As proclaimed by UNESCO in 2002, the third Thursday of November is World Philosophy Day. While philosophy and international higher education (IHE) might not immediately be considered a straightforward combination, there are many ways in which the art of philosophy can complement people’s personal and professional lives. During the 2024 EAIE Conference in Toulouse, France, a session was dedicated to the philosophical foundations of our work in international higher education, which gathered quite an audience. With World Philosophy Day just behind us, the EAIE podcast takes the opportunity to dive into this topic and see where philosophy and IHE can meet.

In this episode, host Laura Rumbley talks to Flora Bastiani, senior lecturer in Philosophy at Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès University (France) and a specialist in the thought of Emmanuel Levinas and Henri Maldiney, and Piet van Hove, Programme Manager for the HEROES Alliance, at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium, and former EAIE President (2022-2024). Why is philosophy important, and what can it bring to our daily life and work? In what ways is the work of Levinas especially relevant to the work of IHE? And how can IHE professionals use philosophy to help with the important balance between working and private lives? Tune in to this EAIE podcast episode to learn more!

About Piet van Hove
Piet van Hove is the Programme Manager for the HEROES Alliance at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium. HEROES is part of the latest group of Alliances selected for funding by the European Commission under its flagship ‘European Universities’ scheme. It brings together nine professional higher education institutions across Europe, focusing on ‘smart regional resilience’. Piet has been active in international higher education for almost three decades, working for the University of Antwerp and taking up leadership roles in various international organisations. He served as Vice President and later President of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) from 2020 to 2024. Piet is a board member of Taith (Wales) and the NGO Apopo.

About Flora Bastiani
Flora Bastiani is a senior lecturer in philosophy at Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès University, a researcher in health ethics and a specialist in the thought of Emmanuel Levinas and Henri Maldiney. In her work, she proposes a micro-philosophy of relationships and develops a new concept of the phenomenon of the "ensemble" (togetherness). She is also responsible for the Master's degree "Éthique du soin et recherche" (Philosophy, Law, Health) at the University of Toulouse.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ EAIE Toulouse 2024 - "A moment of reflection: The philosophical foundations of our work in international higher education"
→ ‘Philosophie du soin critique. Penser la relation en réanimation, en soins intensifs et dans le prélèvement d'organes‘
→ General introduction to the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas

Alumni are an important stakeholder group in higher education institutions across the world. An engaged alumni network can not only help an institution to benefit from the experiences and skills of its graduates, but alumni can also make a significant impact on individual students by providing mentorship, advice, and networking opportunities. A possible alumni relationship starts the moment a prospective student engages with an institution and can be the key to a treasure box filled with possibilities and opportunities. But how does an institution build up an alumni network, and what is in it for the alumni themselves?

In this EAIE podcast episode, host Laura Rumbley talks to Sandra Rincon, a consultant on Global Stakeholder Engagement with Purpose, and Scott Darby, former President of the OCEANS Network, both experts on the topic of international alumni. So, what do we mean when discussing the international alumni lifecycle? Why should alumni matter to institutions? And what are some of the key challenges and opportunities within this area today?

About Sandra Rincon
Sandra Rincon works as a consultant on Global Stakeholder Engagement with Purpose. She believes in building communities to promote diversity as a pillar to innovate a more inclusive, sustainable, and kinder world. She dedicates her professional time as a trainer, researcher and author. She has co-authored the book ‘Engaging International Alumni as Strategic Partners’; edited a resource guide, ‘Alumni Connection’; hosted Brite Ideas, a podcast for advancement professionals;, and founded the Holland alumni network-NL to support international students and alumni navigate the Dutch labour market. She is finalising her PhD research on the SDGs and student-alumni engagement at Tilburg University. As a recognised leader in international education (PIE, 2023) and consultant with +30 years of experience, Sandra advises and trains professionals in governments and higher education institutions. She often publishes in professional literature on global engagement.

