"Universities need to bring about real change at the institutional level"

Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Head of the European Higher Education Policy and Programs Unit of the European Commission, participated in the EUNICE Jean Monnet Workshop, which was also attended by representatives of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU).

The University of Cantabria (UC), a member of the EUNICE Alliance, hosted the Jean Monnet Workshop "Challenges and Opportunities for Students" in Santander (Spain) on Nov. 29, 2022, with Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Head of the European Higher Education Policy and Programs Unit at the European Commission, as keynote speaker. The 'European Universities' initiative "can only be successful if it succeeds in bringing about real change at the institutional level and in involving its staff* and students* in this great adventure," Debiais-Sainton said.

In the presence of students and EUNICE staff, the Head of Unit for Higher Education Policy spoke about the EU Commission's commitment to promoting the European higher education system through transnational alliances of European universities. EUNICE, the European University for Tailored Education, is one of 44 European higher education alliances currently in existence, comprising around 340 institutions - including BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg - from 31 European countries.

The conference with Debiais-Saintons was followed by a roundtable discussion about the opportunities the EUNICE alliance offers students*. Speakers* from three EUNICE universities spoke on various topics. Mouna Denden, representative of the EUNICE team at Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (France), presented the academic courses offered; Kerstin Maier from the EUNICE office at the University of Cantabria (Spain) spoke about the joint opportunities in terms of cultural activities, languages and global competences; and Cristina Satriano from the University of Catania (Italy) explained the opportunities EUNICE offers in terms of international internships as well as the link between the academic environment and companies.

The workshop was organized by EUNICE and the Jean Monnet Module in European Business, the University of Cantabria and with the support of the Cantabrian government.

EUNICE, the European University for Customized Education, born from the European Universities Initiative and funded by the European Commission, is building a solid network of interactions between educational institutions and other actors* to work on social and economic challenges. The Alliance is supported by ten universities: Poznań University of Technology (Poland), Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (Germany), University of Cantabria (Spain), University of Mons (Belgium), University of Catania (Italy), Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (France), University of Vaasa (Finland), Polytechnic Institute Viseu (Portugal), University of Peloponnese (Greece) and University of Karlstad (Sweden).

Contact

Susi Liesegang
HVP Forschung und wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs
Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Director for Higher Education at the European Commission, on the screen (Photo: Jean Monnet)