Internationalisation
at KU Leuven
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Table of contents
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Internationalisation at KU Leuven
3
Strategy for Internationalisation
4
New Governance Structure
6
The Leuven EDGE: Leuven’s Education and Research Gateway to Europe
8
Research for Development
10
Academic Diplomacy, Branding and Political Impact
12
Internationalisation@Home
14
Networking as a Strategy
15
Useful Weblinks
16
Exit
3
Internationalisation
at KU Leuven
We live in a knowledge-driven world. As a leading
European university, KU Leuven is dedicated to
strengthening its position in the global knowledge
community. The office of Vice Rector for International
Policy was added to the university’s executive team,
reflecting the increasing importance of internationalisation
in the university’s governance.
This brochure provides an overview of the many initiatives,
partnerships and milestone events that have taken place
in the area of international policy at KU Leuven.
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4
INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
Strategy for Internationalisation
KU Leuven is a comprehensive, research-driven university with
a strong international orientation. It is Belgium’s largest and
highest-ranked university and welcomes more than 40,000 students
(of which 18% are international), 2,263 senior and junior academic
staff and 4,586 PhD students and postdocs. In total, the university
employs nearly 10,000 people. Its network of research hospitals
– one of the largest of its kind in Europe – employs an additional
8,775 employees.
Founded in 1425, KU Leuven is one of the oldest universities
in Europe. Its 16 faculties and 30 research departments are
organised into three overarching ‘groups’: the Humanities and
Social Sciences Group; the Science, Engineering and Technology
Group; and the Biomedical Sciences Group. KU Leuven offers
high-quality education, top-level research facilities and cuttingedge innovation in a truly international environment.
The city of Leuven is centrally located in the heart of Europe,
25 kilometres east of Brussels. Brussels is simultaneously the
capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe and is home to countless
international headquarters. As such, KU Leuven is a hub for all kinds
of collaborative activities – academic, research-based, commercial,
industrial, diplomatic, cultural – involving a wide array of actors in
and around Brussels.
In the last decade, the total number of international students
enrolled at KU Leuven has more than doubled from 3,600
in 2001 to 7,400 in 2012. About 2,000 of these students are
degree-seekers. Students from the Netherlands comprise
the largest group of international students from within Europe
(+/- 1,500), while students from China comprise the largest group
from outside Europe (± 600). The university welcomes around
850 students annually within the framework of the European
Commission’s Erasmus student mobility programme, and
maintains more than 1,100 bilateral Erasmus contracts with
more than 400 universities across Europe. About 40% of all
PhD students and postdocs come from abroad. Each year,
university researchers carry out 11,000 missions abroad.
KU Leuven is keenly aware of the increasing need to develop
and implement an international strategy that will guide it through
the many challenges of a globalising world. While research has
internationalised in the last decennia, much remains to be done
to internationalise our university’s educational mission. What form
should our international educational offerings take? What kind
of students do we want to attract, and from where? How do we
best prepare our students for a globalised labour market?
What international networks best suit our strengths and goals?
These are some of the issues that are covered by the university’s
international policy. Currently, this policy takes the form of a
Strategic Plan for Internationalisation, which was approved by
the Academic Council and the Board of Governors in the spring
of 2010.
The Strategic Plan contains ten action lines:
1.
Achieving transversality and consistency, or, striking a good
balance between a top-down strategic plan and the many
bottom-up initiatives that emerge in a professor-run university;
2. Professionalising the International Office and its services,
including intensifying interaction with research groups,
departments, faculties and educational programmes;
3. Improving corporate identity and branding;
4. Intensifying mobility with an emphasis on increasing the
quality of incoming mobility and increasing both the quality
and quantity of outgoing mobility;
5. Increasing awareness of the benefits of interculturalism
and diversity;
6. Exploiting opportunities provided by structural international
networks;
7. Developing a number-based policy support methodology
that provides a meaningful system of key performance
indicators for internationalisation;
8. Internationalising service to society by broadening activities
in development cooperation;
9. Improving the university’s political impact with respect
to academic diplomacy, development cooperation
and foreign affairs;
10. Contributing to the integration of the KU Leuven
Association in its international dimension.
We will elaborate on:
n
The university’s international governance structure,
particularly the instruments and tools that have been
professionalised over the past several years to manage the
pressing challenges of globalisation and internationalisation.
