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Towards ‘deep’ internationalisation - ACA Director Bernd Wächter’s impressions of Josef Mestenhauser’s latest masterpiece. Josef A. Mestenhauser. Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of Internationalizing Higher Education: Discovering Opportunities to Meet the Challenges. Published by the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance at the University of Minnesota, 2011.
Few, very few indeed, have influenced the theory and practice of internationalisation more profoundly than Josef A. Mestenhauser.  Over a period of more than six decades, the Czech-born Mestenhauser has set the agenda for ‘international education’. He transformed international affairs at the University of Minnesota, received numerous high distinctions and awards, was elected president of NAFSA and, in the recent past, acted as an honorary consul of the Czech Republic for the five Upper Midwest States. To his 120+ publications on international education, he has now added a new one, a fascinating and instructive read entitled “Reflections on the past, present and future of internationalizing higher education”. The 180-pages volume, which was published by the University of Minnesota, bears the evocative sub-title “Discovering opportunities to meet challenges”.
The sub-title is indicative of the main points of Mestenhauser’s analysis. Internationalisation of higher education has developed more in the past 20 years than in the centuries before and has lost some of its marginality. But at the same time, it has become much more complex and needs to respond to the challenge of a fast-developing body of international knowledge. Thus, while we have made progress, we have also fallen further behind. To get out of the trap, Mestenhauser advocates what I (not he) would like to term ‘deep internationalisation’. He plausibly and intelligently argues that we need a new concept of internationalisation, which goes beyond mere branding and marketing, and which also overcomes the organisational dispersion of international tasks at higher education institutions. At the same time, it requires the inclusion of international knowledge into the teaching and learning in all disciplines. Administratively, Mestenhauser argues in favour of the creation of “super centres” for internationalisation, to overcome unhelpful divisions and to create a pool of expertise. Mestenhauser‘s book is also an ode to the ‘international education professionals’, whose dedication he feels is not honoured in terms of recognition and pay. He deplores that their knowledge, ‘international knowledge’, is wrongly rated inferior to disciplinary and academic knowledge.  All of this is delivered with the grand man’s typical mix of rigorous analysis, near-encyclopaedic knowledge, great humility and charm. For the benefit of all of us, I sincerely hope that this major work is only one of many more to come. My wish might be granted, as apparently another monograph is already in the works.
by Bernd Wächter
Director
Academic Cooperation Association
This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance, global@umn.edu.

Towards ‘deep’ internationalisation - ACA Director Bernd Wächter’s impressions of Josef Mestenhauser’s latest masterpiece. Josef A. Mestenhauser. Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of Internationalizing Higher Education: Discovering Opportunities to Meet the Challenges. Published by the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance at the University of Minnesota, 2011.
Few, very few indeed, have influenced the theory and practice of internationalisation more profoundly than Josef A. Mestenhauser.  Over a period of more than six decades, the Czech-born Mestenhauser has set the agenda for ‘international education’. He transformed international affairs at the University of Minnesota, received numerous high distinctions and awards, was elected president of NAFSA and, in the recent past, acted as an honorary consul of the Czech Republic for the five Upper Midwest States. To his 120+ publications on international education, he has now added a new one, a fascinating and instructive read entitled “Reflections on the past, present and future of internationalizing higher education”. The 180-pages volume, which was published by the University of Minnesota, bears the evocative sub-title “Discovering opportunities to meet challenges”.
The sub-title is indicative of the main points of Mestenhauser’s analysis. Internationalisation of higher education has developed more in the past 20 years than in the centuries before and has lost some of its marginality. But at the same time, it has become much more complex and needs to respond to the challenge of a fast-developing body of international knowledge. Thus, while we have made progress, we have also fallen further behind. To get out of the trap, Mestenhauser advocates what I (not he) would like to term ‘deep internationalisation’. He plausibly and intelligently argues that we need a new concept of internationalisation, which goes beyond mere branding and marketing, and which also overcomes the organisational dispersion of international tasks at higher education institutions. At the same time, it requires the inclusion of international knowledge into the teaching and learning in all disciplines. Administratively, Mestenhauser argues in favour of the creation of “super centres” for internationalisation, to overcome unhelpful divisions and to create a pool of expertise. Mestenhauser‘s book is also an ode to the ‘international education professionals’, whose dedication he feels is not honoured in terms of recognition and pay. He deplores that their knowledge, ‘international knowledge’, is wrongly rated inferior to disciplinary and academic knowledge.  All of this is delivered with the grand man’s typical mix of rigorous analysis, near-encyclopaedic knowledge, great humility and charm. For the benefit of all of us, I sincerely hope that this major work is only one of many more to come. My wish might be granted, as apparently another monograph is already in the works.
by Bernd Wächter
Director
Academic Cooperation Association
This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance, global@umn.edu.

