By Jacqueline van Marle. Does your institution have a clear and well defined scholarship strategy? The very nature of scholarships – making funds available to enable deserving people to study – is in itself a laudable activity. But given a strategy and plenty of thought, much more can be achieved. In this blog post, the World Citizen Talent Scholarship provided by The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) is discussed – its ambitions and goals, how candidates are selected, and how it can help enhance the global reputation of a university. More...

By EAIE. Read the story of an EAIE member who is actively working to create more rewarding student mobility programmes. In this next post, Natalie Nielsen, one of the EAIE Expert Community Economics and Business Studies’ newly elected Steering group members, tells us about what triggered her interest in international education and how that has now led to her current PhD. More...

By EAIE. Next up in our series is Elisabeth Brunner-Sobanski, one of the newest Steering group members of the EAIE Expert Community, Internationalisation at Home (IaH). From Russia to Hungary to Austria, Elisabeth has had many experiences studying and working abroad. Read about her motivation for working in the international higher education field and what she finds most rewarding about her job. More...

By Alberto Oleaga. As international mobility has evolved from the pre-Erasmus era right up until present day Erasmus+, different exchange formats have emerged, not only within the European Union, but also with higher education institutions on other continents. One of the most interesting set-ups is where students obtain a common degree provided by several institutions – Joint Masters Degrees (formerly known as Erasmus Mundus Masters), or two degrees given by two institutions – Double Degrees. More...

By Raimo Vuorinen. “An individual career is no longer ‘chosen’, it is ‘constructed’ through a series of choices we make throughout our lives.” This paradigm shift in career development was explained by Raimo Vuorinen from the Finnish Institute for Educational Research during the Closing Plenary at the recent EAIE Spotlight Seminar in Berlin on core elements of student support. In this post, Raimo explains the importance of lifelong guidance services in order to improve the effectiveness and efficacy of higher education. More...

By Laura Howard (EAIE President). As we look ahead to a new year full of fresh opportunities and exciting potential, EAIE President Laura Howard shares some expert insights into what she believes will be the main trends pushing the internationalisation agenda over the coming 12 months. Now might be a good time for international officers to work on your communication plans for 2015 if you haven’t already done so. More...

By EAIE. We’re kicking off the new year with another series of posts highlighting the stories of EAIE members. This time we’ve interviewed a handful of newly elected 2014–2016 leaders. Check out this first story featuring Jennifer Valcke, a member of the EAIE Expert Community Steering group, Languages for Intercultural Communication and Mobility (LICOM), and recent winner of the 2014 Rising star award. Read about her passion for languages and communication and where it stems from. More...

By Elizabeth Liu. International higher education plays an unprecedented role in the globalising world. The rapid development of globalisation gives international higher education a valuable mission. Educators have to foster global, multi-cultural citizens who can participate in social issues that require critical thinking. However, a barrier has emerged: breaches of academic freedom. More...

On 18 September 1988, in the presence of many political leaders and representatives of society, 388 rectors signed the Magna Charta Universitatum. That document remains as relevant to the mission of universities everywhere as it was when it was first signed. It has become the major reference for the fundamental values and principles of the university and over 750 university leaders from all over the world have now signed it. Each year the Magna Charta Observatory organises an international conference to address current challenges in upholding the fundamental values and celebrates in a ceremony as more rectors sign the Magna Charta Universitatum. The 2015 conference and ceremony take place on 17 and 18 September in Bologna.
The theme of the conference is Values Beyond 2015: The Global Challenge for Universities and their Students. It looks at the significance of and challenges to the fundamental values as they impact on students in different parts of the world today and what universities might do to uphold their values, often in difficult and rapidly changing circumstances in the future.
Well known international speakers will provide perspectives and lead discussions and participants from universities around the world will be able to engage closely through a wide range of focused small group discussions. Details can be found in the conference programme.
The conference is open to university leaders and their representatives, higher education professionals and students, policy-makers and higher education stakeholders from all sectors to attend the event. Its purpose is to enable them to respond more effectively to the challenges which they face and anticipate and strengthen their universities’ capability to uphold fundamental values for the benefit of their students, society and their university communities.
On 18 September, the Magna Charta Observatory and the University of Bologna will host the Ceremony for the Signing of the Magna Charta by universities committed to the principles of the Universitatum. More...

The Magna Charta Universitatum is a document signed by the Rectors of most European Universities, when they gathered in Bologna to celebrate the Alma Mater’s 900th Anniversary in 1988. It was drafted as a way to encourage strong bonds among universities, and to state some of their fundamental values, such as independence and autonomy in both education and research.Originating in Europe, the signatories to the Charta have expanded to countries all over the world, with universities from Asia, Africa and America – North, Central and South.