Newsletter Programme Internationalisation of Education
Destination:
WORLD
Autumn 2017
Feeling at home
Preface
Featuring our Projects
Reflections by Ellen Hey Welcome to Erasmus University Rotterdam! Your home for the academic year 2017-2018 is the Erasmus University Rotterdam, or EUR, as it’s often called. We endeavour to make you feel at home here. So what does that mean, ‘feeling at home’? Of course, I can’t assume to know the particulars of what it means for you on a personal level. But hopefully, a common denominator could be ‘feeling welcome, given who you are’. To me ‘feeling welcome, given who I am’ when I enter a place that’s destined to be my home for a longer or shorter period of time suggests two things. First, that I extend the honour myself, by being interested in who you are. So by all means, do share with my colleagues and me who you are. Second, that I share with you who I am. Not just my title and function of Advisor on the Internationalization of Education to the Executive Board of EUR, which is why I have the privilege to write this reflection. But more importantly, some of the following. Where I grew up – in The Netherlands, Egypt and Venezuela. What my teaching passions are – international law in context, whether it be to undergraduate, graduate or PhD students. That I enjoy getting involved in interdisciplinary teaching. What my research passions are – international law and, currently, the Anthropocene. Of course, I am also rather passionately committed to the internationalization of education. What this entails for now remains a subject for a future reflection, but it certainly involves diversity in the In classroom. this newsletter:
Teaching in the International Classroom While most internationalisation of education trainings are centred on intercultural competence skills, EUR focuses on giving teachers ownership over the internationalisation process by rethinking its premises. This means engaging fully with what it means to be international in a globalized world, while staying rooted in the city of Rotterdam. The training will be run by Dr. Ginie Servant-Miklos (EUC) and Dr. Tim de Mey (Philosophy) and will focus on helping you develop a critical approach to internationalisation in your classroom. The training is split in two: the first day will be focused on understanding the international classroom and its different aspects; the second will teach you practical pedagogical skills and allow you to develop a plan for a socially engaged internationalisation project, which you will then be able to apply to your courses. The second day will also offer a ‘catch-up’ option for those teachers who have no yet taken their BKO, or who feel they don’t yet have enough expertise in learning theory.
Ellen Hey Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Might ‘feeling welcome given who we are’ mean that we share where we come from and what moves us? At EUR, we are committed to making you feel welcome given who you are, and we hope you’ll find lots to share with fellow students and staff members. Not in the least because this helps us figure out who we are.
Read more and apply here!
Career Prep for International Students in EAIE Forum Magazine Authors Dorianne van Schaijk (career advisor EUR) and Judith Hoogmoed (project coordinator International Career Services EUR) argue the need for an integrated and skills-based approach towards career orientation for international students. Read the article, that was published in EAIE’s Summer 2017 Forum, here.
In this newsletter:
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Featuring our
Sharing
Sharing
News &
Projects
Milestones
Practices
Events
Colophon Destination: World is a quarterly newsletter of the EUR Strategic Programme Internationalisation of Education. Editor Carien van der Wal Copy editing Christine van der Hoff
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Photography Conny Mooldijk, Carien van der Wal Contributors Gwen de Bruin, Marjo Gallé, Trika Harms sum Spreckle, Ellen Hey, Judith Hoogmoed, Carien van der Wal, Mijke Zeegers
Published by Academic Affairs/ Internationalisation program Designed by Ontwerpwerk www.eur.nl/internationalisation
Help international students prepare for a successful career start The new workshop ‘Survival Kit for international students working in the Netherlands’ will be offered at least three times throughout the academic year 2017-2018. This interactive workshop aims to prepare internationals for a successful start of their career in the Netherlands. Topics addressed are: Dutch business culture Communication styles in the Dutch workplace Legal applications to sort out (including insurance, healthcare allowance and taxes) Rules and regulations for non-EU nationals Dates scheduled: September 18, 2017; November 22, 2017 and January 15, 2018. More info and registration.
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EUR successful with recent Erasmus+ granting In 2017 Erasmus University Rotterdam submitted nine Erasmus+ grant applications, eight of which were awarded. To name a few: The European Master in Health Economics and Management (EU-HEM) of the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management was awarded with an Erasmus Mundus grant, as was the Erasmus Mundus Masters Program in Public Policy (Mundus MAPP) in which the Institute of Social Sciences is a partner.
Sharing Milestones
The Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities (EGS3H) will be working on a programme for International Researchers, while Interdisciplinary Training and our Psychology programme will work with a.o. the TU Delft, on Big Data in Psychological Assessment. Interested in exploring your options for European funds for international educational cooperation? Contact Mijke Zeegers.
EUR students at the Clinton Global Initiative University 2017 Eight EUR students will attend this year’s Clinton Global Initiative University meeting (CGI U) at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts from October 13-15, 2017. Hosts are the Clinton Foundation, with former President Clinton and Chelsea Clinton attending. The meeting is expected to bring together more than 1,200 students from 250 universities and over 80 countries.
