SAC
The ESTIEM Summer Academy (SAC) is a project with significantly high academic content and it has been developed to give students of ESTIEM new ideas and thoughts outside their traditional University-based experiences, whilst maintaining a standard of excellence. SAC in its present form is a relatively new project. It is now building on the experiences made during 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The concept (a Summer Academy with noticeable high academic content) itself was developed several years ago, and attempts have been made at bringing students together over the summer holiday. In 2001, the concept was put into practice, with SAC 2001 held in Lincoln (United Kingdom) in September 2001. Following the success of SAC2001, SAC2002 became as insightful for the participants. And for the first time in 2003 two events took place (Hungary and Sweden) allowing more students to participate. This successful change continued in 2004 also in Hungary and Sweden. In the year 2005 there were one Summer Academy in Hungary and for the first time another one in Turkey.
Many different formats of study are experimented within the project such as open discussions, group work, debate and private study. Furthermore each event has its own senior academic leader. SAC 2001 and 2002 ran only under the academic leadership of Jim Platts (University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom). In 2003, 2004 and 2005 Dietrich Brandt (University of Aachen), held the Hungarian event and became a new and second academic leader.
The focus of each of the two week events is a thesis on a subject of personal interest, related to the participants’ own self development.
This thesis has then been read and responded to as part of the teaching, but also assessed in a manner similar to the way theses are assessed in the University of Cambridge Manufacturing Leaders’ Programme. The participants are encouraged to regard themselves as future leaders in some area of manufacturing, and therefore responsible for shaping other people’s lives.
Another very important effect of the Summer Academy event is the get together of different students with different nationalities and from different counties. They live two weeks very close together and in this event a lot of different cultures and ethnic groups come together. This is an excellent opportunity for the participants to abolish prejudices and learn more about different ethnic groups and cultures. During the event there arise new friendships independent from borders or different cultures.
Further information at http://times.estiem.org/
