What gives us hope for the future of higher education? For the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP), it's the commitment to collaborative international education, with professionals dedicated to this mission.
In order to reinforce its continuous investment in international education, the FEP-UCP attended the NAFSA: Association of International Educators - Annual Conference and Expo 2024, in New Orleans (USA), through the Faculty's internationalisation representative, Patrícia Oliveira-Silva.
Every year, this event brings together participants from more than 100 countries to discuss how to integrate an international, intercultural or global dimension into higher education institutions.
The FEP-UCP participated in several forums and strategic roundtables on international education with representatives from higher education institutions around the world, such as the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Boston College, Australian Catholic University, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, University of Chicago, Tulane University, and many others.
"All these meetings have been fundamental in defining the next steps and strategies in the internationalisation and partnership policy of the FEP-UCP", says Patrícia Oliveira-Silva.
Building international communities and creating and strengthening friendships across borders
At NAFSA, the head of internationalisation at FEP-UCP was able to strengthen partnerships with other higher education institutions to promote international and collaborative education at the Faculty of Education and Psychology.
Strategies to offer more and better internationalisation opportunities to students and researchers were discussed, as well as ways to expand mobility programmes with North American universities, namely the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Boston College.
Patrícia Oliveira-Silva stresses the importance of global action to promote social progress: "We need to build international communities, create and strengthen old friendships across borders, build a relationship of trust with international institutions and face the challenges together. There's no doubt that the future of education is global, and FEP-UCP is trying to be at the forefront of this change".
NAFSA took place from 28-31 May 2024 and brought together participants from more than 100 countries. The conference is an important forum for discussing internationalisation policies and practices in higher education.
It should be noted that FEP-UCP is committed to providing its students and researchers with high quality opportunities with a strong international dimension. The faculty believes that international education is essential to prepare students for the challenges of the globalised world and to promote intercultural dialogue.