Our International Office is a small but effective organisation
and has been a driving force behind hundreds of internationally
active research groups and educational programmes across
tens of departments and faculties at our large university.
n
The Leuven EDGE: Leuven’s Education and Research
Gateway to Europe. The EDGE is an umbrella strategy
encompassing the university’s cooperation initiatives and
is aimed toward attracting highly-qualified students and
researchers from across the globe. Many of the university’s
international partnerships – in Asia, North America, South
America, and Africa – develop their activities within the Leuven
EDGE framework.
n
The university’s programme in development cooperation.
Development cooperation is guided by the motto ‘Research for
Development’ and is dedicated to actualising the important role
a modern, research-driven university can play in society when
working in partnership with institutions in developing and
emerging countries.
5
400
n
The successful implementation of academic diplomacy,
a concept conceived of and elaborated by our International
Office that is gaining traction in the world of foreign affairs.
Academic diplomacy is complementary to economical or
political diplomacy and involves interaction with not only
academic partners but also with third parties, including
embassies, industry, NGO’s and international institutions.
n
Internationalisation@Home initiatives, taking into account that
18% (and counting) of our students come from abroad.
n
Networking as an essential instrument in an interconnected
world. The university is one of the founding members of the
League of European Research Universities (LERU), which is
headquartered in Leuven and plays an important role in shaping
and advocating for basic research in Europe. A strategic plan
has also been developed to professionalise our alumni
organisation, Alumni Lovanienses, on both a local and
international scale, leading to a doubling of the capacity
of the newly-created Alumni Office.
697
693
617
570
581
521
540
557
552
537
586
576
649
646
626
197
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2010-2011
2009-2010
2008-2009
2007-2008
0
2006-2007
0
2005-2006
100
2004-2005
1,000
2003-2004
200
296
300
503
400
2,000
2002-2003
574
500
440
6,002
5,543
5,317
4,953
4,509
600
134
3,000
3,602
4,000
4,191
5,000
5,109
6,000
7,405
700
7,278
7,000
6,702
800
739
Outgoing Erasmus students at KU Leuven
8,000
2001-2002
Number of international students
Total international students at KU Leuven
As Vice Rector of International Policy, I am very proud to report
that our university’s international policy – firmly rooted in a
centuries-old tradition of excellence in teaching and research –
is active, effective, and making progress. As you will see while
reading through this brochure, we have achieved a lot in a few
short years’ time.
The dedication and expertise of our hard-working staff is crucial.
I would like to acknowledge the work of all my colleagues, deans
and vice deans, department chairs, education programme officers,
professors, researchers, and administrative support staff from the
International Office and other administrative units of our university.
They contribute intensively to the ongoing implementation of this
strategic plan for internationalisation.
Prof. Dr. Bart De Moor
Vice Rector for International Policy
Leuven, February 2013
Museum M
Oude Markt, Leuven´s main square
Arenberg Castle, home of the Faculty of Engineering Science
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INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
New Governance Structure
n
The Development Cooperation Unit, which coordinates the
university’s extensive development cooperation programmes,
both in education and in research.
n
The Academic Diplomacy Unit, which coordinates interaction
with the diplomatic world. This unit is responsible for welcoming
visiting delegations, holding branding events for an international
audience, and organising university delegations’ activities
in official political and scientific missions abroad.
Each of the three unit heads reports to the Director of the
International Office, one of the university’s foremost administrators.
The Director reports to the Vice Rector for International Policy and
meets on a monthly basis with the heads of the other central
university administrative offices, including Student Affairs,
Educational Policy, Research Policy, Human Resources
and Communications.
Atrechtcollege, International Office
The Strategic Plan for Internationalisation was approved by the
university’s Academic Council and Board of Governors in 2010.
The first step in its implementation was the optimisation of the
internal structure of the International Office. New policy platforms
and operational commissions were established, including the
Strategic Council for International Policy and the Interfaculty
Initiative for Internationalisation (I3).
The International Office is one of the university’s central
administrative units. Its main responsibility is to facilitate
the implementation of the university’s Strategic Plan for
Internationalisation. Here, the International Office has a dual
mission: on the one hand, it monitors progress toward achieving
the objectives of the Strategic Plan; on the other, it drives the
instruments by which the university’s research groups, educational
programmes, departments and faculties participate in and
contribute to the internationalisation process. This includes
supporting efforts to intensify international collaboration,
mobility and exchange opportunities, and improve the quality
of the recruitment procedures with the objective to attract
talented international students and researchers.
