"4EU+ Alliance: building one European University. From students to students: an innovative, international, research-based education" event took place on 25 May, online and in presence, at the University of Milan. After a welcome speech by the Vice Rector for Internationalization, Professor Antonella Baldi and the 4EU+ Secretary- General Isabelle Kratz, participants had the opportunity to get to know 4EU+ directly from the students’ voices.
Listening to the wide range of experiences the students from the University of Milan undertook, represented a unique moment of peer-to-peer sharing. Students told about their experiences in the Alliance’s joint educational projects with the partner universities, the MOOCs, and other activities, including in the student’s governance bodies. They emphasised, in particular, the innovative and challenge-based methods of the learning activities in which they participated and highlighted the diverse set of skills and competences they were able to acquire. The active participation of the students throughout the alliance is the result of the strong cooperation and the attractive educational approach the Alliance can offer, thus giving the students an intense international experience and moving towards building one comprehensive research-intensive European university.
Report by Julia Kostro, 4EU+ student epresentative of the University of Warsaw
The first meeting took place at 10 am on 24 May at the University of Milan. The 15 students and Ph.D. candidates from 6 partner universities gathered to discuss mainly the communication strategy inside and outside the 4EU+ Alliance structures. Participants got welcomed by Secretary-General Isabelle Kratz, who pointed out the importance of students’ participation within the 4EU+ and our impact on the future of the Alliance.
Julia Kostro (UW) and Marta Lis (UHD), as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Student Committee, were appointed to moderate the discussions on two topics: communication and the 4EU+ Student Conference. In the first brainstorming session, students decided which issues and problems were the most relevant.
The second topic, the 4EU+ Student Conference, engaged the students in a keen discussion. Our main aim was to decide what students would achieve by participating in it, how to make it a meaningful experience, and what the purpose would be. We’ve decided that the first conference should be as general as possible to make sure that students, not only those with specific knowledge, would participate. We would like to include students that are interested in the 4EU+ itself or are just curious about the internationalization process of their universities. Our goal is to make this conference the first step in building the 4EU+ Student Community.
Students from the Student Executive Committee of the 4EU+ gathered, after the general session, to discuss the ideas provided by the SC. We picked the inputs from the brainstorming sessions that fit the vision and created a general draft of the conference. It was determined which university would handle each session when the event would be held, and which university could host it.
After developing the list of priorities, a wrap-up session was carried out. SEC shared their final decisions with all SC members and Secretary-General Isabelle Kratz. The 4EU+ Day at the University of Milan took place on 25 May at 11 am. Students who participated in programs and courses within the 4EU+ Alliance shared their experiences during this event. The organizers also gave a floor to the 4EU+ Student Committee members so they could share their experiences from their participation in the Alliance structures. On behalf of the SC spoke Julia Kostro (UW), Marta Lis (UHD) and Jan Chmielewski-Gill (UW).
Thanks to the on-site meetings in Milan, students could exchange more information and experience with each other. That was a meaningful opportunity to strengthen the cooperation within the Student Committee and involve all students in the discussion to share their points of view and come up with common goals and solutions for the existing problems.