Strengths and future challenges identified: focus on teaching, research, internationalization, relationships with the local area and more
“Strong relationships between faculty and students appreciated across all disciplines and courses,” “flexibly accessible” laboratories, and a new collaboration that “will allow us to monitor graduate employment over a longer time frame”: these are some of the main “strengths” recognized at the University of the Republic of San Marino by the Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP), an independent international quality assessment agency that has previously scrutinized academic institutions such as the Polytechnic University of Turin, the National University of Colombia, and the University of Lisbon.
In a report released following a series of activities involving five IEP evaluators and eight University officials in San Marino, which involved analyses, in-depth studies, interviews, and site visits throughout the San Marino region, the list of positive aspects expands to include not only teaching and learning, but also research, dissemination, and internationalization. Highlighted in this regard are, among other things, the "effective dissemination" of scientific output within the San Marino community, collaboration with employers and businesses, the "revitalization of the historic center," and the benefits generated by activities such as teacher and public servant training, as well as the "fundamental role" played "in the development of the new museum complex and the visual identity of the country's museums." The University of San Marino, the report states, supports the San Marino's participation in events "of global importance such as the Dubai and Osaka Expos."
In addition to identifying areas of excellence, the Institutional Evaluation Programme report suggests several areas for intervention to further develop existing potential: "The lack of adequate student housing limits the ability to maintain and expand enrollment," courses taught in English should increase, and one of the additional challenges is the "financial difficulties related to research activities." In this sense, EU-related prospects could allow "participation in Horizon Europe funding. The University, it is noted, aims to establish a dedicated office to assist in obtaining" this type of financial support for scientific production.
Maximum attention is also paid to the continuous updating of staff skills, taking into account the digitalization of processes and the need to provide new services.
The university portrayed in the report is one for which some of the most significant recent changes have been its entry into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), participation in the Erasmus+ programme, the requirement for periodic external quality assessments, and the possibility of hiring full-time international faculty on permanent contracts.
Among its strengths is the presence of the "Territorial Pact, which plays an important consultative role. It brings together the University and a series of key stakeholders in San Marino society, including representatives of local schools, the administration, businesses, trade unions, sports and cultural associations, students, academic staff, and major employers from the Emilia-Romagna region." Within this framework, "issues such as the University's future development, proposed new degree programs, and fundraising strategies" are discussed.
For the University of San Marino, the Institutional Evaluation Programme's approval represents an authoritative certification both internally and internationally: the agency is in fact a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).