Reaching Out to the World: Wittenborg’s Participation in EAIE Toulouse a Success

Representatives Promote School and Strengthen Old and New Partnerships at EAIE

From 17 to 20 September, Wittenborg participated in the 34th EAIE (European Association for International Education) conference, one of the most important events in the higher education sector.  

Held in Toulouse, France, the conference gathered more than 7,300 participants from 110 countries among educators, policymakers, student agents and industry professionals. The EAIE programme included keynote speeches by seasoned experts, workshops, networking sessions, poster presentations and plenaries, among other activities.  

Wittenborg was represented by its President Peter Birdsall, CEO Maggie Feng, Deputy Head of the School of Business Dadi Chen, Head of Education Development and Quality Management Kriszta Kaspers-Rostás and Customer Relations Manager Kejsi Hoxha.  

In addition to maintaining a beautifully designed stand, where discussions took place with prospective partners and education professionals of various nationalities, the Wittenborg representatives also attended various inspiring events and sessions. 

One of the highlights was the roundtable session ‘Harnessing diversity, equality and inclusion in internationalisation strategies’. Peter Birdsall and Krista Kaspers-Rostás were the speakers for this activity, together with Irene Diez, the International Office and Double Degree Coordinator at FHNW School of Business (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland). 

Focusing on the debate around the ‘neutrality’ of higher education internationalisation and whether it might inadvertently sustain existing inequalities, the session sought to examine ways to enhance diversity and internationalisation strategies in higher education. 

Additionally, Deputy Head of the School of Business Dadi Chen and Kaspers-Rostás presented a poster on the development of the entrepreneurial competences of international students through continuous and thorough assessments. This activity discussed how Wittenborg has adopted comprehensive practices combined with real-time assessment and feedback to support students in a 360-degree way, as in real workplaces.  

Chen said that he was honoured to represent Wittenborg at EAIE, highlighting that the school has participated in the event for many years.  

“It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues from around the world and learn about the latest trends in international education. I was particularly proud to present our poster, because instead of only observing and learning what other higher education institutions do, we were able to share our experiences with them and gain quite some visibility. I'm confident that we have so much to share, and we should encourage our colleagues to contribute more to present the educational research done at Wittenborg on international platforms like EAIE,” he underlined.  

For Customer Relations Manager Kejsi Hoxha, the conference was an amazing opportunity to meet with several valued partners and education agents to discuss the future of higher education and the importance of international collaboration. “We successfully signed new partnerships that will strengthen Wittenborg’s global network and create even more opportunities for our students. This way, we're building bridges for knowledge and innovation across borders,” she commented. 

WUP 26/09/2024 
by Ulisses Sawczuk 
©WUAS Press