“Being at the heart of the European Higher Education and Research Area”
As part of its efforts to promote its international influence, the University of Montpellier is participating in the 34th edition of the European Association for International Education (EAIE), which is taking place in Toulouse from September 17 to 20, 2024. This is a must-attend event, considered to be the major annual gathering in Europe for international exchanges in higher education. On this occasion, François Pierrot, Vice President in charge of international relations, talks to us about UM's international strategy.
What are the priorities of UM's international strategy?
As an experimental public institution with I-Site certification, the University of Montpellier plays a pivotal role for its partner institutions. For international activities, as for other academic activities, strategy is developed through consultation within the consortium.
During the pilot phase of the Muse project (2017-2022), we chose to build strong visibility in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia in order to establish our reputation as a scientific portal for countries in the Global South. This approach was consistent with two key factors that illustrate this openness to the Global South: a marked attractiveness to students from these regions and a very high rate of co-publication with scientists, as a result of the specific missions assigned to some of our partners, such as CIRAD andIRD.
Are partnerships within Europe also on the rise?
Since 2022, in light of ongoing developments in both Africa and Eastern Europe, cooperation within what can be described as the global West seems set to take on renewed strategic importance: Europe, of course, but also North America, Japan, Australia, etc. This does not mean neglecting the global South, as Montpellier will remain one of the French cities most focused on the African continent, but rather adding another area of interest.
How do these guidelines affect the University's various missions?
Internationalization already permeates various aspects of university life. Research has long been an activity where international collaboration is the norm, as evidenced by co-publications with foreign authors. Student mobility is very dynamic: approximately 15% of students at UM are foreign, and there are more than 1,000 supervised outgoing mobility programs per year.
Where do these students come from?
Exchanges are characterized by their asymmetrical nature, with incoming flows coming mainly (two-thirds) from the Global South and outgoing flows directed mainly to the West (90%). Doctoral training benefits greatly from foreign contributions, which account for more than 40% of doctoral researchers. It should also be noted that courses are taught in English. A prime example of this is the original model of the IDIL Master's programs: taught in English, interdisciplinary, and welcoming a very high percentage of foreign students.
Does the international dimension force us to think differently about tomorrow?
In the future, we will undoubtedly need to move towards a fully internationalized university, i.e., an institution where not only teaching and research are carried out in an international context, but where all the departments that support these activities are also imbued with interculturality, open to foreign languages, etc. Thus, as part of the 2023-2025 Contract of Objectives, Means, and Performance (COMP), training courses have been launched to help teachers and Professors wish to teach in English, and mobility stays abroad for all staff have been widely implemented.
What role does theCharm-EU alliance ofEuropean universities play in this strategy?
This exceptional partnership not only places us at the heart of the European higher education and research area, but also allows us to deploy a veritable "laboratory of innovative practices" where we can test, in real-life conditions, with students and Professors faculty members and Professors , what the internationalized university of tomorrow could look like.
What are the UM's other major partnerships?
The University of Montpellier, in agreement with its partners in the I-Site consortium, has defined a series of strategic partnerships by identifying, in a given country, the actors with whom there were already proven scientific exchanges, notably co-publications, and with whom it seemed reasonable to envisage student exchanges, sometimes unidirectional, sometimes bidirectional. Some of these university partnerships have been in place for a long time (Sherbrooke in Canada, UCAD in Senegal, Kasetsart in Thailand, Heidelberg in Germany, etc.), while others are just emerging (Arizona in the USA, São Paulo in Brazil, etc.).
The internationalization of education seems more necessary than ever in a context of advanced globalization. What are the challenges involved?
Welcoming foreign students is essential for their own benefit, of course, but also to create a rich and stimulating intercultural atmosphere for all students, wherever they come from, including Montpellier. Teaching in a foreign language, mainly English, also has this dual objective: to facilitate access to our courses for non-French-speaking students and to enrich the skills of French speakers. It is essential to prioritize the integration of international issues into the various training courses and the use of course materials from a variety of sources. Not to mention study abroad programs, which the international relations department and the international relations offices of all departments are actively developing thanks to funding from the Region, the State, Europe, and other sources.
Some key international figures at UM
- more than 7,000 international students, for a total of more than 51,000 students;
- 40% of doctoral researchers foreign nationals (from over 100 countries);
- co-publications with more than 160 countries;
- in the top 200 of the Shanghai ranking.