The future of Erasmus+: a section of the programme was dedicated as usual to the Erasmus+ programme, with a keynote speech by Vito Borrelli, Team Leader of the Erasmus+ programme – Higher Education unit, DG EAC. The session also drew conclusions from UNICA’s participation in the KA131 Higher Education Working Group. Ibrahim Yorgun (Director of the International Cooperations Office, METU and UNICA representative in the KA131 Higher Education Working Group), reported back from the meetings of the Working Group and about the results of the UNICA IRO survey on the future of the Erasmus+ programme. Moreover, the participants were provided space to share challenges, suggestions and recommendations on four topics identified by DG EAC, namely: Accreditation system, Eligibility rules – mobility, Funding system – mobility, and Digitalisation/future of the European Student Card Initiative. The conclusions from the session will feed into future work in the HE Working Group and in a UNICA IRO position paper on the future of Erasmus+. A draft of the position paper will be shared with all UNICA IROs in the coming weeks to collect feedback and further input and be able to publish the paper by the end of the year.

Presentations:

• Results of the UNICA IRO survey on the future of the Erasmus+ programme and reporting to Members from the KA131 Higher Education Working Group, by Ibrahim Yorgun, Director International Cooperations Office, Middle East Technical University (METU)

Students in the spotlight: tackling the challenges of housing & inclusion: the session offered an opportunity to address the critical role that universities play in fostering an inclusive environment that supports all students and the multifaceted challenges of student housing. Neli Kalinova, Education & Youth Policy Coordinator, ESN and Andrej Pirjevec, Executive Committee member, ESU focused their contribution on how to tackle the challenges of student housing starting from the assumption that “accommodation is a pre-condition for quality education” and that student housing is a “multifaceted issue that requires efforts at the institutional, local, national, and international levels“. The speakers presented results and recommendations from the ESU-ESN joint housing survey report, as well as examples of good practices on the ground. The session continued with the training “How to make education more inclusive” led by Kwanza Musi Dos Santos, Expert of Diversity & Inclusion, Trainer & Consultant. In particular, Kwanza addressed the topic of “Managing cultural diversity with International students” by challenging the participants to reflect and question themselves about the “unconscious bias” and the systemic racist assumptions that are deeply embedded in Western culture.

Presentations:

• Students in the Spotlight: Tackling the Challenges of Housing, by Neli Kalinova, Education & Youth Policy Coordinator, Erasmus Student Network and Andrej Pirjevec, Executive Committee member, European Student Union
• Training “Managing cultural diversity with International students“, by Kwanza Musi Dos Santos, Expert of Diversity & Inclusion, Trainer & Consultant
• Launch of the initiative “Handbook of good practices on student housing at UNICA member universities“, by Alexandra Duarte, Project and Communications Officer, UNICA Secretariat

Useful references and reading suggestions from Session 2

Inclusive mobility and student housing

• SIEM Project Guidelines for Inclusive Mobility Promotion – Handbook developed for International Relations Offices working with in- and outbound student mobility, primarily within the Erasmus+ programme
• SIEM Research Report (2021) on the inclusion in international student exchanges
• ESU-ESN joint housing survey report

Training “How to make HE more inclusive”

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&t=300s
• Being Black in the EU – Report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, October 2023
• Reni Eddo-Lodge, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017
• Otegha Uwagba, Whites: on race and other falsehoods, 2020
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We should all be feminists, Engels Paperback, 2014 (book – TED available here)
• Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility, Paperback, 2018
• Further suggestions are available in the slides “Managing cultural diversity with International students“, by Kwanza Musi Dos Santos, Expert of Diversity & Inclusion, Trainer & Consultant

Strategic partnerships outside Europe: the session delved into the challenges and opportunities of international strategic partnerships beyond Europe, with a special attention to difficult and sensitive partnerships. The keynote speech by Professor Madeleine Danova, Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and the six presentations by UNICA member universities, shared insights and strategies to navigate the complexities of such collaborations. The presentations addressed in particular the challenges and strategies employed to identify suitable international partners that align with the institution’s goals and values, and to navigate partnerships and collaborations in regions with complex sociopolitical dynamics and/or different legal frameworks. The speakers also shared experiences regarding specific cultural challenges and cross-cultural communication techniques that have proven effective in fostering mutual understanding and collaboration when engaging with partners from different cultural and sociopolitical contexts. The session culminated in a World Cafe to create a collaborative dialogue around three rounds of questions: 1) What role does diplomacy play in the work of IROs, and how does it come into play in the context of building and maintaining successful international partnerships?; 2) How do you handle situations where international partnerships face unexpected crises or conflicts, and what steps are taken to mitigate potential damage or resolve issues in a diplomatic manner?; 3) What strategies or recommendations would you offer to establish and manage international partnerships effectively, especially in regions outside Europe?

Presentations:

• Keynote speech “Strategic Partnerships outside Europe“, by Madeleine Danova, former Dean of the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
• Mobility without borders – challenges, by Irena Atanasova, Head of IRO, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
• UCD’s Strategic Partnerships – Opportunities and Challenges, by Catherine Convery, Global Mobility Manager, UCD Global, University College Dublin
• Strategic partnerships outside Europe – the experience of the University of Alcalá, by José Alfonso Lafuente García, Head of The International Relations Office, University of Alcalá
• Sensitive Partnerships Committee: a presentation of ULB’s tools, by Lara Rauwers, International Officer, Université libre de Bruxelles
• Presentation by Tea Gergedava, Head Department of Foreign Relations & ERASMUS+ ICM Institutional Coordinator, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University