About Scott Darby
Scott Darby works as a Solutions Engineer for Inenco Group in the UK, where he produces carbon reports and helps companies move towards net zero. Scott has two Masters degrees in Aird Land Studies and studied in Sheffield (UK), Lubbock, Texas (USA), and Berlin (Germany). He is passionate about restoring degraded land and has worked in Australia, Libya, Lebanon and Somaliland. After his studies, he was elected President of the OCEANS network, an Erasmus alumni organisation, and he is still heavily involved as a member of the Advisory Board. Scott is back in Sheffield, UK, to start and raise a family.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Global communities driving the SDGs
→ 4 tips for leveraging alumni networks for recruitment
→ 3 questions to ask before engaging alumni in virtual marketing and recruitment
→ How international alumni relations advance the agenda
→ OCEANS website 

The 2024 EAIE Award winners were announced earlier this year, and at the conference in Toulouse, they were all given some of the attention they rightfully deserve. In this podcast episode, the EAIE is honoured to have had the opportunity to talk to not one but two of this year's award winners: Birgit Hernady, Head of the International Office at FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences (Austria), and Sandra Soares, Vice-Rector for Education and Training and Internationalisation at the University of Aveiro (Portugal), who were, respectively, the winner and the highly commended institution for the EAIE award for Excellence in Internationalisation.

In this conversation between host Laura Rumbley and Birgit and Sandra, several topics are touched upon. What makes their two institutions special? What does winning an EAIE award mean to them personally and their institution? What are some good practices to share, but also some lessons learned of value from other professionals? Be sure to tune in to this episode of the EAIE podcast to hear more!

About Birgit Hernády
Birgit Hernády has been working at the International Office of FH JOANNEUM since 2003 and has been its head since 2013. She studied English and American Studies and "Europe: Languages, Business and Law" in Graz and Oxford and completed postgraduate studies in German as a Foreign Language and International Business. Before starting her professional career at FH JOANNEUM, she worked for LOGO jugendmanagement in EU Info&Service. Birgit Hernády has extensive experience teaching German as a foreign language in Austria and abroad and is a certified examiner for the Austrian German Language Diploma (ÖSD).

About Sandra Soares
Sandra Soares holds a PhD in Psychology from the Karolinska Institute. She is currently the Vice-Rector for Education and Training and Internationalisation at the University of Aveiro and the Coordinator of the Specialized Commission for Internationalisation of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities. She is also involved in several international projects related to internationalisation and pedagogical innovation, namely the European Consortium of Innovative University (ECIU University), under the European Universities initiative. Sandra has published several dozens of articles in international journals and has participated in several research projects, as well as in national and international conferences. She is an integrated member of the William James Center for Research and the coordinator of the EmoSenses Lab. In 2021, she was one of the Portuguese women scientists honoured by Ciência Viva.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Celebrating excellence: Announcing the 2024 EAIE Award winners
→ Ligia Deca: Outstanding vision and leadership 2023
→ FH Joanneum website
→ Universidade de Aveiro website

During the summer of 2024, many of us soaked up the energy and excitement of the Olympic Games in Paris, France. As a global event where people from all over the world come together to compete, collaborate, learn, and enjoy, the Olympics can, in some ways, be compared to international education, which also brings together individuals with shared interests and passions. Upon closer inspection, what are some of the key parallels between the worlds of international sports and international higher education? What particular opportunities do big sports events such as the Olympics bring to international students? And what are the challenges of being a student and a professional or highly competitive athlete?

In this EAIE podcast episode, host Laura Rumbley talks to two sports and IHE fans: Shanna Shaubert, who works as Associate Director of Research and Scholarship at NAFSA, and Dorothée Brac de la Perrière, European Projects Manager at INSA-Lyon. We take a moment to look back at Paris 2024 and ahead to Los Angeles 2028 and why the combination of sports and international higher education can be challenging but also makes a lot of sense.

About Shanna Saubert
Shanna Saubert, PhD, is the Associate Director of Research & Scholarship at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. She leads NAFSA’s thought leadership and resource development for scholars and practitioners in international education and collaborates with the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community.

About Dorothée Brac de la Perrière
Dorothée Brac de la Perrière has been the European Projects Manager at INSA-Lyon in France for the past seven years. As of September 2024, she is also a member of the EAIE’s Thematic Committee on European-funded Programmes. 

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Matjaž Pečovnik: Let’s talk European university sports
→ SAMEurope: facilitating mobility for student athletes
→ Shanna Saubert – Breaking Records and Building Bridges
→ International Olympic Committee (IOC), 2024 - “Olympic Values.”

