Androulla Vassiliou © European Union, 2013
Making EU universities international
The ‘European Higher Education in the World’ conference is one of the largest conferences to take place during the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The event attracted 200 participants from 36 countries and discussed the European Commission’s Communication on ‘European higher education in the world’. The initiative was launched by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and focuses on internationalising higher education with the support of the Commission. Conference delegates also discussed the challenges facing higher education systems in EU member states.
Opening the two-day conference in Vilnius, Vassiliou informed attendees that higher education was an important European priority and outlined the significance of the links between universities, research and innovation.
“We are living in a globalised and highly competitive world: to stay in the game, to create jobs, economic growth and prosperity, Europe needs highly skilled human capital and it is higher education that holds the response to this need. Yet the higher education landscape is itself changing in many respects.
“The expectations of the students too have changed. They are as eager as ever to learn, but they expect to choose what they learn, how they learn and when they learn, according to their individual needs and interests. They are ready to do it in their country of origin, or by going abroad, or through courses offered online or via blended forms of learning that combine all of these possibilities.
“Our students’ eagerness to learn and their availability to go to new and great lengths to do so is a great asset that we cannot afford to neglect. It places a great responsibility on us all not to let them down.”
Changing landscape
The Commissioner continued by outlining that the landscape of higher education had also developed, with an expected 300% global rise in students in the 30 years to 2030, equal to 400 million students. She also drew attention to the strong growth in higher education in other areas of the world and the impact this would have on Europe.
“As higher education institutions in other parts of the world increase their quality, in particular in emerging economies such as Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, these regions become attractive destinations for international students. This means that Europeans need to be prepared for this increasingly global, open and competitive labour market.
“Internationalisation is our best response to globalisation. The latter creates a wealth of new opportunities but only for those with the right skills and with internationalisation, we put those same opportunities within the reach of our students. Because the skills and knowledge acquired in international education are the same skills that graduates need to succeed in the global economy. To face these challenges, we need a whole shift in the institutional mindset. It is no longer enough simply to encourage students to study abroad,” Vassiliou continued.
“Yes, internationalisation still concentrates very much on mobility, but universities need to have comprehensive strategies that go beyond mobility and encompass many other types of academic co-operation such as joint degrees, support for capacity building, joint research projects and distance learning programmes. They need to prepare for ‘internationalisation at home’ for those 80-90% of students who will not be mobile.
“Talent and knowledge are the fuel of the 21st Century economies. Therefore, attracting highly skilled people can no longer be an objective of just a few countries or world famous universities. The EU needs to attract more talent from around the world and the internationalisation of European universities requires co-operation with the new higher education hubs that are emerging in Asia, in Latin America and around the world.”
Marie Curie Actions
Vassiliou said the EU would support universities during this evolutionary phase. She outlined how Erasmus had made mobility “part of regular academic life” for many students and it had been an “important catalyst in the reform and internationalisation of higher education systems”. The Commissioner indicated how other programmes, including the Marie Curie Actions, had also contributed to increasing the EU’s global outreach.
“To date, more than 20% of the researchers, PhD candidates, postdoctorates and senior scientists recruited under Marie Curie are non-Europeans. These experts bring much welcomed skills and talent to European universities and enterprises. Their presence is an essential contribution to Europe scientific prowess, since nowadays internationally co-authored research papers and projects are the norm rather than the exception.
“Marie Curie will continue in Horizon 2020 under the name Marie Skłodowska-Curie. The strong international dimension will be retained and the programme will continue to be a mechanism for European universities to cement their partnerships with their peers around the world.”
International centre
Promoting the EU as an international study and research centre is also high on the agenda according to Vassiliou. The Commissioner says the Union needs to promote “the high quality and the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of European higher education” in order to compete with new regional higher education hubs and attract new talent.
“The role of the EU is to complement national information and marketing efforts and promote the European dimension of higher education, including through innovative approaches such as a more intensive use of student and alumni associations as ambassadors of European higher education and programmes.
“There is not one approach to internationalisation as it means very different things to different higher education institutions; it all depends on the context. Yet what is common to all institutions is the need to position themselves better to face the pressures of globalisation and the right level to do so is precisely at the European level.
“Internationalisation of higher education is a great opportunity that can bring significant benefits for Europe, for EU member states, for individual institutions and students.”
Androulla Vassiliou
