Approved by: ECA International Support Council
on December 20, 2023; and ECA Senate on January 10, 2024.

DEVELOPMENT Strategy 2024-2028

Introduction

European Christian Academy (ECA) is a university of applied sciences, which is developing as a dynamic higher education institution of the common European higher education area. ECA is located in the city of Jūrmala, Latvia.

ECA has been issuing bachelor’s and master’s diplomas since 1997, when it received accreditation.

ECA, as a university of applied sciences, is the only private university in Latvia whose rector and founder, and the author of the strategic idea, is an academic person. The Academy has had an International Support Council since 1993, and the main directions of research and education are interdisciplinary integrated social work, social policy, orthodox theology and church visual arts sciences. All study programs are included in the so-called “ancient innovation” methodological framework, which develops the integration of European social policy and Judeo-Christian anthropological science in the field of helping professions.

The objectives of European Christian Academy are:

• Work as a higher education and research institution that implements bachelor and master level educational programs in accordance with the national higher education standard;
• While developing applied study research work, also develop lifelong learning programs that are consistent with the requirements of the labor market in order to promote development according to future needs;
• In parallel with education, conduct qualitative applied research, using innovative methodologies and ensuring interdisciplinary knowledge, as well as technology transfer in economic sectors related to welfare, in order to preserve the basis of European values, at the same time adapt to changes in the external environment.

In order to achieve the above mentioned goals, careful cooperation with international partner institutions is necessary, which is the core of the ECA internationalization process. Internationalization, through cooperation with social dialogue industries, promotes the transfer of innovations. Internally, we have divided this cooperation into 4 categories:

• Priority partnerships: these partnerships are of major importance for the entire university, and are the responsibility of university management. They are confirmed by the Senate and coordinated by the ECA International Support Council;
• Erasmus partnerships: these partnerships focus on the exchange of students, teachers and non-academic university staff. European Christian Academy is a member of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE);
• Individual partnerships: these include partnerships concluded on the initiatives of individual teachers and departments. Individual partnerships are established by the conclusion of formal cooperation agreements;
• International contacts of teaching staff: these connections mainly come about through contacts of individuals, and arise from academic networks.

The status of the partnerships is flexible. Therefore, individual partnerships can become priority partnerships at a later stage, or vice versa. However, partnership long-term cooperation is in close relation with strategic objectives of ECA.

Priority cooperation organizations that have a special importance in the strategic education and research work of the entire university:

• European Commission’s organization EZA – European Center for Workers’ Questions and Social Dialogue (DE).

It is a platform that unites European universities, cultural, social and research institutions, developing a well-functioning social dialogue, which is a key component for European social development and for the development of social work profession at macro level. EZA includes 68 organizations with which ECA is in interactive educational and applied research cooperation.

This platform is particularly important in the development of the ECA strategy, because the participation in the EZA organization since 2004 gives the university an accurate knowledge of the European political course of social welfare, promotes the connection of integrated social dialogue, equal opportunities and socio-ethical principles – solidarity, subsidiarity, sustainability – with the study process.

As we know, social dialogue is the basis for the development of democracy in the European Union, which promotes the productivity and competitiveness of applied education in the labor market. Issues such as human employment, green environment and digital transformation have become as important as the student-centered approach and the labor market in ECA. Annual conferences attended by ECA teaching staff and employers from all over Europe gives the study process a strategic, value-oriented, sustainable approach.

In its strategy, the Academy stands for human dignity, human rights, social responsibility, personal freedom as fundamental prerequisites for social justice and social cohesion in Europe. The concept of “Europe” in the globalized world means more to the ECA collective than geographical, institutional or financial unity. Above all, ECA concept of Europe reminds us of the common traditions and values ​​of Europe. In our study programs, the concept of “Europe” evokes the Greek democracy, the Roman Republic, the anthropological depth and history of Judeo-Christians, the intellectual power of Judeo-Christians and makes us think about the roots of Europe, protecting them.

Europe, as an intellectual unity, a human-centered space, carries a special mission of peace. The European social policy agenda is integrated into all study programs as a strategic task. Precisely because of this strategic task, in the last week of May every academic year, the European Commission’s EZA field seminar and conference is held, in which all teaching staff and students of the Academy, as well as employers and trade union representatives participate.

Students at the applied sciences university learn how to enter a safe European labor market, which is a decent salary, living and working conditions, equal opportunities in education and participation.

Thanks to such a strategic centering of European social welfare policy, students learn helping professions as a task to serve people and to understand that the European social doctrine develops the personality’s ability not to isolate itself from others, to act in the name of friendship, brotherhood, family and other forms of life. Subsidiarity as an important principle of responsibility that forces a person to self-organize, enter the labor market and help other people. Students learn subsidiarity as the opposite of the use of force, because subsidiarity cannot exist without democracy.