Within the international higher education community, we see the celebration of achievements regularly. Successfully launching a new research project, reaching a milestone number of international students accepted and signing a new partnership. But what about learning from our failures? We tend not to share the lessons learned from a programme that failed or a collaboration gone wrong, while in some cases, there might be even more to learn than from our success stories.

In this podcast episode, host Laura Rumbley dives into learning from failure. How can we learn to embrace the willingness to make mistakes and leverage our community along the way? Laura is joined by five experienced IHE professionals from across Europe, all willing to share their experience with failure. Britta Piel, Richard Delahaye, Ceren Genc, Sabine Sainte-Rose and Kimmo Kuortti discuss what can be gained from talking about failure, how to pick ourselves up after a setback, and what wisdom can be shared with other colleagues.

About Richard Delahaye
Richard Delahaye currently acts as the University of East Anglia's School Manager for Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies and also the Interdisciplinary Institute for the Humanities.

About Ceren Genc
Ceren Genc is the Team Leader for International Student Admissions at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

About Sabine Sainte-Rose
Sabine Sainte-Rose is the Director of the Aurora European University Alliance Programme.

About Kimmo Kuortti
Kimmo Kuortti is Head of Global Education Solutions at the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Helping students overcome their fear of failure
→ How Failing Well Can Help Companies Thrive
→ The CV of Failures
→ Robert Biswas-Diener - A Positive Look at Failure
→ Sanna Wenström - Do you work on your power zone?

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." Martin Luther King’s quotes still inspire many across the world when it comes to peacebuilding. But in a world of constant change, challenge and conflict, is peace a mere utopian dream or something tangible that we can and should actively strive towards? In this episode of the EAIE podcast, peacebuilding takes centre stage as our host, Laura Rumbley, tries to uncover some of the fundamentals of this fascinating work. How do we define and understand peacebuilding as a concept and a practice? What are some of the challenges and opportunities that come with addressing the work of peacebuilding from a diversity of perspectives? What does the academic world bring to the domains of peacebuilding and conflict resolution? And what can societies and individuals do in the face of the challenging realities we currently find ourselves in? 

Our featured guests are Sonya Reines-Djivanides, the Executive Director of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), the largest conflict prevention and peacebuilding network in Europe, and Ulrich Schneckener, Professor of International Relations & Peace and Conflict Studies at Osnabrück University, and Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research. Tune in now to listen to this episode of the EAIE podcast!

About Sonya Reines-Djivanides
Sonya Reines-Djivanides is the Executive Director of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), Europe’s largest conflict resolution network and peacebuilding organisation. With more than 20 years of experience in international conflict resolution, including working in the senior management of peacebuilding organisations like Search for Common Ground, Sonya has frequently commented on foreign policy and conflict issues. She received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science and French from The University of New Mexico and her Master of Arts in International Relations, with a focus on International Conflict Negotiation and an advanced Certificate in International Conflict Management, from Syracuse University. She holds a graduate certificate in International Mediation and Conflict Analysis from the United States Institute of Peace and completed a Peace Mediation Course with the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs. Sonya has taught Master’s level mediation and negotiation at Kent University and sits on the board of Directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding and WeMove Europe.

About Ulrich Schneckener
Prof. Dr Ulrich Schneckener has been working as a Professor of International Relations & Peace and Conflict Studies at Osnabrück University in Germany since 2009. He is also the Co-director of the MA programme ‘Conflict Studies and Peacebuilding’. Since 2016, he has been the Chairman of the Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research. Between 2002 and 2009, he worked as a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin. Some of his key research interests include international conflict management, peace- and state-building, political violence and European and global security.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Ukraine support & resources
→ Leaving no one behind: providing higher education in emergencies
→ Supporting international students in times of crisis and conflict
→ European Peacebuilding Liaison Office

2024 marks a special anniversary for the EAIE: the Association turns 35! A lot has happened within the world of international higher education in the decades since the EAIE’s founding in 1989, and the EAIE itself has also been on quite an evolutionary journey during this time. Current Executive Director Leonard Engel has been an important part of that journey for 14 years and is now getting ready to hand over the baton to Mervin Bakker. 

