It has been suggested that Erasmus Mundus be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2012.

Erasmus students from 5 different countries gathering in Groningen, Netherlands

The Erasmus Programme (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students), a.k.a. Erasmus Project is a European Union (EU) student exchange programme established in 1987. It forms a major part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013, and is the operational framework for the European Commission's initiatives in higher education.

The Erasmus Programme, together with a number of other independent Programmes, was incorporated into the Socrates programme established by the European Commission in 1994. The Socrates programme ended on 31 December 1999 and was replaced with the Socrates II Programme on 24 January 2000, which in turn was replaced by the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 on 1 January 2007.

History[link]

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam

Origins of the name[link]

The Programme is named after the Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, known as an opponent of dogmatism, who lived and worked in many places in Europe to expand his knowledge and gain new insights, and who left his fortune to the University of Basel in Switzerland. At the same time, ERASMUS is a backronym meaning European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.

1987 European Commission proposal[link]

By the time the Erasmus Programme was adopted in June 1987, the European Commission had been supporting pilot student exchanges for 6 years. It proposed the original Erasmus Programme in early 1986, but reaction from the then Member States varied: those with substantial exchange Programmes of their own (essentially France, Germany and the United Kingdom) were broadly hostile; the remaining countries were broadly in favour. Exchanges between the Member States and Manuel Marin, the responsible member of the European Commission deteriorated, and the latter withdrew the proposal in early 1987 to protest against the inadequacy of the triennial budget proposed by some Member States. AEGEE, Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l'Europe, persuades French president François Mitterrand to support funding for the Erasmus programme, a student exchange program financed by the European Commission. In the next few months a compromise was worked out with a majority of Member States, and the Programme was adopted by simple majority in June 1987.

European Court of Justice decision[link]

This method of voting was not accepted by some of the opposing Member States, who challenged the adoption of the decision before the European Court of Justice. Although the Court held that the adoption was procedurally flawed, it maintained the substance of the decision; a further decision, adapted in the light of the jurisprudence, was rapidly adopted by the Council of Ministers.

Adoption and growth[link]

The Programme built on the 1981–1986 pilot student exchanges, and although it was formally adopted only shortly before the beginning of the academic year 1987/8, it was still possible for 3,244 students to participate in Erasmus in its first year. In 2006, over 150,000 students, or almost 1% of the European student population, took part. The proportion is higher among university teachers, where Erasmus teacher mobility is 1.9% of the teacher population in Europe, or 20,877 people.^{[citation needed]}

In the past twenty years, over two million students^[1] – 60% of Erasmus being female – have benefited from Erasmus grants, and the European Commission aims to reach a total of 3 million by 2012.^{[citation needed]}

Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013[link]

The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 replaced the Socrates programme as the overall umbrella under which the Erasmus (and other) Programmes operate from 2007.

Erasmus and Erasmus MUNDUS[link]

The Erasmus Mundus Programme is another, parallel Programme that is oriented towards globalising European education. Whereas the Erasmus Programme is open to Europeans, the Erasmus Mundus is open to non-Europeans with Europeans being exceptional cases. A typical example of an educational Programme under the Erasmus Mundus are EuMAS and WISHES.

Participation[link]

There are currently more than 4,000 higher institutions participating in Erasmus across the 33 countries involved in the Erasmus programme and over 2.2 million students^[2] have already taken part.

Requirements[link]

To participate in the Erasmus Programme students must be studying for a degree or diploma at a tertiary-level institution and must have completed their first year.

Details[link]

Students who join the Erasmus Programme study do an internship for a period of at least 3 months to an academic year in another European country. The Erasmus Programme guarantees that the period spent abroad is recognised by their university when they come back as long as they abide by terms previously agreed.

There continues to be a language barrier between the countries of Europe. Lectures may be given to ERASMUS students in the native language of the university where they are taking place or in English.

A main part of the Programme is that students do not pay extra tuition fees to the university that they visit. Students can also apply for an Erasmus grant to help cover the additional expense of living abroad. Students with disabilities can also apply for additional grant to cover extraordinary expenses. The disability dimension is a part of EU work to promote opportunities for the disabled.