ECA works inclusively, respecting each of its members. Students learn solidarity as a social principle for compassionate cohesion, spreading good and just ideas.

Thanks to the participation in EZA, ECA as an applied university emphasizes the necessity of the labor market and understands work as a human activity supported by social relations in order to materially transform the environment. This practical approach recognizes that work is not just a paid activity, but includes a variety of opportunities to work, including volunteering, the ability to build good relationships with family and the surrounding community.

• IXE-GROUP (Initiatives of Christians for Europe) (FR)
• Semaines Sociales de France (FR)

In this sense, ECA strategically sees itself as part of the Christian social movement in Europe, and for this reason is a partner in the European Commission, i.e. IXE-Group, which is a network organization from different European countries, uniting lay organizations, including educational organizations. The network aims to advance the social doctrine of the Church in order to achieve the goals of European social policy, using knowledge and understanding of today’s cultural differences and their historical foundations. The organization is linked to the Semaines Sociales de France (SSF) historically and today, and raises issues of social cohesion in society.

ECA in this network organization emphasizes the need for anthropological knowledge in the helping professions as a tool for understanding people and society and serving the common good.

The role of EZA and IXE-Group in the strategic unity of ECA with European social welfare policy, the current agenda of the European Commission is fundamentally important.

 

Taking into account the need for integrated knowledge of Judeo-Christian anthropology in the helping professions, in addition to socio-political organizations, ECA cooperates with such European associations as:

• Embassy of Israel in Latvia
• Israel’s prestigious research center – Israel Antiquities Authority (IL)
• Rockefeller Archeological Museum (IL)
• Ben-Gurion University in the Negev (IL)
• Jerusalem University (IL)
• Bethlehem University (IL)

These organizations have been and still have a special meaning in the strategic development of the university. University teaching staff have long participated in international archaeological excavation expeditions organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Rockefeller Museum, which bring together archaeologists, anthropologists, theologians, sociologists, and historians from various universities around the world.

It is the cooperation with Israel that has enriched the strategic concept of European Christian Academy with the necessity of Jewish and ancient Christian anthropological knowledge in the modern helping professions. Because historically, the science of anthropology has brought intellectual brilliance not only to the Jewish culture, but also to the foundations of European values, viewing man and society as a holistic whole.

The strategic cooperation with the mentioned Israeli organizations advances the concept continuously and brings a lot of innovation to the common European higher education area.

 

It is because of the dissemination of these anthropological innovations that the Academy has become a partner of several social work research organizations in Europe:

• EASSW (European Association of Schools of Social Work)
• EASSW (European Association of Schools of Social Work)
• ESWRA (European Social Work Research Association)
• EUROMF (European Middle Field organization) (BE)
• IDC (International Diaconate Center) (DE)
• EASA (European Association of Social Anthropologists)
• ECAC (European Continental Art Centre) (NL)
• Semmelweis University Institute of Mental Health (HU),
• International Social Academy (ISA) (LT),
• KatHO (Catholic University of Applied Sciences of North Rhine-Westphalia) (DE)
• Klaipeda University (LT)
• Babes-Bolyai University (RO)
• DIAK – Association of Diaconia Applied Universities in Finland
• The Council for Cooperation Between Specialists in Social Work (SDSSP) at the Ministry of Welfare of Republic of Latvia (LV)

Thanks to the cooperation with the mentioned strategic priority organizations, especially with European Commission’s EZA organization, IXE-Group, and Israeli research and educational organizations, Christian Academy since its beginnings has developed the client-centered concept of social work in Latvia.

There is problem-oriented social work and client-oriented social work. Client-oriented social work has developed within the Judeo-Christian anthropological tradition and has been a fundamental factor of the European social work profession since the 4^th century. Since the end of 19^th century and the beginning of 20^th century, problem-oriented social work developed in Europe, which is a much younger form of social work. The strategic task of ECA has been to learn the European roots of social work, to innovatively introduce them into the modern concept of social work. With this strategic centering, the ECA study programs are different from the social work programs offered by other universities. For this reason, the Academy has strategic research contacts with social work organizations such as the International Diaconate Center (IDC), Klaipeda University, Semaines Sociales de France, Jerusalem University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, which have cultivated and helped ECA to develop the client-oriented concept of social work.