In this special 35-year anniversary episode, Laura talks to both Leonard and Mervin about this EAIE milestone. It provides a wonderful opportunity to travel back in time (what were they doing all the way back in 1989?), to reflect on our changing sector (what are some of the important changes they've seen within the field of internationalisation over the years?), and to look toward the future (what will a successful conference in Toulouse look like in their eyes?). Join us in celebrating our 35th anniversary in this episode, where we say a big thank you to Leonard and give a warm welcome to Mervin!

About Leonard Engel
Leonard Engel is the Executive Director of the European Association for International Education (EAIE). He holds a Master of Public Administration from the Dutch School of Public Administration (NSOB), The Hague, and an MA in Literature from Leiden University, the Netherlands. Leonard is an experienced manager in higher education and a specialist in internationalisation and student affairs, having worked as a director at Leiden University from 1995 to 2010. His areas of specialisation are cooperation theory and relations between Dutch and Chinese higher education. Leonard is invited regularly to speak about international higher education and Association management.
Leonard received the 2023 President's Award from Piet Van Hove in recognition of his service and commitment to the EAIE and the wider international education community. Since joining the EAIE in 2010, he has guided the Association to new levels of professionalisation and led EAIE’s commitment to operational excellence.

About Mervin Bakker
Mervin Bakker has been working in international education for 25 years. Prior to joining the EAIE, he was the Director of International Strategy & Relations at the University of Groningen, where he is responsible for the university’s international strategy and the management of relations with strategic partners and networks globally. Before joining the University of Groningen, Mervin was Regional Director at Nuffic’s Netherlands Education Support Offices in South Africa and Indonesia. Before this, Mervin worked at the University of Amsterdam as Manager of International Programmes and Head of Marketing & Communications for the Faculty of Economics and Business. He has also worked for an education agent in Thailand and ran a student-related business in the Netherlands. Mervin holds an MSc in International Economics & Economic Geography from Utrecht University and an MBA in Higher Education Management from the Institute of Education in London. He will take over as Executive Director of the EAIE at the end of September 2024.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ EAIE announces next Executive Director
→ Introducing the new EAIE leaders and volunteers to the EAIE ecosystem
→ The EAIE structure and how to get involved 

We’re still 'En Route!' to the EAIE 2024 Conference and Exhibition, and we're getting closer and closer to that moment in September when we will meet in person in Toulouse! We’re looking forward to the numerous exciting sessions, networking events, informal gatherings and the opening and closing plenaries. After having had the pleasure several months ago of talking to this year’s opening plenary speaker, Élisabeth Moreno, EAIE podcast host Laura Rumbley also sat down with closing plenary speaker Zhang Zhang.

Zhang Zhang is a classical violinist and humanitarian who is planning to take the EAIE audience on a musical journey. In this conversation, she tells us more about her upbringing, her relationship with music, the importance of educators, and how we can all make a difference in someone’s life. Don’t miss out on this interesting conversation with one of the EAIE’s 2024 keynote speakers!

About Zhang Zhang
Zhang Zhang, a classical violinist and humanitarian, has been a member of the L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo since 2000 and the founder of The Monaco String Quartet Ensemble since 2021. She also serves as Soloist of the Royal Opera of Versailles. Zhang is a prolific opinion leader, publishing in major French outlets such as Le Figaro and Libération and appearing on Europe 1, TVMonaco and France 5. In 2023, she published her autobiography "La voie de l’Archet" detailing her journey from a challenging childhood in Beijing to becoming an accomplished artist and advocate for peace and equality.

A graduate of Rice University and the Lausanne Conservatory, Zhang is also an inspiring philanthropist.  Her organisation, ZHANGOMUSIQ, supports over 70 projects across 36 countries, including schools in Afghanistan, disaster relief in South America, and environmental initiatives in Europe. In 2021, she received the Prix Jean Pierre-Bloch for her contributions to peace and universalism.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ EAIE 2024 Conference and Exhibition
→ En route to Toulouse and beyond: Élisabeth Moreno

In the modern day and age, especially technical developments continue to make it easier and easier to share knowledge across any type of border. However, sharing knowledge also has its dangers, as we’ve seen within the world of international higher education as well. Both institutions and organisations within the field are trying to figure out how to best approach this question of knowledge diplomacy: how to tackle these possible risks while still sharing knowledge with one another?  