To this end, the International Office was reorganised
into three units:
n
The International Cooperation and Programmes Unit,
which interacts with all entities of the university and faculties
and monitors the agenda of the various information and policy
platforms. This unit also manages all central, institutional
agreements and supports other international agreement levels.
Furthermore, it ensures university-level coordination of the
European educational programmes in which the university
is engaged, including the Erasmus Mundus programme.
Vice Rector for International Policy
Director International Office
International
Cooperation and
Programmes Unit
Development
Cooperation
Unit
Academic
Diplomacy
Unit
Between 2009 and 2013, the International Office spearheaded more
than 100 university policy initiatives approved by the Executive
Board, the Academic Council and the Board of Governors.
In 2012, the International Admissions and Mobility Unit, which
had been a fourth unit within the International Office before
the reorganisation and remains responsible for coordinating
international student admissions, was relocated to the Student
Administration Office.
Finally, in 2010, the special operational Commission for Risk
Assessment of Destinations, chaired by the Vice Rector for
International Policy, was created. This committee proactively
monitors university researchers’ scientific missions abroad
(more than 10,000 missions per year) and outgoing student
mobility (several hundred students) on a weekly basis.
Specifically, the commission assesses the safety risks related
to outgoing students’ and researchers’ destinations abroad
and has the power to intervene when risks are too high.
It also acts as a crisis coordination committee in the event
of emergencies abroad.
7
International Policy Council
Members of the International Office team
The university’s international policy is not set in stone. Expert advice
regarding international policy is provided by a new strategic advisory
body, the International Policy Council (IPC). This council has
36 expert members, and its membership is representative of the
university’s overall organisational make-up. It is chaired by the Vice
Rector for International Policy. The IPC is a standing body and
provides university policymakers with long-term policy advice on
international issues. This body guarantees that internationalisation
is transversally embedded in the university’s governance structure
and monitors the progress made in the implementation of the
strategic plan for internationalisation. The IPC has been hard
at work since 2010 and has generated many advisory reports
since its creation.
A Curriculum Task Force was also installed to further articulate
a multi-year programme aimed at stimulating best practices
regarding internationalisation in our educational curricula.
This Task Force is chaired by a student representative.
While the International Policy Council concentrates mainly on
long-term strategic issues, two bodies were created in 2010
to serve as an operational link between the Vice Rector and
the International Office on the one hand, and the faculties,
departments, educational programmes and research groups
on the other hand.
The Interfaculty Initiative for Internationalisation (I3) brings
together all academic staff members responsible for faculty-level
international policy. As of 2010, each faculty has appointed a
professor responsible for faculty-level internationalisation processes.
I3 meets every two months with the Vice Rector for International
Policy to discuss strategic faculty-level programmes with an
internationalisation component. I3 also addresses issues and
opportunities related to the coordination and implementation
of internationalisation initiatives.
The Commission of International Liaison Officers brings
together the administrative staff members responsible for
the implementation of international policy at the faculty level.
Atrechtcollege, International Office
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INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
The Leuven EDGE: Leuven’s Education
and Research Gateway to Europe
Teaching at any research-intensive university takes place in an
environment of competitive international research. The incoming
and outgoing mobility of students and researchers is
a quintessential component of this and, subsequently,
optimising mobility is a strategic priority for our university:
n
We have updated our policy on incoming mobility with an
increased emphasis on improving the process of international
talent screening. Concretely, this results in a preferred
partnership strategy. The KU Leuven partners up with a limited
number of exceptional universities abroad on the basis of
reciprocity, both financially and in terms of the number
of students participating in the exchange.
n
As for outgoing mobility, we concentrate on preferred
institutional partners, both in developed and developing
countries. In doing so, we monitor the quality of the destination
for our students. The Erasmus Task Force monitors the
university’s hundreds of Erasmus agreements and shares best
practices among the Erasmus coordinators. Quantity is also
a priority. We seek to expand ‘classical’ opportunities such as
those offered under the Erasmus Mundus programme and
those offered in cooperation with our partners in developing
countries. We also seek to expand new types of mobility,
such as structured mobility, which is elaborated upon further on.