ACA’s associate member, the Institute of International Education (IIE), a private non-profit leader in the international exchange of people and ideas, has recently been active in publishing new research.
The latest report, entitled “Rebuilding Higher Education in Myanmar”, presents findings from a recent IIE delegation and includes observations on the context of higher education in Myanmar, an analysis of needs facing the sector and recommendations to support partnerships and academic exchanges. The report was released and discussed at a bi-national conference call on 12 April 2013, dealing with higher education cooperation between the U.S. and Myanmar. IIE President Allan Goodman moderated the discussion, and representatives of 50 U.S. colleges and universities called in to take part. The briefing paper is intended to provide policy makers, foundations, private sector corporations, and higher education professionals with an overview of potential areas for engagement and will help facilitate the timely implementation of much-needed higher education capacity building activities that will be critical for the next phase of Myanmar’s economic development.
The IIE also released the spring 2013 IIENetworker magazine "Higher Education and International Development" as a free interactive web flipbook. The issue examines a wide range of international development strategies that colleges, universities, and other organisations have devised and implemented to foster economic and educational growth around the world. Among the topics covered in this issue are the interactions between higher education and international development aid, based on the findings of a long-term research project of the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa, as well as the partnerships at the nexus of global change and the critical role of leadership training.
Past issues of IIENetworker are available in the IIE’s digital edition archives.
Report - Rebuilding Higher Education in Myanmar
For more information, please visit the IIE’s website.

Quality education and good reputation of research and studies are among the top listed reasons for international students to choose Norway as their study destination.
During the fall of 2012, the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU) conducted a survey among 2 104 international students enrolled in 36 Norwegian higher education institutions. Both exchange students and full degree students (i.e. doing their entire degree in Norway) answered the survey.
An increasing number of international students reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience as a foreign student in Norway (88%, compared with 86% in 2010 and 84% in 2008), exchange students being slightly more content than full degree students. Students from the Netherlands and Spain were the happiest.
“I didn`t know anything about Norway before I came, and I love it here. I love the nature and outdoor life, the cities, social opportunities, the welfare system, everything - except the prices.” (Bachelor student from the USA)
Some students found the Norwegian weather a bit disappointing:  “I thought there would be some sunshine during fall. But actually there is no sunshine at all.” (Master student from China). Read more...