In July 2024, the EAIE was part of a conference organised by the University of London Institute in Paris titled ‘Shaping the future: rethinking the role universities play in international relations.’ EAIE podcast host Laura Rumbley is joined by two experts who spoke at this conference: Tim Gore, Chief Executive Officer of the University of London Institute in Paris, and Sakine Weikert, Head of Section at the Centre for International Academic Collaborations (KIWi) at DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service. How do they define the term ‘knowledge diplomacy’?  What are some of the key issues or concerns that inject a level of urgency into the topic of knowledge development today? And is there anything on the horizon that we should be on the lookout for?

About Tim Gore
Tim Gore is the Chief Executive Officer of the University of London Institute in Paris. He has held senior leadership roles in career postings in France, the UK, India, Jordan, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong and has substantial experience in higher education in a global context, cultural relations, diplomacy and commercial enterprise. His main expertise is strategy applied within higher educational contexts as well as in the internationalisation of higher education and leadership. He has worked closely with a range of government organisations in the countries he has served and received the OBE for his work in India-UK bilateral relations while he was leading the British Council’s education work in India.

About Sakine Weikert
Sakine Weikert is Head of the Section Center for International Academic Collaborations (KIWi) at DAAD - German Academic Exchange Service. KIWi offers individual advice and networked expertise to German universities and research organisations in the field of international science cooperation and foreign academic policy. One focus topic is raising awareness on safety-relevant aspects, and the other one is knowledge diplomacy. Her regional expertise is in China: From 2018 – 2022, she has been Head of the DAAD office in Shanghai and a DAAD lecturer at the German Department of Fudan University Shanghai. She is trained as a scholar in Comparative Literature and Media Studies at Freie Universität Berlin and she has been a Visiting Researcher at The University of Chicago as well as at Princeton University.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ DAAD KIWi
→ University of London in Paris – Knowledge Diplomacy Project
→ Navigating new realities in international academic collaboration
→ Walking the line: the UK and China

Whether you are a student going on an exchange to a different country or getting involved in international learning in other ways, stepping out of your comfort zone for an intercultural experience can be both exciting and frightening. Will you find your place in this new community, and will others support you in finding a sense of belonging? In this episode of the EAIE podcast, we tackle the topic of student belonging with the help of two guests who have both professional and personal experience with this topic.  

Tang Heng, Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), has been involved in various research projects looking at how sociocultural contexts shape the values, motivations, and behaviours of learners/teachers. Jimena Alvarez is a third-year Political Science and Economics student at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). She moved from Peru to Ireland when she was 17 and has experienced the importance of belonging as an international student far from home. Tang and Jimena join host Laura Rumbley in looking at student belonging from both a research and a student perspective and sharing a few good practices and ideas on what deserves our attention when it comes to helping others find that place within their international community.

About Tang Heng
Tang Heng is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. By studying what happens when people and ideas circulate across borders, she highlights issues related to diversity and education through a comparative and international education lens. Her research on how Chinese international undergraduates experience U.S. college education compels her to advocate for rejecting the deficit perspectives of international students. She received the 2021 NAFSA Innovative Research in International Education Award and the Comparative and International Education Society’s Study Abroad and International Students SIG Early Career Award in 2019.

About Jimena Alvarez
Jimena Alvarez is a third-year Political Science and Economics student at Trinity College Dublin. Born and raised in Peru, Jimena moved to Ireland at the age of 17 to pursue higher education. As a Global Ambassador at her university, she assists international students in integrating into university life, addressing immigration questions, organising cultural events, and providing campus tours. In addition to this role, Jimena was a panellist at the Inclusion via Diversity, Equity & Anti-Racism Deep Dive Workshop, organised by the Council of International Schools (CIS) at The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) and is continuously contributing to the exploration of the international student experience.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Jenna Mittelmeier & Asuka Ichikawa: Research with international students
→ NAFSA student sharing about belongingness and inclusion
→ Council of International Schools: Inclusion via diversity, equity & anti-racism
→ Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education: how to improve the international student experience