Nominal Scholarships of I. Bielevičius were Awarded to VMU Students

Mr. Ignas Bielevičius, a graduate of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), Faculty of Informatics, who graduated from his Bachelor’s studies in 2009, has established two nominal, annual scholarships of 500 EUR for students of VMU. The purpose of these scholarships is to financially encourage students for their good study results and active participation in scientific and / or social activities.

Lithuanian and international students of VMU were invited to participate in the competition for nominal scholarships of Mr. Bielevičius. A total of 37 applications were received – 26 of those were Lithuanian students and 11 international students. Decision to whom the scholarships will be awarded was made by the founder of the scholarships himself.

This year’s scholarships were awarded to two VMU students. The first scholarship was awarded to Ms. Milita Songailaitė, a third-year student of the Faculty of Informatics, study programme of Mathematics and its Application. The second scholarship was awarded to Ms. Rasa Katinaitė, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Social Sciences, study programme of Psychology.

The founder of the scholarship Mr. Ignas Bielevičius revealed that it is was extremely difficult to choose only two awardees and that he was pleasantly surprised by an abundance of active students at VMU.

“I am grateful to VMU for the operational assistance in establishing and implementing the scholarship competition and for all the students for their active participation and efforts. Selecting only two awardees was very difficult task as all the candidates were motivated and worthy of evaluation and praise. I was confirmed once again that students of VMU are talented, caring and have many meaningful plans. They are great example of how, in order to gain knowledge, part of your precious time can be devoted to activities that benefit society. I am thankful to everyone who have participated in this year’s competition”, – Mr. Ignas Bielevičius has shared his thoughts.

The University would like to express its gratitude to the founder of the scholarship for encouraging active and well-educated students and would also like to invite others, who cares about the University and its’ virtues,  to contribute to the encouragement of the students, thus investing in the future of the society.

About the founder of the scholarship

The founder of the scholarship, Mr. Ignas Bielevičius who is currently engaged in activities that combine information technology and financial markets, says that he is grateful to VMU for his own discoveries and has no doubt that encouragement of the young people opens the door to even greater opportunities and new achievements.

“It has always seemed to me that the encouragement of the young people is necessary, so I am glad that when I had an opportunity to contribute to it, I did not hesitate and implemented an idea that I had in mind for quite some time. I believe that motivating talented students is a mutually beneficial initiative from many different aspects, the most important of which is the opportunity to contribute to the strengthening of the community. I am grateful to VMU associate professor, Mr. Rūstis Kamuntavičius for helping me in discovering interesting activities and encouraging me to establish these scholarships for students”, – VMU graduate Ignas Bielevičius shared his thoughts.

 

Catalogue of Internship and Volunteering Offers for VMU students

Are you looking for Internship of Volunteering opportunities?

Right here in front of you is the thirteenth Catalogue of Internship and Volunteering Offers, which was issued by the Career Centre of Vytautas Magnus University. In this catalogue students will find internship and volunteering offers of enterprises, public institutions, non-governmental organizations. We are hoping that each of you will find something useful in the pages that follow!

Catalogue of Internship and Volunteering Offers No. 13 / December, 2020

We hope this catalogue will help you to find a place of internship or you will use an opportunity to test yourself in volunteering, which will be useful in finding your path to labor market!

For more information:
VMU Career Centre
Phone no  +370 37 327 983
E-mail career@vdu.lt

Application for Accommodation for 2020/2021 Spring Semester

Vytautas Magnus University has opened an application for new incoming international students for accommodation in the dormitories of VMU during 2020/2021 Spring semester.

Terms and conditions for application

In order to reserve a place of residence in one of the dormitories of VMU, all new incoming first-year, full-time, Erasmus+, Bilateral or other international exchange students must follow this procedure:

  • learn about our dormitories, its’ location, price for accommodation services, living conditions, etc. (Dormitories);
  • create a personal account on the online accommodation system (Accommodation for others). Exchange students may use their Username  / Password that they created to apply for exchange studies at VMU;
  • login to the online accommodation system (Accommodation for others) with your personal credentials (username and password) and reserve one of the places from the provided list on Accommodation in Student Rooms(Number of places in the dormitories is limited, however, the list is constantly updated, therefore it is recommended to check it regularly).
    • Note, that application is open only for students, who have already signed their Learning or Study Agreements (for more information about signing it, please contact International Cooperation department);
  • receive an e-mail from VMU with confirmation of your reservation. This e-mail means, that room of your choice will be reserved for you until 31st of January, 2021;
  • receive a second e-mail from VMU with instructions on how to sign your online Agreement for Accommodation, sign it, and move into the dormitory by January 31st, 2021 (if you are planning to move-in after the 31st of January, 2021, you shall contact Student Centre by sending an e-mail to studentas@vdu.lt and inform about your intended date of arrival. In all cases you will have to pay accommodation fees starting from 1st of February, 2021), otherwise your room reservation will be canceled.

