The meeting was an opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss the main actions of the Rectory and Units aimed at strengthening the international environment at the University.

Post category: Institutional
Published: 08/22/2024 – Source

by Erika Yamamoto | translation by Jonathas Carvalho

The thematic meeting of the University Council on internationalization was held on August 21st – Photo: Marcos Santos/USP Images

Internationalization has been part of USP since its creation, but what is happening now is a broader and more systematized process,” stated the Provost for International Cooperation, Sergio Proença, at the opening of the thematic meeting of the University Council, which took place on Wednesday, August 21st, and discussed the context of internationalization at the University.

In addition to the members of the University Council, representatives from International Relations Committees of various Units also participated in the meeting.

Proença emphasized that USP International Office’s primary mission is the consolidation of an international academic environment at USP, and to achieve this, the Agency operates on three main fronts: the qualification of agreements and strategic partnerships; the enhancement of USP’s international reputation; and internationalization at home, with initiatives such as USP Academy, which offers extension courses in English, French, and Spanish in a hybrid format.

Other notable initiatives included various language courses offered to the university community and the activities of the International Intercultural Center – a partnership with consulates from various countries, which are invited to maintain a space to promote their culture and conduct activities for the university community.

Proença also highlighted the creation of Multidisciplinary Centers, Innovation Centers, Special Research and Innovation Centers (Cepix), and International Research and Institutes Centers, established in recent years by the University, which represent significant opportunities for research cooperation within USP.

“Our future perspectives include consolidating an international environment on all the University’s campuses and ensuring that this internationalization reflects in curricular modernization and the quality of teaching and research,” concluded the Provost for International Cooperation.

Rector Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior expressed his “concern for Latin America and the desire to intensify actions in the region, increasing mobility and offering joint courses with major Latin American universities such as the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the University of Chile.”

Carlotti also emphasized the need to promote more regular activities in undergraduate and graduate courses that increase interaction with foreign researchers, for example, by inviting professors from partner universities to participate in classes.

The rector also advocated for the possibility of USP intensifying relations with African countries, especially Angola and Mozambique, which are natural partners for Brazilian universities.

The Provost for International Cooperation, Sergio Proença, presented the main management actions to strengthen the University’s internationalization – Photo: Marcos Santos/USP Images

Context of Internationalization at USP

In addition to USP International Office, the Provosts were also invited to speak about internationalization initiatives in their areas.

The Provost for Graduate Studies, Rodrigo Calado, emphasized that internationalization is a characteristic of USP’s graduate programs and plays a fundamental role in providing graduate students with exposure to research environments outside Brazil, enriching both their professional training and research projects, establishing a network of professional and scientific contacts, and attracting foreign students.

Calado detailed the main initiatives aimed at internationalization in graduate studies, especially the Print-USP Program by Capes, and reinforced the need to increase the number of courses regularly offered in foreign languages, which is essential for the education of our students.

Regarding undergraduate education, the Provost for Undergraduate Studies, Aluisio Segurado, highlighted that the training of professionals and citizens prepared to face the challenges of contemporary society requires a multicultural experience, as these challenges are global, not local. Segurado also spoke about student mobility, the main tool for internationalization in undergraduate education, which has been growing in recent years, and about double degree programs.

Another highlight of his presentation was the Undergraduate Student Agreement Program (PEC-G) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which offers foreign students free spots for a complete undergraduate education in Brazil. At USP, between 2016 and 2024, we had 150 foreign students pursuing undergraduate degrees in 25 University Units.

Next, it was the turn of the Provost for Research and Innovation, Paulo Nussenzveig, to present his main initiatives aimed at internationalization. One of the highlights is the creation of the Office for International Research Funding Support (Grants Office), which will provide support to researchers who intend to submit proposals for international funding. The Provost also spoke about the Office for Research Integrity and Protection (Oris), which will support the University’s engagement with society and interaction with other institutions, both national and international.

The Provost for Culture and University Extension, Marli Quadros Leite, highlighted the internationalization initiatives of the Provost’s Office, including the English@USP course, which consists of synchronous and asynchronous classes offered in partnership with the USP International Office to the entire USP community. The course has already had over 7,000 enrollments in its four modalities: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Marli also presented Viva USP, an online course offering Portuguese classes for foreigners.

Concluding the morning’s activities, the Provost for Inclusion and Belonging, Ana Lucia Duarte Lanna, spoke about the main internationalization initiatives of the Provost’s Office. In its two years of existence, the Provost’s Office has been striving to strengthen partnerships with universities that develop similar inclusion and diversity projects across four continents, to understand the impact of affirmative actions in different contexts.

Ana Lanna also mentioned two mobility calls conducted in partnership with the USP International Office – one exclusively for female graduate students and another aimed at undergraduate students from public schools – with the goal of increasing diversity and inclusion in mobility actions, offering equal opportunities to all students.

Rankings

Opening the second half of the meeting, the coordinator of the Office of Academic Performance Indicators Management (Egida), Fátima Nunes, spoke about university rankings, which, despite being controversial, exert significant influence on policies and the reputation of universities worldwide.

USP participates in 20 international and three national rankings. According to the coordinator, rankings can be divided into four types: commercial, regionally focused, academic, and those with specific interests. They adopt various criteria and indicators, depending on the characteristics of each. Therefore, Egida’s main objective is to monitor the indicators that directly relate to the University’s mission.

Internationalization is an aspect evaluated in all rankings, either through indicators directly linked to the topic – such as the number of foreign professors, foreign students, and international research networks – or through indicators influenced by it, such as academic reputation and citations per faculty.

Fátima also pointed out possible actions that could improve the evaluation of internationalization indicators in rankings, such as encouraging research and publications in collaboration with foreign partners, strengthening international scientific communication channels with pages and newsletters in other languages, and providing an English version of the USP Journal.

Best Practices

Concluding the meeting, some USP Units presented innovative actions developed in the field of internationalization. Ana Maria de Oliveira Nusdeo, from the Law School (FD), spoke about the International Triangular Higher Education Partnership Program (Pites), which allows undergraduate law students to obtain a license en droit degree issued by partner French universities, valid in Europe.

At the School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (EACH), Thiago Allis highlighted initiatives such as a mobility call with exclusive spots for inclusion and belonging students, and the V School Internationalization Seminar, which will be held in October and will focus on partnerships with African countries. Márcio Lobo Netto, from the Polytechnic School (Poli), explained how the double degree programs work, where students start their course at Poli, study for a few years at the partner foreign institution, and then return to Poli to complete their degree.

Professor Valeria Aoki from the Faculty of Medicine (FM) discussed the mobility policy for undergraduate medical students, both to select foreign students interested in visiting USP and to encourage FM students to visit partner foreign universities. José Belasque Junior made the final presentation of the day, emphasizing the partnerships of the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (Esalq) with international research institutions and the organization of a Summer School, which is now in its eighth edition and highly sought after by Chinese and South African students.

“My expectation is that everyone, upon returning to their Units, will make a list of possible actions presented here that could be replicated, promoting the opportunities we offer at USP,” concluded the rector at the end of the meeting.

Watch the full meeting below: