Internationalisation and the student experience key to future research – Vice Principal
Published: 29 April 2013
Senior Vice-Principal Professor Andrea Nolan has spoken of the importance of diversifying the student population as a way of strengthening international research collaboration as well as enhancing the university’s educational environment.
Senior Vice-Principal Professor Andrea Nolan has spoken of the importance of diversifying the student population as a way of strengthening international research collaboration as well as enhancing the University’s educational environment. She was speaking at a Universitas 21 Open House event at the University of Glasgow for staff involved in student support that focused on international student integration. The session was hosted by Student Services. 
She told an audience drawn from universities across Europe and also from China that Glasgow was committed to continuing to helping young people to experience a multicultural, learning community. It was also important to help students travel abroad to study for short periods of time as part of the student experience.
Professor Nolan told the audience that, increasingly, research challenges involved very large international teams. She cited the University of Glasgow’s European Virtual Institute for Malaria Research which combines 42 of the European Union’s leading malaria research groups from 27 institutions and 11 nations together with four leading African Institutions and centres in India and Australia.
Professor Nolan said: “We have to have that sort of international reach to be able to deliver answers to some of the key research challenges we face. I believe that future success for universities lies in effective partnerships that can be bi-lateral or multilateral and through international networks.”
Christine Lowther, Director of Student Services, welcomed delegates and said: “The aim of the Open House event is to enable colleagues involved in supporting international students to discuss initiatives and experiences from each of our institutions so that we can identify and share best practice across U21.”
The Open House, which took place in the University Chapel and Fraser Building, included a lively World café discussion on Welcome, Induction and Orientation and workshops on topics covering how universities enable international student engagement with local students and the importance of wellbeing in international student integration.
First published: 29 April 2013
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