If you want to cancel reservation please get in contact with Student Centre (see contacts below).

Other, non-VMU, students could apply for accommodation in the dormitories of VMU:

  • In the dormitories, which are located in Kaunas and Akademija, Kaunas dstr. – application will be open only from February 1st, 2021;

In the dormitory, which is located in Vilnius, application will be open only from January 15th, 2021

Procedures of moving into the dormitory

In order to ensure safety of residents and staff members while preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and managing it within the dormitories of Vytautas Magnus University, we kindly ask our students who are moving into the dormitory for a first time, to be reasonable and socially responsible:

  • fill out the online Arrival Registration Form and send your travel tickets to arrival@vdu.lt at least one week before the arrival. After the online registration VMU International Cooperation Department informs each student regarding the self-isolation requirements in accordance with the decisions of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania;
  • register at National Public Health Centre under the Ministry of Health by filling in an electronic form on https://keleiviams.nvsc.lt/en/form before the arrival;
  • follow instructions of administrative staff members of Vytautas Magnus University;
  • isolate yourself in the dormitory, allocated by Vytautas Magnus University and follow mandatory conditions of self-isolation (if needed).

Upon your arrival (moving into) at the dormitory’s Administration you shall:

  • when entering the building, always use the hand sanitizer at the entrance;
  • allow your body temperature to be checked;
  • sincerely answer questions from the Administrator of Dormitory. Monitor the list of countries effected by coronavirus (COVID-19) regularly and inform the dormitory administration immediately if you return from them;
  • follow recommendation for COVID-19 prevention in the dormitories of VMU (if you do not need to isolate yourself).

Check-in procedure

Dormitory registration is open 24/7. Check-in to the dormitory is allowed from 14:00 (2 PM). However, upon the personal request of a resident and availability of the room, the responsible officer of the University (Dormitory) Administration has a right to change the check-in or check-out time. If you want to use this opportunity please contact Administrator of your dormitory, whose contacts may be found here.

During the check-in to the dormitory resident must:

  • have been signed an electronic Agreement for Accommodation;
  • present valid personal ID document, which confirms one’s identity;
  • have beddings (pillow, blanket, covers) or ask for it at Administration (of the Dormitory) who will provide you it. NOTE, that 20 EUR fee for bedlinen will be added to your accommodation fees if you will take it from the Administration.

IMPORTANT: there is a non-refundable fee (Settlement fee) of 10 EUR for residents who are moving into the dormitory. This fee will also be added to your next month’s fees for accommodation.

Accommodation fees for current month and other fees for services, that are related to accommodation in the dormitories of VMU, has to be paid by 15 (fifteenth) calendar day of each month when paying for an entire month in advance. The invoice will be prepared and presented on Student Self-Service portal in the beginning of each month for whole current month and must be paid via Student Self-Service portal.

For more information:

Student Centre (Student Affairs Department)
E-mail studentas@vdu.lt
Phone +370 37 751 175

VMU Alumni Day 2020: Strengthened Communication with the Alumni

While continuing traditions, on November 13th, 2020, Vytautas Magnus University invited its graduates to remember their Alma Mater. Due to the difficult pandemic situation in the country, Alumni Day was celebrated through the remote communication platforms. The main theme of this day was to emphasize the importance of physical, but not social distance, by remembering the initiative “Mind the Gap”.

This year, not only Lithuanian but also foreign graduates were invited to meet virtually in order to create a closer cooperation and stronger connection with them. For this reason, discussion on the topic “University in Transition: Raising Questions – Sharing Visions” was organized, during which the Assoc. Prof. and Vice-Rector for Communication, Mrs. Vilma Bijeikienė presented University Strategy 2021-2027, that is still in preparation. Alumni and community members were invited to discuss, provide insights and comments on it. Moreover, together with Camille Le Blanc, Coordinator for International Alumni Community, discussion was initiated on how to build an effective collaboration between the University and its alumni.