Connections with employers are of particular importance – The Cooperation Council of Social Work Specialists (SDSSP) of the Ministry of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia as a cooperation partner of European Christian Academy has not only provided awareness of the development trends of social work in Latvia, but also included representatives of the academy in the development groups of the social worker profession standard and promoted the approval of Caritative Social Work in normative documents. SDSSP member is ECA rector Skaidrīte Gūtmane. Among Latvian employer organizations, ECA has developed cooperation with the Riga City Council Welfare Department, Riga Social Service, Jūrmala City Welfare Department, and the State Agency for Social Integration (SIVA).

 

Mission and vision

Mission

We are an interdisciplinary applied sciences educational and research institution. We study people and society in all its diversity in order to understand, explain, inform and advise, as well as live in a better and more socially just world. We study society because we care about the personality of the person with whom our graduates will have to work. It is our responsibility to discover European and global social opportunities with evidence and innovative insights. We combine different fields of science in our studies to understand people and society.

The strong orientation of the political and European anthropological values ​​of social welfare was, is and will always be the core for who we are and what we do. With innovations that derive from “antique anthropological knowledge” in connection with modern European Social Agenda and labor market – our students, teachers, graduates, are able and willing to give their applied knowledge to the openness and benefit of society.

We are committed to profound applied scientific research, accurate analysis, healthy theorizing in the context of cooperation and mutual respect. The quality of education is at the center of our concern since 1997. Social dialogue and employment organizations, employers, trade unions and European universities are our platform.

We see our students as interdisciplinary experts in applied, humanitarian professions. Studies are based in empirical evidence, in caring for people. The university is open to free critical thinking – a place for dialogue and discussion.

Vision

Our vision is to educate people for social change, in a just and inclusive society, using integrative and transformative social welfare policy and anthropological knowledge in the education of social workers and visual artists, research, as well as responsibility and compassion to fellow human beings.

Our values ​​are to discover the value and importance of the ancient European anthropological tradition in professions where one have to work with people.

Unity and engagement: We are fully aware of the importance of togetherness in finding solutions in the postmodern age of the global world. We work with partners and stakeholders.

Honesty and honesty is revealed in our intentions and wishes to implement applied education. We teach and learn openly, ethically and independently – with respect for each other and to the work of another.

Responsibility and enterprising to students and society. We take every opportunity to ensure that students are pleased with the education they obtain and the result of it.

Innovative: We believe that contemporary challenges require new answers. We find them in innovations resulting from the “anthropological traditions of ancient Europe”. With this, we are different from other universities and are able to bring this innovation into the common European higher education area. We dare to introduce them into professions that innovatively lead the people in crises to an effective result.

Critical and broad-minded: We believe that an open, innovative, and critical spirit is essential for a well-functioning academic environment, educating social workers and other social welfare professionals as well as artists. We use old ideas to find fresh approaches to professional development and research.

 

Strengths of strategic values

We are a higher education and research institution that implements bachelor and master level educational programs in accordance with the national higher education standard.

The strength of our strategy is the effort to develop objectives that correspond to a certain strategic specialization. Therefore, we not only develop the quality and content of study programs, but also try to connect it with research, so that both education and research meet the requirements of the modern labor market and ensure the sustainability of society.

Secondly, we make sure that students grow into enterprising, creative, responsible personalities during their studies.

Thirdly, our teaching staff conduct applied research and involve students in it, so that they understand that in any sector of the economy, the transfer of knowledge and technology is important in order to respond flexibly to changes in the social environment.

Fourthly, we cooperate very actively with social dialogue industries – through partnership in the European Commission organization EZA (European Center for Workers’ Questions and Social Dialogue), thus achieving the development of cooperation platforms and the transfer of innovations.

For this reason, we support flexible learning methodologies so that students are culturally educated in the modern labor market.

Fifth, for ECA students and teachers, Christianity means an open and inclusive approach to all people and situations with a decent and honest attitude towards them.

 

Methodology

In order to implement the strengths of the Strategic Development Plan, ECA uses the strategic foresight method, which responds to three challenges:

1. Speed ​​of changes: increased amount of social, technological, theological, anthropological, sociological and other knowledge, which acts as a promoter of innovation and adaptation processes, as well as shortens organizational, bureaucratic and administrative planning cycles,
2. Reduction of informative blindness: by analyzing data and filtering information to move forward according to our planned goals and execute existing plans,
3. Reducing inertia: in the strategic plan, the Academy focuses on current needs, effective actions, flexible knowledge that is used in harmony with the European social employment agenda.

As part of our strategic foresight, we are building networks to collaborate with other universities and researchers to improve the quality of academic outreach.

The Strategic Plan is flexible, corrections are made regularly in it, priorities are updated, and by joining forces for the main priorities of the given study year, e.g., Covid-19, we successfully continued social work education, adapting it to online learning opportunities.

