A world of opportunities? University partnership beyond the West

“A world of opportunities” is the title of a White Paper on international student mobility which the Norwegian parliament published in 2020. The ambition of the White Paper is to create a cultural change in Norwegian academia, whereby international student mobility becomes an integrated component of all study programs. Internationalisation is considered fundamental to secure the quality in Norwegian higher education. Reaching the sustainable development goal of an inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG 4) requires global partnerships (SDG 17). International mobility and cooperation among universities is a premise for this.

For most students and scholars in Norway international mobility in practice means an exchange to an Anglophone university in the West. But what about the rest?  

We have invited a panel to discuss the value of internationalisation of the academia beyond the West. What opportunities do partnerships with countries outside the West offer? Does internationalisation have anything to do with decolonization? What responsibility do Norwegian universities have to create a world of opportunities – for all?

Invited guests:

• Eric Awich Ochen, senior lecturer and deputy principal at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University in Uganda
• Sunniva Whittaker, rector at the University of Agder
• Solbjørg Sjøveian, assistant director/leader of the Section for Higher Education and Research in NORAD
• Hector Ulloa, president of SAIH (Norwegian students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund)