cooperation with other Latvia’s higher education establishments;
to stimulate lecturers to advise students to use teaching and scientific literature in foreign languages;
to promote the participation in exchange projects of students and lecturers and in having in-service training in foreign universities;
every study programme should pay more attention to strengthening contacts with representatives of professional organizations, employers and graduates;
work at drawing up projects for EU structural funds, purposeful updating the infrastructure of science pursuant to the DU strategy, thus developing branches of science necessary for the region; a rapid development of cooperation with industrial enterprises;
development and modernization of doctoral studies;
to analyse the work of management quality assurance and information exchange systems in other Latvian and foreign higher education institutions and adopt their positive experience;
to improve the work of internal information exchange system and the information exchange with the society;
to found a project and economic development department;