The strategic foresight method assumes the ability to flexibly adapt to new information without discarding previously learned values. What is happening in society affects the university, so we bring changes to the plan in order to work in harmony with what is important to society. Foresight and future competence are part of ECA’s decision-making process.

The strategic foresight method is based on the quality culture of the Academy. The quality culture focuses on:

• positive participation or shared ownership,
• the ability of every Academy teaching staff to act creatively, not formally, to be efficient and accessible,
• involve students;
• coordinate all interested stakeholders – teaching staff, students, graduates, employers – in the formation of education policy;
• and base quality culture management on 3 pillars:
  • sustainable, interdisciplinary research
  • internationalization, cooperating with social dialogue industries, promoting the involvement in labor market and transfer of innovations,
  • digital transformations related to the student-centered study process.

 

We are united by:

Shared ownership is an important requirement for monitoring and ensuring the quality of education; it means that ownership is realized by all parties involved at different levels, starting with individual teaching staff in the program components, up to the supervision realized by the International Support Council, the Senate and the Board. These levels support each other. Since 1993, our quality culture has been shaped by program review and evaluation meetings and other initiatives and formations, including the Student Council and employers.

Be creative, not formal, be efficient and accessible. The main strength of the quality culture is the many informal communication opportunities and shortcuts in the university, bypassing the administrative bureaucracy, as well as ensuring direct communication between all levels of the organization. This allows us to react quickly and always find innovative and most suitable solutions.

Active student involvement and suggestions. ECA students participate at all levels of the university – in the creation of an educational strategy, evaluation of the quality of programs, dialogue with teaching staff and the study department, sociological surveys.

Coordination with external stakeholders. ECA also attracts graduates, employers, partners, inter-university teaching staff, various academic networks for the evaluation and monitoring of the quality of study programs. External partners act as our antennae and shield – that’s why they play an important role: in the Senate’s activities, they share their vision in quality assurance, international coordination and many other important areas of activity for the university.

Quality assurance tools are as follows:

1. Evaluation meetings. As a private university, ECA attaches great importance to the Senate, which regularly evaluates study programs. Discussions take place in an atmosphere of participatory consensus, where examples of good practice and opportunities for improving study programs are discussed. It is a mandatory condition that teaching staff must rework their study course programs and update their bibliography every 2 years. This is imperative because education is student-centered;
2. Evaluating the quality of education using student surveys, allowing students to express their opinions about the quality of work of each teaching staff. It is not a waste of time, but the involvement of students in participatory consent;
3. Discussions with employers and graduates with the participation of teaching staff. This is done through alumni associations, employer associations and student fieldwork presentation conferences;
4. Analysis of different forms of study – full-time studies, part-time studies, online studies, distance learning studies, studies according to an individual plan, studies as a listener, etc. The study department uses this tool, compiling sociological surveys of students, to determine which form is most effective for the students and most appropriate for their life rhythm;
5. Examination quality analysis – after each semester, the reasons why individual students find it difficult to learn courses are clarified. The reasons tend to be very different. There are also such curious cases that the parents who pay for the studies are called in order to achieve a maximum positive result in the form of individual action.
6. Applied and academic research related to the actualities of the labor market and employment in the industry is the basis for good education and for the qualitative suitability for the selected type of higher education institution. ECA has committed to focus a large part of its resources on participation in the work of the Interdisciplinary Research Institute (SPI). The task of the institute is to cover the entire spectrum of social work in the welfare sector with research that is adaptable to the innovative development of study programs. Thoughtfully selected priority areas help ECA to participate in inter-university international networks and projects. ECA students and young researchers get acquainted with the practical achievements of Europe in the field of social work, acquiring an interdisciplinary approach to the profession and getting used to the fact that the profession of social work is not just a job, but a science and practice with deep historical roots. Students in the field of art learn the iconographic historical achievements of ancient Europe in unity with the applied skill of creating an icon.
7. ECA Research and Innovation Policy Plan, which is approved by the Senate and developed for five years. In the strategic framework, the main accents are, on the one hand, the topicality of the European social dialogue and, on the other hand, the ancient “Judeo-Christian” anthropological revelation to most effectively address the needs of the modern European labor market, employment and client identity crises, and to encourage responsibility for social welfare in the helping professions. In turn, iconographic art serves as an applied therapy tool for people with special needs.

The research and innovation policy plan includes 4 strategic objectives:

1. Emphasis on interdisciplinary research in welfare branch and in social work as a science;
2. Research innovations in the development of the profession of Caritative social work or client-oriented social work;
3. Human employment research to include the social work profession in macro innovations;
4. Innovative research methods – use of the method of integrative theology and anthropology.

Research proceeds from interdisciplinary positions, using the innovative Methodology of Integrative Theology and anthropology.