During the virtual meeting graduates from all around the world shared their thoughts on the importance of feeling of being a full-fledged and constantly remembered member of the community, that would always have an opportunity to return to VMU.

Taking into account opinions, which were expressed during the discussion, as well as alumni requests and observations, it is expected to start expanding the network of VMU ambassadors in the nearest future, by refining possible activities and opportunities, initiating more active dissemination of information in English, expanding the package of benefits for graduates, sharing information on VMU Alumni clubs and ways of joining it.

VMU Vice-Rector for Communication, Mrs. Vilma Bijeikienė has no doubts that graduates are an integral part of the University community, therefore, discovering community connections and ways of communication with them is very important. “I would like to believe, that VMU is not just a stopover in the lives of our students on their career path. We are a part of the learning society, so a lifelong learning and knowledge sharing is a mutually beneficial relationship, which helps graduates to feel that the university is useful to them, and that they are also needed by the university itself”, – said V. Bijeikienė.

“The discussion organised during the Alumni Day, was only the first step in trying to reach our international alumni community, inviting them to join discussion with Lithuanian alumni and looking for common grounds. This meeting allowed us to enjoy a friendly and open communication, to hear expectations and discover new ideas, which could help us plan our future works. Now, our most important task is to create an effective system of communication with graduates, to reach as many university graduates as possible, both in Lithuania and all around the world, and to invite them to join our alumni community”, – Vice-Rector shared her thoughts.

Mr. Andrius Būda, the President of VMU Alumni Club, also supported those thoughts and invited graduates of the University to join VMU alumni clubs.  “Vytautas Magnus University Alumni Club and other alumni organizations, operating at the faculty level, is a great opportunity to continue a close communication and cooperation with your classmates, colleagues, lecturers and the rest of the university, while creating various initiatives, organising meetings, establishing scholarships for students and so on”,  – said the President of VMU Alumni Club, Mr. Būda.

“We understand the importance of maintaining the closest contact not only with Lithuanian but also with international alumni communities, therefore we are currently paying particular focus on renewing the alumni base, planning next year’s activities and establishing communication tools which would help us to reach graduates of VMU, VMU Education Academy and VMU Agriculture Academy, as well as to maintain an effective and trust relationship with them”, – said Mr. Būda.

We invite graduates, who are wishing to become a member of Vytautas Magnus University Alumni Club to fill in the registration form.

If you have any questions, please contact the Coordinator for International Alumni Community, Camille Le Blanc Liederman by an e-mail: camille.le.blanc.liederman@vdu.lt

 

Important Information about the Study Process

Dear community of Vytautas Magnus University,

In response to the increasingly complicated situation in Lithuania due to the risk of COVID-19, based on the recommendations by the Minister of Education, Science, and Sports, the Minister of Health, and the state-level emergency operations manager regarding the remote implementation of the study process by higher education institutions, and after taking into account the proposals by the academic subdivisions of VMU regarding the organisation of studies, the following changes will be introduced in the organisation of studies and work at Vytautas Magnus University:

  • From Monday 26 October, all activities of studies, except for those that require special equipment or infrastructure and except for those that were specified by the subdivisions of studies as required to be completed face-to-face due to practical work, will be conducted remotely.
  • From Tuesday 3 November, all activities of studies, except for laboratory and practical work that requires special equipment, will be conducted only remotely.

This study semester is planned to be completed remotely.

Students who require special software in order to ensure high-quality study process will be provided the pertinent information in the beginning of next week.

We kindly request the non-academic subdivisions to organise the implementation of their principal functions in a manner which enables the assurance of the employees’ safety: to limit the subdivision’s employees’ physical contact not just with the visitors but also with colleagues from other subdivisions as well as unnecessary visits in the University’s other subdivisions or locations. Also, together with the subdivisions’ heads, discuss the possibility of organizing work remotely if the implementation of the job functions does not require arrival at the University and the conditions for remote work are appropriate.

The information will be constantly updated based on the situation. You can also follow the information on a special page of the university’s website.

Competition for Traineeship at non-EU Countries

VMU students are invited to participate in competition for traineeship at non-EU countries with VMU Mobility scholarship.

Students have to submit completed online application form (Application form for traineeship in non-EU/EEE countries) until 15th of November 2020.

