The Vice-Chancellor has decided to coordinate responsibility within the University’s administration to provide support for internationalisation. This decision is based on a report produced by Karin Bergmark, Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor. The report points out, among other things, that support for internationalisation needs to be enhanced and made more coherent.
As of 1 February, Student Services has established a joint function to provide support for internationalisation. This includes taking over responsibility for the existing Global Engagement Team (GET), as well as tasks and assignments within the framework of GET’s activities that had previously fallen under the Office for Research, Engagement and Innovation Services. Responsibility for certain issues relating to Europe and with a focus on research, innovation and/or collaboration will, however, continue to be handled at the Office for Research, Engagement and Innovation Services. Student Services is also tasked with reviewing the skills and staffing needs for internationalisation support, in order to create coordinated, operationally oriented support.
Investment in internationalisation
The person responsible for coordinated support is Åsa Petri, Deputy Head of Student Services, with special responsibility for operational support in issues relating to internationalisation. She sees the decision by the Vice-Chancellor as a clear expression of will from management to invest in increased internationalisation at the University, especially in the field of education. According to Åsa Petri, this change means that support for internationalisation at the University will be more cohesive, which can help initiatives to have a greater impact, and it is also expected to increase clarity both internally and externally.
Important to work on several levels
Student Services is now charged with the task of developing and strengthening operational support for internationalisation, with a focus on increased international mobility among students. But an increase in exchanges will not in itself come at the push of a button, emphasises Åsa Petri.
“You have to work on several levels to achieve greater internationalisation, for example through educational partnerships and teacher mobility, activities that can result in student mobility becoming a natural element of study programmes at the University.” If a teacher is familiar with a partner university, it becomes more natural to recommend a student to go there on an exchange.
Internationalisation at home
Part of the assignment also involves enhanced work on integrated internationalisation, so-called internationalisation at home, to provide all students at Stockholm University with a chance to participate in international elements of a study programme, even if they are unable to participate in physical mobility. Such work can result in students who had not originally thought about participating in any mobility scheme considering taking the step to undertake, for example, an exchange period or a work placement abroad.
Åsa Petri believes that it is now a priority to identify which structures at the University would be suitable for joint development work on these issues. In 2021, an organisation will also need to be created to work on this expanded assignment and draw up a plan for the work.