In 2011, we launched the Leuven EDGE: Leuven as an
Educational and Research Gateway to Europe. Initiatives with
several new priority partners were launched during the first phase
of implementation.
In China, new institutional agreements were established with
five partners in 2012: Tsinghua University, Peking University,
Fudan University, East China Normal University and Shanghai
Jiao Tong University. These agreements feature a wide variety of
initiatives for the promotion of joint research activities and student
and staff mobility, incentivised by a joint funding structure.
In the United States, the KU Leuven solidified its long history of
successful partnership with the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. Historically, this partnership was most active within
the faculties of Arts, Law, Economics and Business, and Social
Sciences. Current efforts have focused on intensifying and
expanding this cooperation to the faculties of Engineering and
Bioengineering. The development of specific, tailor-made,
short-term educational programmes, including summer schools,
is an additional partnership priority. Two-way student mobility is
a central component of these programmes. A framework for joint
and double degrees has also been created. Research collaboration
will be stimulated through a joint research fund.
Representatives of four Chinese partner universities attended the ‘Signing Ceremony’
at KU Leuven. From left to right: Prof. Li Yansong (Vice President of Peking University),
Prof. Mark Waer (Rector of KU Leuven), Prof. Zhang Jie (President of Shanghai
Jiaotong University), Prof. Tong Shijun (Chairman of the University Council
of East China Normal University) and Prof. Bart De Moor (Vice Rector of KU Leuven)
Visit to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, November 2012. From left to right:
Prof. Gray Swicegood, Vice Rector Bart De Moor, Prof. Schuyler Korban, Director of
International Programmes, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES),
Tim Barnes, Director, Illinois Strategic International Partnerships (ISIP) & Prof. Kuan Chong Ting,
Head, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
9
A Latin America Fund has been established to support mobility
of researchers to and from selected partners in Latin America with
the goal of intensifying cooperation activities in a wide range of
research areas.
The Leuven EDGE also features a system of country-specific
expert working groups (Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India and
Vietnam). Their main assignment is to identify opportunities for
scientific collaboration, support the exchange of student and staff,
and identify potential (institutional) partners and funding channels.
Closer to home, we also invest in scientific collaborations with
universities in neighbouring countries. A long-standing tradition of
joint doctoral degrees and (quite successful) joint European project
applications exists between our university and Radboud University
Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Negotiations with a number of other
universities in the Netherlands are ongoing and may result in EDGE
partnerships in 2013. Similar initiatives exist with PRES Lille
(France) and the Universität Köln (Germany).
We are also actively pursuing opportunities arising from new forms
of mobility, such as structured mobility. This involves a limited
number of partners (faculties, departments, programmes) in
a strategic partnership consortium offering students a fully
synchronised, ‘rotational’ curriculum. Students rotate from one
partner university to the next in completing their educational
trajectories. This type of collaboration plays on the strengths of
each of the partners and offers students an optimised international
education. The structured mobility concept has been articulated
in a League of European Research Universities (LERU) position
paper and has been brought to the attention of the European
Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture.
Together with a select group of partners, the International Office is
hard at work coordinating the first structured mobility pilot project.
Finally, we have established a structured summer school system
with a diversified offering of summer courses drawn from across
the university’s faculties, departments, education programmes
and research groups. These include expert training sessions and
corporate university modules. The summer schools constitute
the university’s entry into the market segment of short-term
educational programmes, with an eye towards increasing visibility
of the university’s academic offerings and facilitating the recruitment
and training of talented international students and researchers.
Visit of the President of the Université de Paris-Sud, one of the LERU members
in September 2012
Signing of agreement between Tsinghua University’s Institute of Microelectronics
and KU Leuven’s Faculty of Engineering Science. Prof. Cai Jian, Deputy Director,
Institute of Microelectronics, Prof. Mark Waer, Rector of KU Leuven, Prof. Yuan Si (seated),
Vice President and Provost, Prof. Bart De Moor, Vice Rector of KU Leuven (seated).
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INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
Researchers take water samples in El Cajas
National Park, Ecuador, where a team of KU Leuven
researchers is working with Universidad de Cuenca
to provide potable drinking water for Cuenca City.
Inter-university cooperation project with University of Bukavu,
in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prof. Roel Merckx on site in Burundi as part of the CIALCA project
for improving agriculture-based livelihoods in Central Africa.
Research for Development
Development cooperation is another key focus of our university’s
international policy. The maxim ‘Research for Development’
reflects the university’s commitment to development cooperation
as a driver for North-South partnership. Development cooperation
refers to the exchange of people and scientific and technological
expertise between the university and its partners in the Global
South. Development cooperation is embedded in education,
research and service to society and, as such, it is an integral part
of the university’s mission. In the last several years, three goals were
prioritised: raising university-wide awareness and encouraging
participation in development cooperation efforts; expanding
and diversifying funding opportunities; and professionalising
the internal follow-up process.
By funding various research, teaching and capacity-building projects
and numerous scholarships in the Global South, the university
strives to support sustainable individual and institutional capacitybuilding. Funding for these projects comes from both (Flemish)
interuniversity and university sources.
The Flemish Interuniversity Council for Development Cooperation
(VLIR-UOS) is one of the university’s key development cooperation
partners. It has a turnover of about €34 million per year.
Its long-term, five-to-ten year institutional collaborative projects
are not only unique internationally but are also very successful
in establishing sustainable interactions and results.
The university also has its own Interfaculty Council for
Development Cooperation (IRO), which runs a successful
scholarships programme for talented young researchers
from developing countries with a budget of about €1.5 million
per year.
Since 2001, the programme has funded 145 doctoral students
who have successfully conducted development-relevant research
with a direct benefit to their home countries. Many IRO alumni go
on to key positions in their home countries after completing their
studies at our university.
The Strategic Plan for Internationalisation also calls for a
widening and deepening of research and teaching activities
in development cooperation. This aims to reclaim missed
opportunities for deploying research results in developing
countries, expand the profile of development cooperation into new
disciplines such as law and information technology, and acknowledge
the growing interest among students and staff in engaging institutions
and colleagues in developing countries.
A summary of the conclusions of the ad hoc Commission for
Development Cooperation points the way for development
cooperation in the short term. The university should:
n
Exploit the many opportunities arising from the fact that ours
is a comprehensive university, and that interdisciplinarity
can be deployed in even more successful university-based
development cooperation programmes;
n
Tap into the scientific expertise of the research groups
via development cooperation initiatives;
n
Invest in better internal communication channels;
n
Exploit all possible funding sources, an exhaustive list of
which has been made accessible to all our researchers.
11
Number of running projects in University Development Cooperation
MOROCCO: 1
BANGLADESH: 2
CUBA: 8
COLOMBIA: 3
INDIA: 2
SURINAME: 4
UGANDA: 3
CAMEROON: 1
ECUADOR: 11
PERU: 7
TOGO: 2
PHILIPPINES: 2
KENYA: 3
D.R. CONGO: 12
BOLIVIA: 3
ETHIOPIA: 12
VIETNAM: 5
BURUNDI: 4
TANZANIA: 3
ZIMBABWE: 1
RWANDA: 2
MADAGASCAR: 1
SOUTH AFRICA: 5
In order to implement these recommendations, the International
Office, together with the Leuven University Fund, has created
a number of endowed chairs for development cooperation,
and three special funds: the Leymah Gbowee Scholarship Fund
(bachelor- and master-level grants for young African women),
the Roger Dillemans Fund (advanced master-level grants for
outstanding students) and the Marc Vervenne Fund (‘sandwich’
PhD scholarships).
Liberian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee inaugurates a new
scholarship fund in her name for young African women, February 2013.
Prof. Stefaan Dondyne and Karen Van Campenhout
in Arba Minch to launch the TEAM project
‘Seppe Deckers’, September 2012
Formulation mission at Nelson Mandela African Institute
of Science & Technology in September 2012 by coordinator
Prof. Luc Brendonck
Formulation mission in Peru with
Prof. Dr. Miet Maertens in 2009
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INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
Academic Diplomacy, Branding,
and Political Impact
In 2011, KU Leuven and three ministers of the Flemish government
– Kris Peeters, Ingrid Lieten and Pascal Smet – signed a Protocol
on Academic Diplomacy with the goal of increasing the interaction
between academia and foreign affairs officials, particularly with
reference to diplomatic events and foreign missions. In Flanders in
general, there is huge potential for knowledge creation, technology
transfer and internationally competitive higher education. The Leuven
region – one of Europe’s most tech-intensive knowledge centres –
is particularly well positioned to unlock this potential.
The Academic Diplomacy unit within the International Office
was created to translate these objectives into concrete efforts,
particularly by means of cultivating relationships in the area of
foreign affairs and building an international brand. One way to
bolster the university’s visibility abroad is to participate in outgoing
delegations. On the one hand, the university organises its own
missions and welcomes international delegations on a near-weekly
basis. On the other hand, it increasingly participates in ministerial
and royal economic missions deployed by the Federal and
Community governments. An academic diplomacy dossier is
included for such missions whenever relevant and appropriate.
Within the framework of Academic Diplomacy, we also launched
the successful Ambassador’s Lectures Series. An ambassador
based in Brussels is invited to Leuven to speak on a topic of
mutual importance to our guest and the respective faculty hosting
that particular lecture. Examples include the French ambassador
speaking on nuclear energy; the South African ambassador on
sports and diversity; the Turkish ambassador on the geopolitical
situation of Turkey; the Irish ambassador on Ireland’s Nobel
Prize-winning authors; the German ambassador on R&D in
Germany, and so on. In this way, the university adds distinguished
and influential voices to the university discourse and ambassadors
have the opportunity to discuss issues of importance on a highlevel, nationally visible forum. In the meantime, the lecture series
cultivates lasting contact between the university and diplomatic
missions in Brussels.
The Vice Rector for International Policy also meets on a recurrent
basis with other internationalisation stakeholders in Leuven,
including the city authorities, other large research institutions such
as imec, and industry organisations and networks such as VOKA
(the Leuven Chamber of Commerce) and L.Inc. Major joint initiatives
are geared toward attracting excellent international researchers
by promoting Leuven as a highly liveable, cosmopolitan, familyfriendly and truly special region in the heart of Europe. One such
initiative, the International School of Leuven – an international,
English-language primary school for the children of international
researchers and expats in Leuven – will open its doors in
September 2013.
Finally, considerable efforts have been devoted to increasing
the political impact of the university’s international policy.
The university has played a leading role in the creation of the
Flemish Committee for Internationalisation and Development
Cooperation, which brings together policymakers dealing with
internationalisation from all institutions of higher education in
Flanders. The committee meets several times a year to coordinate
joint actions for international branding of the Flemish higher
education and research landscape.
Flemish university rectors visit Vietnamese universities in 2011.
H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping, current President of the People´s Republic of China,
visits KU Leuven in 2009.
13
Ambassador´s Lecture Series:
H.E. Andre Amado, Ambassador of Brazil,
speaks on biodiversity and sustainable growth.
H.E. Zhang Yuanyuan, Ambassador of the People´s Republic
of China, arrives in Leuven.
2012 was Germany Year at KU Leuven. Above, Rector
Waer, Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters, German
ambassador H.E. Dr. Eckart Cuntz and Leuven Mayor
Louis Tobback attend an 'Historiker Dialog'.
Ambassador´s Lecture Series: H.E. Tom Hanney, Ambassador
of Ireland, speaks on culture and identity.
H.E. Liu Yandong, Vice Premier of the People´s
Republic of China, visits KU Leuven in April 2012.
Ambassador´s Lecture Series: H.E. Henne Schuwer, Ambassador
of The Netherlands, speaks on higher education in Flanders and
the Netherlands.
2013 is France Year at KU Leuven. Attendance and
spirits were high at the opening event.
Ambassador´s Lecture Series: H.E. Howard Gutman, Ambassador
of The United States of America, speaks on the United States'
relations with Belgium.
Signing of the protocol on Academic Diplomacy.
From left to right: Vice Rector Bart De Moor,
Rector Paul Van Cauwenberghe (Ghent University),
Rector Paul De Knop (Vrije Universiteit Brussel),
Flemish Minister for Innovation Ingrid Lieten,
Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters and
Flemish Minister of Education Pascal Smet.
H.E. Herman Van Rompuy, President of
the European Council and KU Leuven alumnus,
receives a honorary doctoral degree during the first
Leuven International Forum on June 1, 2012.
KU Leuven on mission in Japan with Flemish
Minister of Research and Innovation Ms. I. Lieten,
pictured below, visiting the Japanese Society
for the Promotion of Science.
