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Going boldly into global interaction!

The World 100 Reputation Network gathered members, new delegates and interesting speakers at its conference (‘To Boldly Go’) in Washington DC last week.  We were there to talk about global reputation, brand, rankings and internationalisation.  The fact that people came from the four corners of the earth to debate these issues (Australia, South Africa, China, Japan, Europe, US, Canada...) made the discussions rather different from the domestic conferences we all attend.

First the Dutch experience – Pauline van de Meer Mohr (President at Erasmus Rotterdam) led us through the fascinating discussions that Leiden, Erasmus Rotterdam and TU Delft have been having about the nature of their collaborations.  Central to this are the potentially conflicting issues of individual brand identity and having global impact by working together.

Stacie Spector, Coms Director extraordinaire, shared her experience as White House, UC San Diego and now Salk Institute communicator in the US.  The ‘bench to bedside’ journey of biomedical research is how she characterises Salk’s efforts to bring their research to the attention of policy-makers and the public.

And from Seoul, Jun Ki Kim, Vice-President at SNU demonstrated the detailed and complex work they do on co-citation analysis, partly to determine where they should pursue global research alliances.

Monash, Melbourne, Manchester, Tsinghua, Helsinki, Cornell and Hong Kong also led debate and discussion.   We were hosted by American University.

One thing I learned – the international agenda for higher education is getting more complex (but more interesting!) all the time.  World rankings, overseas campuses – they get the headlines, but the detail of what people in universities are doing every day in order to grow global activity is compelling and encouraging.

Hilary Layton

Director of Internationalisation

Guest Blog: Creative writing partnership with South Sudan

A group of students in York have been working with Juba University, South Sudan, since 2011 to put together a creative writing anthology - to be published this Easter - with contributions by students from both places.

The theme for the anthology is 'change' as this is a fundamental issue facing students in South Sudan following their country's declaration of independence, andat the same time a central day-to-day challenge for students at York.

The anthology includes a wide range of writing from both York and Juba students, including poetry and prose. It includes topics as varied as Juba students' experience of war, to traditional fables, the ups and downs of relationships and the dangers of drinking too much alcohol. York students have contributed pieces exploring themes from the philosophical to the ordinariness of home.

South Sudanese author Taban Lo Liyong (who is involved in the Juba Arabic production of Shakespeare's Cymbeline at the Globe in May, and a Professor of English at Juba University) has helped with the final stages of the anthology. We have also been working closely with another lecturer in Juba, Adam Cholong.

The launch for the anthology will take place at Pitcher and Piano in York on Thursday 14th June at 7.30. There will be a band and some readings from the entries by York students.

Anthea Gordon 

English & Related Literature Department

From an intern’s perspective

My name is Yumino Kira, a York Masters graduate. I have been working in the International Relations Office for a couple of months and have had a fascinating experience. All the staff in the International Relations Office were friendly and professional. I learnt that they have a very diverse role regarding international activities at the University of York, all of which enhances Internationalisation, one of the four strategic objectives in the University Plan.
There are range of role and activities in the International Relations Office including:

• Developing international teaching and research partnerships
• Establishing formal departmental agreements with strategic partner institutions
• Accessing funding to help international collaborations
• Working on range of international student mobility programmes, including Study Abroad
• Visiting priority countries as part of a delegation of York staff from a range of disciplines to exchange ideas and discuss sustainable collaboration
• Hosting overseas visitors on campus

While working on a research project in this office, I have contacted the university’s Worldwide University Network (WUN) as well as the Worldwide exchange and Erasmus partners. I was very much helped by the range of networks the University of York has - those partners contributed greatly to the research, which made me realise the importance of continuing partnerships and collaboration. There Study Abroad Office is increasing its partnership with worldwide universities through exchange and summer programme schemes - those universities who have an exchange scheme with the University of York also helped my insight into the research.
The International Relations Office had many visitors while I was here at the office and there were trips made to other worldwide universities. I was able to see how these trips contribute to the University of York’s new and continuing partnerships, which was a very interesting experience.