Selection criteria:

  • traineeship compatibility with Study programme at VMU;
  • confirmation from hosting organization for acceptance into traineeship programme;
  • motivation;
  • results of studies or research during the last two semesters (for VMU Mobility scholarship GPA should be no less than 8.0);
  • good knowledge of language in which traineeship will be commenced.

Traineeship period starts no earlier than 2020-12-01 and ends no later than 2021-08-31.

Students will be personally informed via e-mail about the results till 25th of November.

Selected students will receive VMU Mobility scholarship. Eligible countries and number of scholarships:

 VMU Mobilitity scholarship

Group of countries[1] Duration of Traineeship Number of scholarships Scholarship
Countries of regions: South Asia, East Asia and Pacific; Middle East; North America; Latin America & the Caribbean 1 – 3 months 10 650 Eur/month
Countries of regions: Europe and Central Asia; North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa 1 – 3 months 550 Eur/month

More information about traineeship programme:

Tomas Mickevičius

International Cooperation Department

Email: tomas.mickevicius@vdu.lt

Phone.: 8 37 327 981

Address: V. Putvinskio g. 23 room 208, Kaunas, Lithuania

[1] https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups

VMU Rector’s Letter to the Community

Dear community,

I would like to thank you all once again for the invaluable contributions you made while working during the difficult period brought about by COVID-19. Ensuring the quality of studies and research under the conditions of the new reality and supporting the community in the virtual world has been a challenge which has demanded a lot of effort from all of us. The beginning of the upcoming academic year will not be as it used to be before. Thus, once again, we will all need to be focused to make sure it is successful.

Since the health of our community’s members is one of our top priorities, the studies during this autumn semester will be organized both remotely as well as in lecture rooms. The following changes have been approved: lectures of all A group subjects as well as lectures where the number of students is 100 or more will be held remotely. All other activities will take place in the university’s spaces, in accordance with safety recommendations. Academic and non-academic staff will work in the university’s spaces until a different ruling is made by the government of Lithuania.

Please remember that events in closed spaces must be organised while upholding the principle of isolated groups, whereas in open spaces a distance of no less than 1 metre must be maintained between participants. If the weather conditions are favourable, events should be planned to take place in the open spaces of the university: the VMU Botanical Garden, courtyards of the faculties, territory of VMU Agriculture Academy etc.

Since a large number of infection cases is related to travel, please avoid or postpone visits to countries that are on the list of those affected by the COVID-19 disease.

I kindly ask everyone to be mindful of the situation and follow the recommendations that help us remain healthy and reduce the risk of coronavirus infection: maintain a safe physical distance during lectures and seminars, sit in every other seat, wear masks, wash hands regularly and, if you feel symptoms of cold or other infectious diseases, stay home.

Just like during the spring semester, we will continue to inform you about further developments (if any) on a special page on the university’s website.

One way or another, I hope that I will see you soon.

Stay safe!

Wishing you a successful academic year,

VMU Rector Juozas Augutis

 

Application for Accommodation for New Incoming Students of 2020/2021

Vytautas Magnus University has opened an application for new incoming international students for accommodation in the dormitories of VMU during the academic year 2020/2021 or Autumn semester.

Please note, that is application is open only for new (first year) incoming full-time, Erasmus +, Bilateral or other international exchange students.

Other, higher year students, who are currently not living in the dormitories of VMU, would be allowed to reserve one of the rooms for new academic year only starting from August 1st, 2020.

For more information please follow information on this site.

VMU Will Hold Graduation Ceremonies

On 1-3 July, Vytautas Magnus University will be holding its graduation ceremonies, bidding farewell to the university’s latest graduates.

On 1 July, diplomas will be awarded to the graduates of the faculties of Natural Sciences, Informatics, Social Sciences, and VMU Education Academy (in Kaunas). Two additional ceremonies will also be held on the same day for the graduates of VMU Faculty of Catholic Theology and VMU Music Academy.

July 1st diploma award ceremonies:

VDU Great Hall

VDU Music Academy

On 2 July, the university will send off alumni of the faculties of Arts, Economics and Management, and VMU Agriculture Academy (faculties of Forest Sciences and Ecology, Bioeconomy Development, and Water and Land Management).

On the final day, ceremonies will be dedicated to the graduates of the faculties of the Humanities, Political Science and Diplomacy, Law, Agriculture Academy (faculties of Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy), and VMU Education Academy in Vilnius.

