International by design

Institutional strategies and policies of an international university in Central Europe

Established in 1991, Central European University (CEU) was designed as an unusual institution in Europe, due to its genuine international character and mission. This mission is reflected in a particular intellectual approach that inspires teaching and research, and in the composition of the student body and staff. Without ignoring national realities, CEU has no national agenda but endeavours instead to serve a regional constituency, Central and Eastern Europe, while using a comparative approach that integrates this region into Europe as a whole, as well as into a larger, global perspective. The article analyses how CEU has developed and implemented specific institutional policies and strategies to support its ambitions, reflected in the particular model of a university which is “international by design”.