News

Batumi Shota Rustaveli Univeristy gathered scientists from Moldova, Azerbaijan and Georgia to discuss priorities and problems of the electronic governance system at the conference: Electronic Governance – Achievements and Prospects. The presenters pointed out various issues related to the problems which should be tackled ahead of the electronic governance system development and its establishment throughout Georgia. The conference intended dissemination of the international and national experience. It was the second international conference on Electronic Governance, Achievements and Prospects hosted by the Batumi University. The conference was organized jointly by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences and Georgian Institute of Political Studies.

Batumi Shota Rustaveli University hosted a delegation of scholars and educators from Ordu Social Sciences School, Turkey. The hosts introduced the Turkish colleagues to the history of Batumi University, the educational programs and the Faculties. The Georgian-Turkish parties set forth joint collaborative projects, including exchange programs and number of research projects. The HEIs will promote cooperation in the future, and will sign Memorandum of Agreement.

Professor Joshua Lawson from Saskatchewan University, Canada, visited Batumi University within a joint research project framework, which focuses on respiratory diseases. Prof. Lawson specializes on respiratory epidemiology. The current research goals are study of asthma cases among children and identification and analysis of the major risk factors, which will be done in collaboration with Georgian colleagues. The project is coordinated by Prof. Vakhtang Beridze, BSU, who launched the project together with colleagues from Silesia, Poland, to promote diagnosing and improve treatment in the region. The social survey already includes 6000 students from Batumi and the vicinities. Prof. Lawson was hosted by Prof. Merab Khalvashi, Acting Rector and Prof. Marina Koridze, Dean of the Health Care Faculty.

Batumi Shota Rustaveli University hosted 5 MA students from Armenia Vanadzor University. The guest graduate school students arrived for study visit in order to have a closer look at the Masters program ‘Management of Higher Education’. The students audited lectures, observed the specifics of the educational process and also found time to take sneak peeks of the city sites of Batumi. They will return to Armenia followed by their exchange Georgian peers from Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University. This project also envisages exchange of two successful MA students from BSU to Koblenz, Germany, to take part in the summer school. Prof. Merab Khalvashi, acting Rector of BSU, professors and educators held a welcome meeting, emphasizing the significance of the exchange projects and wished the students further success in their efforts.

Elections for the Acting Rector has revealed the successful candidate shortly after the polls closed, - Associate Professor Merab Khalvashi has been elected as the Acting Rector by the majority of votes, 299 out of the eligible 312 casted by the BSU professors and scholars.
Other candidates who also stood for the post Associate Professor Merab Khalvashi - 107 votes, Associate Professor Irakli Baramidze - 80 votes, Ramaz Khalvashi - 60 votes, Vladimir Baladze - 36 votes, Malkhaz Nakashidze - 9 votes, and 7 vote were declared invalid according to the polling protocol.