As in the 2002 Brussels agreement, the Erasmus programme guaranties all the loan and grant of the student from their origin country. Countries will continue paying loans on the same level as in the origin country, no matter of inflation rate in study-country. Some extra bursses can be applied as well. But tuition fee has to be paid by origin country with the same amount paid-expectation, no matter of price ratio in the study-country.

In order to reduce expenses and increase mobility, many students also use the European Commission-supported accommodation network, CasaSwap, Erasmate or Student Mundial which are free websites where students and young people can rent, sublet, offer and swap accommodation – on a national and international basis. A derived benefit is that students can share knowledge and exchange tips and hints with each other before and after going abroad.

Fields of study of Erasmus programme include (but not limited to) Agriculture science, Architecture, urban and regional planning, Business Studies, Management Sciences, Education, Teacher Training, Engineering, Technology, Geography, Geology, Law, Medical Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences^[3].

Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Asia Regional targeted students and scholars from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, The Philippines, and Vietnam. The Erasmus Mundus Action 2 for South African citizens is a joint of 7 European and 5 South African universities.

Statistics[link]

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (April 2012)

According to EUROSTAT for the academic year 2009-2010, United Kingdom received 22,650 foreign students (for study and placement); the country is third in hosting students (respectively, after Spain and France).

Following countries sent the majority of the students to UK:

•  France 6.238 27,54%
•  Germany 3.976 17,55%
•  Spain 3.489 15,40%
•  Italy 1.758 7,76%
•  Netherlands 1.192 5,26%
•  Poland 782 3,45%
•  Finland 590 2,60%
•  Sweden 538 2,38%
•  Czech Republic 532 2,35%
•  Denmark 490 2,16%
•  Belgium 472 2,08%
•  Austria 453 2,00%
•  Turkey 303 1,34%
•  Ireland 238 1,05%

The number of British erasmus students were 11,723 (for study and placement), placing the UK, sixth (respectively after, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland) on erasmus outgoing.

They went mostly in:

•  France 3.838 32,74%
•  Spain 2.689 22,94%
•  Germany 1.668 14,23%
•  Italy 868 7,40%
•  Netherlands 461 3,93%
•  Sweden 313 2,67%
•  Austria 257 2,19%
•  Belgium 242 2,06%
•  Finland 230 1,96%
•  Denmark 199 1,70%
•  Czech Republic 146 1,25%
•  Ireland 134 1,14%
•  Norway 128 1,09%

The Universities of UK that hosted the highest number of erasmus students were:

• University of Sheffield 487 students
• University of Glasgow 476
• University of Nottingham 455
• University of Aberdeen 442
• University of Manchester 385
• Cardiff University 380

The "Erasmus experience"[link]

Cultural phenomenon[link]

For many European students, the Erasmus Programme is their first time living and studying abroad. Hence, it has become a cultural phenomenon and is very popular among European students, going on to become the subject of movies such as French film L'Auberge espagnole.

The Programme fosters not only learning and understanding of the host country, but also a sense of community among students from different countries and it can be hard to know what one might expect.^{[citation needed]} The Erasmus experience is considered both a time for learning as well as a chance to socialize.

Tutors are often keen for students of subjects such as Politics or International Relations to participate in Erasmus. It is seen as a great opportunity to study abroad while not having the expense of studying outside the European Union as the grant available to Erasmus students are not available to those opting to leave the continent to study. Simply having Erasmus on one's curriculum vitae is seen as being a very positive thing because that one word explains the whole experience of studying abroad.^{[citation needed]}

Some academics have speculated that former Erasmus students will prove to be a powerful force in creating a pan-European identity. The political scientist Stefan Wolff, for example, has argued that "Give it 15, 20 or 25 years, and Europe will be run by leaders with a completely different socialization from those of today", referring to the so-called 'Erasmus generation'.^[4]

See also[link]

	European Union portal
	University portal

• Erasmus Student Network (ESN) – Non profit organization for exchange students
• AEGEE
• Board of European Students of Technology (BEST)
• EducationUSA
• Erasmus Social Network for International Students
• Erasmusjam
• European credit transfer system (ECTS)
• Fulbright Program
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• TEMPUS
• European Higher Education Area