Regrettably, the celebration will not be open to everyone, the way it was before. Taking into account the state-level emergency situation declared in the entire country due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, to ensure the safety of the university’s community and their relatives, this year VMU graduate ceremonies will be a bit different than usual.

Vytautas Magnus University’s diplomas will be awarded to the graduates in VMU spaces. However, relatives and friends will be able to congratulate and take pictures with the new alumni outside. They will be able to watch the diploma award ceremony itself live at vdu.lt/graduation on their smartphones and other devices.

We encourage all graduates to bring personal protective equipment. It is recommended for all participants of the graduation ceremony to wear masks and disposable gloves.

The graduates who are unable to attend the graduation ceremony will be able to receive their diploma at their faculty (in five workdays after the ceremony), or at the Department of Studies (after this time period ends).

More information

VMU Support Fund for Students Affected by COVID-19 Outbreak

Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) has started providing support for students who experience financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A special fund has been established for this purpose.

The fund aims to support university students and their families who experience financial difficulties because of the lockdown. The amount of support currently available in the fund is 100,000 euros.

The financial support is allocated for the students from the university’s own funds or collected by legal persons. Some of it was also acquired as support given in the form of  2 percent of the personal income tax.

Forms of financial support for those affected by COVID-19:

  • Tuition fee concessions
  • Accommodation fee concessions
  • Partial reimbursement of expenses on provided services
  • One-time scholarships

A university student who wishes to receive financial support related to COVID-19 has to submit a free-format request to the VMU Rector specifying a valid reason (situation) for allocation of financial support and present the documents that support it (their digital versions), as long as at least one of the following criteria is met:

  • During the period of the lockdown enforced by the government of Lithuania, the student, his parents, or one of his parents lost his job (a certificate from the Employment Services) or experienced a significant reduction of their income (certificates from state authorities regarding insured income for February, March, and April and (or) certificates about payments received from the workplace). The criterion of significant income reduction is valid for applications submitted on 1 May or later.
  • As a result of difficult circumstances related to the measures of prevention or management of the COVID-19 pandemic applied by countries of the world, students who studied or did internships abroad returned to Lithuania (or could not return to Lithuania in time) and incurred additional expenses because of this (documents that prove the expenses: invoices and financial documents that confirm their payment).
  • A student whose parent died from an infection caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) (a document that confirms the death).

Applications should be submitted by e-mail to studentas@vdu.lt until the end of each month. At the beginning of each following month, decisions are made regarding the applications and each applicant is informed about this individually by e-mail.

The decision regarding allocation of support as well as its type and size is made by a special commission which takes into account the available amount of funds allocated for support related to COVID-19, the validity of the application, the situation’s compliance with the requirements, and other funds or support provided by the state, the university, or other natural or legal persons.

Other VMU support for students who experience difficulties related to COVID-19

We would like to remind you that, in order to reduce the negative impact of the lockdown, for the period from 1 April 2020 until 30 June 2020,  Vytautas Magnus University already provides a 25 percent reduction of the accommodation fee for all VMU students who have signed an accommodation agreement with the university. More information available here.

Students who are unable to pay the accommodation fee because of difficult financial situation can postpone the payment until the cancellation of the lockdown in Lithuania (and pay it later in accordance with an individual payment schedule) or divide the due accommodation fee into multiple parts and pay a smaller amount (the remaining unpaid amount of the fee would be paid later in accordance with an individual payment schedule). Students who wish to submit such a request should send e-mail to studentas@vdu.lt.

University may extend the deadline for the payment of the tuition fee or permit its payment in parts for the students who submit applications regarding the financial situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In such cases, the student has to write a motivated request addressed to rector, specifying the reasons why the university should permit him to pay the respective fee in parts, and submit the request to the dean of the faculty in which he is studying.

For more information about support provided for the students, please contact:

VMU Student Centre
Phone +370 37 751 175
E-mail studentas@vdu.lt

Anyone with the means to do so is also welcome to support the students who experience financial difficulties. This can be done by transferring money to a special university account at SEB Bank opened for this purpose, No. LT41 7044 0600 0284 8638, specifying “Parama VDU studentams” as purpose of payment. You can also support the students by submitting 1,2 percent of your personal income tax. More information about this is available here (in Lithuanian).