Coming Together to Further Internationalization
Staff from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Freie Universität Berlin met in Berlin for a week of sharing expertise and experiences
Jun 03, 2022
Freie Universität Berlin and the Hebrew University have had a strategic partnership since 2011. Employees from both institutions met in Berlin for a Joint Staff Week to discuss successful internationalization.
Image Credit: Benjamin Maltry
Employees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Freie Universität Berlin had a full schedule with different workshops and excursions held over the course of a “Joint Staff Week.” The goal of the event was to learn from each other on how best to approach internationalization as a university. Seven visitors from Israel traveled to Berlin to attend the event and six employees from different departments and divisions at Freie Universität Berlin participated, while many more administrative employees contributed to its content and activities.
The program was developed by Nicholas Hübner, director of the Center for Continuing Education at Freie Universität Berlin with support from Stefanie Ritter, coordinator for academic relations at Freie Universität’s Division of International Affairs, and Jane Turner, head of the International Office at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Despite coming from different backgrounds, the challenges faced at both universities are very similar when it comes to international students,” says Ritter. These include language barriers and varying expectations in terms of service for international students or the quality of studying and teaching.
Boosting Internationalization with Master’s Programs in English
The workshops and presentations handled topics like diversity, the admissions process, counseling and assisting students from abroad, and the mindset of employees at both universities. They spent one morning talking about each university’s experiences with master’s programs in English and what training instructors should receive to further internationalize the range of courses on offer.
Diversity, the admissions process, and counseling and assisting students from abroad were all topics discussed throughout the Joint Staff Week.
Image Credit: Benjamin Maltry
“We came to the conclusion that we’ve already made major progress in this area and that many positive changes are possible,” says Dr. Jana Petri. She is the representative for internationalization in the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy at Freie Universität Berlin and also took part in the Staff Week. “But it also became clear to us that there’s still plenty to do and that we have to consistently work on internationalization for it to become a key feature of our universities.”
Chaya Fischer and Ruth Tobias, directors of the Language Centers in Jerusalem and Berlin respectively, talked with the participants about the role language and culture play in international experiences as part of a workshop. The participants got to know each other and continued their discussions from the workshops on excursions to key sites of Jewish history around Berlin, the Einstein Summerhouse in Brandenburg, and the Botanic Garden in Dahlem.
Campus tours and excursions gave participants the chance to continue conversations outside of the workshop setting.
Image Credit: Bernd Wannenmacher
“The opportunity to take time out of our busy schedules and to spend quality time together, discussing and comparing university systems, policies and operations, exchanging best practices on hosting international students and researchers was professionally fascinating and enriching,” says Jane Turner. “The HUJI group are very appreciative for the wonderful Freie Universität Berlin hospitality and professional enrichment opportunity.”
Joint Training Weeks Are Highly Productive
The participants previously met for one of the first training weeks in March 2020 at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to discuss the expansion of services for international students. “You don’t just participate in a conference; you come face-to-face with the conditions and difficulties of another university – and all this in a different country, in another language, and with many people who you soon get to know and learn from,” says Nicholas Hübner. Because this type of framework is highly productive, the Center for Continuing Education and the Division of International Affairs want to offer more events in this format in the future.
Hübner stresses that good preparation is essential: “We compiled our common goals beforehand as part of working groups at both universities and aligned them within a workshop.” The existing partnership between Freie Universität Berlin and the Hebrew University proved remarkably useful in this respect. Thanks to the two institutions’ close partnership, over 100 researchers in Jerusalem and Berlin have been working together in various disciplines and formats, ranging from individual projects to major research associations. Sharing experiences among administrative employees is a further aspect of this partnership.
This article originally appeared in German on May 25, 2022, in campus.leben, the online magazine of Freie Universität Berlin.