DAAD’s Strategy 2020, which outlines the organisation’s objectives and agenda for the upcoming years, is now publicly available. It provides detailed information on planned DAAD initiatives and priorities towards further internationalisation of German higher education as well as international mobility and cooperation in this area. Next to the main objectives already published earlier this year (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, February 2013), the strategy addresses the expansion of the worldwide DAAD network, the continuation of the German-Arabic partnership for transformation as well as the Initiative Deutsch, which aims to extend the DAAD lecturer’s programme in more than 100 countries. More (in German). DAAD Strategy 2020 (German & English).
New DAAD young talents programme for computer scientists: FITweltweit
With its newly launched programme FITweltweit the DAAD will be supporting ICT students and researchers on different levels with research-oriented studies abroad. The aim is to support German ICT researchers in their academic careers by adding an international dimension to their research. Master and PhD students will have the opportunity to conduct research for their thesis projects abroad. Furthermore, post-doctoral students will get the chance to implement research projects at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) in Berkeley or at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo. FITweltweit is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) with a budget of EUR 8.8 million. More (in German).
DAAD pilot project welcomes research and education policy makers from Egypt and Tunisia in Germany
The DAAD programme “Training for Arab Policy Makers in Higher Education and Sciences” aims to provide customised knowledge for experts and decision-makers in the field of higher education and research management. For a period of four weeks, ten guests from Egypt and Tunisia seize the opportunity to get to know the practical dimension of the decision-making structures in the German education and science system. The objective of the project is to promote the democratic transition in the respective countries by supporting the development of their higher education sectors. More (in German).
Germany and Greece reinforce their research cooperation
Germany and Greece will expand their collaboration in research and development. They will provide funding of around EUR 10 million until 2015 for extensive bilateral research projects in cooperation with the public and the private sector. The objective is to promote programmes that address the economic challenges in Greece and in the world, to contribute to economic development and to strengthen the competitiveness of both countries. More (in German).

Aware that Europe is the top destination for international students world-wide, offering (amongst other educational opportunities) top-quality doctoral programmes, ACA members Campus France (project coordinator), DAAD, Nuffic, the British Council, and the Institute of International Education (IIE) joined forces with Eurodoc (The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers) in 2010 and launched the PromoDoc project. This joint initiative, funded under the Erasmus Mundus Programme, aims to “improve information about doctoral study and to facilitate access to doctoral-level programmes in Europe amongst students in third countries, especially in the targeted industrialised countries and territories of Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA”.
Within the scope of PromoDoc, a series of activities are being organised to promote doctoral study in Europe such as information tools, a video clip, a network of “ambassadors”, participation in fairs and presentations on doctoral study. The next promotional event will be held in South Korea and will consist of targeted appointments between European higher education institutions and research institutes and potential South Korean doctoral candidates. This recruitment event is a sequel to the PromoDoc gathering that took place in Japan last year. The South Korea event will take place over four days, i.e. 28 and 29 September 2013 in Seoul and 1 and 2 October in Busan. There will be student information sessions in the morning and scheduled appointments between South Korean students and representatives from the EU in the afternoon. European higher education institutions and research institutes interested in participating in the event can apply via the project website. PromoDoc.

The First Meeting of the EU-China Higher Education Platform for Cooperation and Exchanges (HEPCE) was successfully held on 25 April in Brussels with the enthusiastic support of nearly 200 participants from the European and Chinese higher education circles. The day began with higher education policy updates given by Jan Truszczyński, Director General for Education and Culture of the European Commission, and Du Yubo, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, PR China. Directly following the policy updates was a series of practical examples of ongoing EU-China joint initiatives, ranging from joint programmes to joint operation of education institutions. The TUNING experts and individual universities from both the European and Chinese sides also took the occasion to exchange working experience and information in two parallel sessions.
Last but not least, the day was concluded with a high-level China-EU Higher Education Policy Dialogue attended by a good mix of policymakers, university presidents, tuning experts, and representatives from the China Scholarship Council (CSC), the European University Association (EUA), and the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA). The final session, featuring a dialogue led by Mr. Zhang Daliang from China’s Ministry of Education and Xavier Prats-Monné, Deputy Director General for Education and Culture, served both as a review of all the discussions in the day and an initial exploration of potential directions towards future EU-China cooperation in higher education.
The first HEPCE meeting was a co-production of CSC, EUA and ACA, fully supported by the Chinese government and the European Commission. While the CSC and EUA were at the forefront of the organisation of a university presidents’ dialogue, ACA contributed mainly to the organization of the policy dialogue by tying together the different acts in the intensive five-part programme. In his concluding remarks for the presidents’ dialogue, ACA Director Bernd Wächter congratulated the success of the first HEPCE meeting in showing that EU-China cooperation in higher education rests on a rich and broad foundation. Having said that the establishment of HEPCE implies that further efforts are needed for deepening mutual understanding and cooperation based on the existing foundation. The second HEPCE meeting is scheduled to take place in Beijing in spring next year.

Do you know what highly renowned international higher education experts such as Sir Peter Scott, Peggy Blumenthal, Adam Tyson, Neil Kemp, Ulrich Grothus and Ulrich Teichler have in common? All of them, and many more, will be speakers at ACA’s 2013 Annual Conference, which will take place in The Hague from 9 to 11 June 2013.
The event, co-organised by the NUFFIC, one of ACA’s founding members, is entitled Internationalisation and international mobility. Where do we stand, where are we heading? and marks ACA’s 20th anniversary. At its jubilee conference, ACA will revisit those themes which were already at the center of the Association’s interest in 1993, the year of ACA’s foundation, and which have remained topical to this very day: internationalisation and international mobility.  More precisely, the conference will address issues currently hotly debated, such as the ethics of internationalisation, transnational education and ‘internationalisation at home’ on the one hand, and ‘mobility windows’, ‘mobility appetizers’ and the relationship between mobility and employability on the other hand.
The conference will consist of a mix of plenary sessions and parallel workshops. In comparison with earlier ACA conferences, the share of workshops has been increased, which will enhance and encourage active involvement of participants. The 2-day event will be preceded by an opening reception and a social programme on 9 June, to welcome participants and to allow them to meet and discuss with friends, colleagues and partners.  As usual, there will be ample opportunities for networking. For more information, click here.

The Global Campaign for Education – a civil society movement whose aim is to help reach Education for All (EFA) - launches every year a Global Action Week to mobilize local and global support for EFA. This year’s theme of the Global Action Week is Every Child Needs a Teacher. It takes place from 21 to 27 April 2013.
Since teacher education is often taking place at the higher education level, IAU is taking action through the support of Education Department/Faculties and asks them to:

• Tell IAU about their activities. Show the community and the world what your institution is doing to improve child learning through quality teacher education. Send information on related activities to Ms. Nadja Kymlicka before 27 April 2013, it will be disseminated widely the week after.
• Run a campaign. Download the campaigning tools and put up free campaign posters at your faculty (available in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish). http://everychildneedsateacher.org/
• Get visible globally. Post information directly on the HEEFA Portal now!

Overview
When universities and colleges recruit new students, they cannot simply take as many as they might like. This is because the Government needs to control the level of publicly-funded student loans and grants for fees and maintenance.
Based on guidance from Government we set each institution a limit – or ‘student number control’ – on the number of students they may recruit. This limit is only designed to control the number of students entering university or college. It is not designed to influence decisions about the suitability of candidates. Universities and colleges are autonomous organisations and these decisions are entirely up to them. They have always admitted students on the basis of academic excellence and potential, and they should continue to do so.
The ‘high-grades’ policy
Not all students are included in the student number control. The Government is keen to encourage popular and successful universities and colleges to expand, and to improve student choice. So it has decided to allow universities and colleges to recruit as many students with high grades at A-level and certain equivalent qualifications (broadly defined each year by government policy) as they wish, and are able to, outside of their student number control. We call this the ‘high-grades’ policy. We are responsible for putting the high-grades policy into practice and for identifying the high-grade qualifications from which institutions may recruit applicants without limit. To do this, we have developed a list of entry qualifications and grades which are exempt from the student number control – this is known as the ‘exemptions list’.    
The ‘exemptions list’
This ‘exemptions list’ does not include all high-grade qualifications. It does not, for example, include combinations of different qualifications, or qualifications from all other EU states. This is because we need to be able to estimate the numbers of students in the ‘uncontrolled’ population as accurately as possible, so that the Government can manage its budget. We are currently consulting on how we might extend the exemptions list in order to expand the population that will be exempt from the student number control. Read more...