Side Job website fully revised International students looking into side jobs or internships during their studies at EUR now have access to fully revised information on EUR’s website. The aim is to provide a complete overview, from advice on how to find a job and legal implications and registrations, to info on practical matters, such as insurance and income taxes. Take a look. Developing international education – help offered If you wish to engage in international education, you may want to consider online internationalisation as a means to include students unable to study abroad. Please contact Mijke Zeegers to discuss the options. Are you teaching a Master course, coordinating a Master programme or do you think you’ve identified a great opportunity for new Master education? Would you like to innovate? Internationalisation may be the tool for your educational innovations. The International Master Portfolio project assists academic staff wanting to internationalise their Master education, with financial as well as expertise support. Interested? Contact Gwen and Mijke.
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The CGI U meeting includes Plenary Sessions, Working Sessions, and other special events that provide participants with a wide variety of knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities. The programme allows CGI U participants to discuss global issues, develop practical skills, identify potential partners, and formulate concrete plans of action for the months ahead. All CGI U students are required to develop a Commitment to Action: a new, specific, and measurable plan that addresses a challenge on their campus, in their local community, or around the world. CGI U participants take action in five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health. The EUR Commitments to Action range from increasing campus diversity, to online psychological support, to infomurals in Indian slums. Do you know (or are you) a student who is developing social entrepreneurship activities? Contact Mijke to see if you qualify for the CGI U 2018 meeting. From Strategic programme to Business as usual The Executive Board, following the advice of the midterm review of the strategy commission, has requested the strategic Programme of Internationalisation of Education to devise a transition plan. This should ensure the smooth transition of the initiated projects, activities and accomplished results to the appropriate consultative bodies, services or schools in a ‘business as usual’-fashion. All will be done in consultation with those involved. Once the transition plan is approved, more information will be shared.
Try out and explore the EUR campus www. experience.eur.nl Destination: WORLD magazine
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‘Student housing matters to us’
Any questions? Feel free to contact us at housing@eur.nl
Guiding students towards a suitable roof over their heads is the ongoing mission for Housing Officer Sabrina van Veen and Raphaël Boegheim, Project Leader and Policy Advisor for USC-Real Estate Services. Sabrina van Veen and Raphaël Boegheim
agreement with the Society for Student Housing, or Stichting Studenten Huisvesting (SSH), to reserve fully furnished rooms for approximately 530 first-year International Bachelors/Masters and exchange students, known as the ‘housing contingent’. The second is pointing potential students towards commercial parties in the housing market, primarily through www.housing.eur.nl.’
‘With the annual increase of the international student population comes a growing demand for student housing,’ Van Veen and Boegheim say. ‘But while finding students a place to live is not one of the core activities of the EUR, the availability of good housing options does come into play when students are picking a university. No matter how great the curriculum may be, if students can’t find a place to live they’ll be inclined to look farther afield.’ Housing market is changing ‘Essentially, the policy of the EUR right now is to not provide or arrange student housing. We leave that up to the housing market. Until recently that worked just fine, because market supply and demand were in balance. The EUR has two ongoing responsibilities. The first is an
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‘However,’ they continue, ‘the housing market in Rotterdam is changing, and we’re seeing shortages now. At the same time the number of international students is rapidly increasing, putting the contingent under pressure. There’s a trend towards providing students with a more comprehensive service, which includes making initial housing arrangements. The EUR has decided to address this issue, and is re-assessing the current policy. We’re collaborating with the International Office for the reassessment,. It’s crucial that we keep track of students’ needs as well as market fluctuations. Meanwhile, we are updating the housing website to manage their expectations and possibilities to find housing’. While working towards a new policy, the EUR investigated how to increase our contingent at short notice for the current year 2017/2018. After intensive exploration of the matter with several parties involved, as well as the municipality, these expansions are now in place:
Sabrina van Veen and Raphaël Boegheim
within buildings that were already part of the contingent; A collaboration with XIOR Student Housing came into effect on September 1, when they opened a student housing facility next to campus. All 259 units are rented out to international EUR students; A ‘50 secured rooms’ deal is in place with Housing Anywhere; those 50 rooms are reserved for our international students. ‘Shortly a number of views on deadling with housing issiues will come up for discussion with representatives from various faculties. These discussions are meant to reveal whether views are concurring or discrepant, and to initiate consensus on a policy plan that aims at housing support.’
The SSH contingent was expanded with several units
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News & Events
Seminar on internationalisation at the higher education institutions of Rotterdam Are you interested in joining our seminar on the 30th of November to learn about and share your knowledge on topics such as career services, warm welcome for international students, internationalisation at home and research on internationalisation, with your colleagues of the other higher education institution in Rotterdam? Please send an email to gwen.debruin@eur.nl to show your interest.
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EUR welcomes the IB World Student Conference 2018 Next year Erasmus University Rotterdam will be one of the hosts for the IB World Student Conference. From July 22nd to 28th, IB, DP, and CP students from all around the world will come together on campus to experience what it means to be globally engaged, and to inspire responsible action for making a better and more peaceful world. Theme of the upcoming IBWSC at EUR is Vital Cities, Vital Citizens. If you have any ideas for inspirational keynote speakers, let us know! Contact us through ibwsc2018@eur.nl