Yumino Kira

Lyse Doucet, BBC correspondent, receives honorary degree

Lyse Doucet, the acclaimed BBC presenter and correspondent, was awarded an honorary degree by the University of York on 21 January 2012.  Well-known for her in-depth reporting and strong insights in the Middle East and South Asian regions, she is also a Member of the International Council on Human Rights Policy. 

After receiving the honorary doctorate from York Chancellor, Greg Dyke, she spoke directly to graduating students about their own future and the setting aside of journalistic scepticism when faced with ‘the perfect day’.

[caption id="attachment_65" align="alignnone" width="214" caption="Lyse Doucet receiving her honorary degree from the University of York"][/caption]

Opportunity beckons with Global York

It has been a busy year for York’s Study Abroad Office. We have launched our Global York brand for the range of international opportunities open to York students, moved into our new headquarters in Derwent College, and have developed new agreements for student exchange with Rhodes University in South Africa, Seoul National University in South Korea, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of British Columbia.

With the New Year comes new opportunities - We have 10-month job opening in 2012 for an office administrator – follow the link below for the job details , and we’re moving the University’s Visiting Student programme into the Study Abroad Office.
https://jobs.york.ac.uk/wd/plsql/wd_portal.show_job?p_web_site_id=3885&p_web_page_id=141050&p_no_apply=Y&p_show=Y&p_seo=noindex
This week we interview for our highly competitive worldwide exchange schemes. Students from York have the chance to spend their second or third year at universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. A year abroad as part of your study can build self-confidence, widen your horizons and give you a global perspective. All of these things can make you highly employable after graduation.

We’re also planning next year’s Erasmus exchanges, where York students exchange with students from European universities for up to a year. And we’re thrilled that this year’s UK Erasmus Essay competition prize-winner was Ben Charig, who studied Maths and Physics in Erlangen. Read Ben’s winning entry - http://competition.lifelonglearningprogramme.org.uk/erasmus/

If you’re interested in what Global York has to offer York students, come and see us in Derwent College – our new office is just off the foyer.

Sarah Leach
Study Abroad Manager

Christmas on Campus: international student welfare guest blog

It only seems a short time ago when students were arriving for the new autumn term, and already the Christmas vacation is almost here.

While many students take advantage of the break to go and see family and friends, plenty of students stay on campus or in York. There are usually around 500 international students who don’t leave York for Christmas, so if you are one of them you are in good company.

As it’s a national holiday, the University does close in terms of shops and catering. If you are staying on campus in the holidays, please make sure you stock up on food. Supermarkets will close early, usually at 4:00 pm, on 24 December (Christmas Eve) and will stay closed on Christmas Day (25 December) and the day after Christmas (26 December). If you’re planning to eat in a restaurant on Christmas Day or the day after Christmas, please make sure you book in advance. Although many restaurants do provide Christmas meals, they will not usually be able to serve unexpected customers!

All departments on the University campus will be closed over the Christmas vacation, including the library. However, the University doesn’t close completely; you will still be able to use the PC rooms, porters will be available at most college receptions, and Security will be on site 24 hours a day. If you are on campus and an emergency occurs, you can call Security on 3333 (or 32 3333). The IT Service telephone helpline is always available every day of the year 24 hours a day, so if you need support you can call 3838.

On a more fun note, the ISA (International Students’ Association) is planning a trip to Birmingham for the Frankfurt Christmas market. This will take place on Wednesday 21 December. Please buy your tickets online at www.yusu.org/shop

Further social events from the ISA and GSA (Graduate Students’ Association) may be in the pipeline, although details have not yet been confirmed. Please check their websites for more information at:

http://www.yusu.org/campaigns-and-representation/isa

http://www.yorkgsa.org/site/events/calendar-of-events

It is also worth mentioning that although the GSA represents the University’s postgraduate population, undergraduates are always welcome to attend their social events.

A Christmas information leaflet is available for students staying over the vacation, with more detailed information than I can provide in this blog. Do look out for them. Paper copies are available from all college receptions as well as the Student Support Office, the library, the Information Centre, the Law and Management building, and a few other places besides. You can also download one from the Guides and Publications section on the International Support website at www.york.ac.uk/internationalsupport

Have a wonderful Christmas vacation! 

Louise Saunderson, International Student Support Co-ordinator