References[link]

External links[link]

• Erasmus website of the European Commission
• Erasmus Student Network website
• (German) DAAD – National Agency for EU Higher Education Cooperation of Germany
• The Official Bologna Process Website 2010–2020

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The Programme is an instrumental band based in Skiatook, Oklahoma. They were initially active the time period of 2004-2005. They are composed of Max Porter (guitar, xylophone, keyboards), Mark Chronister (guitar, keyboards), Travis Loafman (bass), and Jed Skalnik (drums). They have released one album, Theseus And The Time Machine, and created a massive cult following, stealing nearly every show they perform at.

Formation and Early Shows[link]

Their first album is a narrative album, telling the story of a man named Theseus, who creates a time machine and travels through time, to find a lover named Pianissimo. Upon discovery that she is married to a man named Xanthus, Theseus travels back in time to prevent them from ever meeting by killing him. This results in a dramatic change of the future, and Theseus resigns to leave this time behind, and instead wander alone through the ages.

At shows, one of their most famous songs was "They Make Love." The extremely catchy song was always very well received by an enthusiastic crowd. During one show, guitarist Max Porter got so fired up during this song that he accidentally kicked the glockenspiel used in "Return to the Future to Discover Everything Has Changed" off the stage and into an unsuspecting female fan. No one was injured, but it serves as a testament to the Programme's passion in performing their instrumental works.

The band's last show of this period was a modest affair played at Kris Payne's house in their hometown of Skiatook. Anyone and everyone was invited. Kris had several ties with the band, having performed with some of the members in an older band called Everyday Value. This last show was the only one in which the band played through their entire repertoire, with a heavily redone, darker version of "Thunderdog".

The band went on hiatus midway through 2005, when Porter left the band to attend Yale University. Their last show of this time period was recorded and released on the DVD "Live At Party Of The Decade Part 3", of which some have bootlegged the audio from.

Long-Distance Relationship[link]

In the month of January, 2006, The Programme reunited for a show at the Pink Eye club, which can be regarded as one of the best of their career. They played almost the entirety of their song library, along with an encore and two performances of a new song, the title of which remains unknown. It is assumed that the "new song" lies outside of the "Theseus" mythos, although it would not be a stretch to infer a relation to the band's single album.

On Saturday, November 18th, 2006, The Programme played another show, this time in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with a string trio and local favorite Kunek. The band played a fantastic set, retaining all of the prowess of their earlier performances. In performing "The Wayward Time Traveller", the band played a coda that extended for 3-4 extra minutes, with an extra melody, lots of distortion, and heavy drumming. The style was similar to the unnamed new song played at the January 2006 show.

After their set, songwriter Max Porter confirmed future shows in late 2006/early 2007, as well as commenting: "Hopefully we have new music by then. I have ideas."

This confirmation of new material also serves to confirm that the Programme is not broken up, but merely making the best they can of a long distance relationship.

Max Porter is currently teaching at Walter T. Helms Middle School.

Albums[link]

Theseus And The Time Machine[link]

1. Thunderdog (Theseus Creates The Time Machine)
2. "It Works!"
3. The Pangs Of Solitude
4 Theseus Meets Pianissimo
5. They Make Love
6. Enter Xanthus, Pianissimo's Husband
7. Theseus Travels Back In Time To Keep Pianissimo And Xanthus From Meeting
8. The Death Of Xanthus
9. Return To The Future To Discover Everything Has Changed
10. The Wayward Time Traveller

Live At Party Of The Decade Part 3[link]

1. At The Party
2. Thunderdog (Theseus Creates The Time Machine) (New Version)
3. "It Works!"
4. The Pangs Of Solitude
5. Theseus Meets Pianissimo
6. They Make Love
7. Enter Xanthus, Pianissimo's Husband
8. Theseus Travels Back In Time To Keep Pianissimo And Xanthus From Meeting
9. The Death Of Xanthus
10. Return To The Future To Discover Everything Has Changed
11. The Wayward Time Traveller