Studies in Trans- Atlantic International Relations (STAIR) is an initiative undertaken by three institutions of higher learning: 

- Cracow University of Economics, Kraków (Poland)

- University of Debrecen, Debrecen (Hungary)

- Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI (USA)

The three Universities set up a consortium which received a grant from the Atlantis project for lauching Trans- Atlantic university courses leading to the first degree diploma (Bachelor) awarded by all the participating institutions. This prestigious project is co- financed by the European Union and the US government. The objective of STAIR is an exchange programme for students and teaching and scientific staff from the three Universities in the period of the 4 years between 2009 and 2013 

The programme is designed for second year bachelor students. Candidates are advised to apply during the first year of their studies. The following criteria are considered in the recruitment process: student's track record (average credits, participation in scientific clubs), academic activities, language skills (required knowledge of English, certified by CAE, IELTS, or TOFEL), and maturity. All candidates are interviewed in English.

 Every year, 3 students from each of the European partner universities will attend two semester courses at GVSU, which implies that 12 CUE students and 12 UD students will be awarded one- year scholarships in the United States. Also, students from Cracow and Debrecen will attend one semester courses ath the partner university under the Erasmus exchange programme. The US students will spend one year in Europe, attending one semester courses at the partner universities.

Each participant of the programme needs to attend a study programme in International Economic Relations. The whole STAIR programme lasts for 8 semesters. Under the STAIR programme, university lecturers are offered two or three- week visits to GVSU. In every semester, the USA will be visited by one employee from CUE and UD, and each European university will host to one GVSU employee every year. The exchange programme includes several hours of lectures at the host university and joint research work whose results will be found in international publications.  

If you are a student of any of the abovementioned institutions, please consult your local coordinator for advise and more information.

Stair coordinators in Cracow University of Economics, Poland:

Academic staff (advice on academic issues, assessment of students):
dr Piotr Stanek
dr Krzysztof Wach

Administration staff (admissions, incoming, outgoing students, promotion of the project):
Izabela Łukaszczyk-Nowakowska
Anna Pałka
Joanna Pauk
Sylwia Rutkowska

Contact:
stair@uek.krakow.pl