H.E. Prince Hassan of Jordan was in Leuven
to speak on the impact of the Arab Spring.
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14
INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
Internationalisation@Home
Another key action in the Strategic Plan for Internationalisation
is the ‘Internationalisation@Home’ initiative. Its objective is to
increase the awareness of the university’s international dimension
among the student population and the wider university community.
The KU Leuven offers 75 English-language degree programmes
at the bachelor, master and advanced master levels, and more
than 2,000 courses are taught in English. It is an attractive choice
for many international students due to both the wide variety of
English-language course offerings and the university’s central
geographical location in the heart of Europe.
The International Office facilitates the recruitment of international
students through structural participation in international
recruitment fairs. The focus is on attracting talented master’s
and doctoral students.
The International Admissions and Mobility Unit is situated
within the Education and Learning Directorate and provides
day-to-day support to international students and scholars from all
over the world. Services include pre-arrival administrative support,
orientation events and programmes, and general advice on living
abroad. Upon arrival, international students and researchers are
invited to participate in the VESTA welcome programme, at the
heart of which are the ‘Orientation Days’ for international students.
On average, more than 1,000 newcomers participate in Orientation
Days each year. Special welcoming and information sessions are
held for newly-arrived doctoral students and researchers every
two months. VESTA also coordinates a ‘buddy programme’,
which pairs international students with a Belgian peer mentor.
At present, there are more than 800 ‘buddies’ participating
in the programme.
A second major objective of the Internationalisation@Home
initiative is to help local and international students develop their
intercultural and international competencies. In this respect,
both the internationalisation of the curriculum and international
students’ participation in extra-curricular activities are incentivised.
One of the main objectives is to improve international students’
immersion in student life. The buddy programme is just one
example. Several student associations have launched initiatives
to stimulate international students’ participation in the ‘traditional’
Flemish student culture. To tackle these issues in a more
systematic, multi-year way, the International Policy Council and
the International Office set up the Curriculum Internationalisation
Task Force in 2013. The task force is chaired by a student.
Chinese students discover Belgian fries
during Orientation Days.
KU Leuven’s student mosque
Welcome desk for international students
at the Leuven train station
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15
Networking as a Strategy
LERU Rector´s Assembly, Barcelona 2012
For the past ten years, the university has played a leading role
in the development and evolution of the KU Leuven Association,
a network consisting of the university and 11 university colleges
across Flanders. The network is a widespread education and
research area offering opportunities to students and staff members
and for regional development. Together, the Association partners
account for 95,000 students representing 43% of the Flemish
student population in higher education spread across
23 cities in Flanders. The Executive Board of the KU Leuven
Association is supported by several advisory boards, one of which
is the Advisory Board for Internationalisation, chaired by the
Vice Rector for International Policy of the KU Leuven. The board’s
main tasks include sharing best practices among the members
of the Association, organising joint activities within the Association
such as information sessions for students travelling abroad in
the context of development cooperation.
KU Leuven is a founding member of the League of European
Research Universities (LERU), which was established in 2002
by 12 European universities, including the universities of Oxford,
Cambridge, Leiden and Leuven, to advocate for the advancement
of university research in Europe. LERU is headquartered in Leuven
and lobbies actively in Brussels. KU Leuven was also involved
in the establishment of the Coimbra Group, an association of
well-established, comprehensive European universities of high
international reputation.
The university’s widespread alumni network is a network of
increasing importance. Its president is Frans van Daele, one of
Belgium´s top diplomats. The university responsible Is Vice Rector
Bart De Moor. The university has more than 23,000 duespaying
alumni. In the past, alumni were organised into so-called ‘faculty
chapters’ and their membership was degree-specific.
In 2012, a new strategic plan was launched – Alumni 2.0 – by which
the university, together with its umbrella alumni organisation
Alumni Lovanienses, will supplement the faculty chapters with
so-called ‘horizontal’ chapters, including regional chapters
in Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Antwerp and Hasselt in Flanders,
international chapters in New York, Shanghai, Beijing and other
world cities, and institutional chapters, such as EU-Alumni
Lovanienses, a chapter for alumni working at European institutions
in Brussels. This chapter was inaugurated two years ago by
KU Leuven alumnus and the first permanent President of the
European Council Herman Van Rompuy. A new, professionalised
Alumni Office was created in 2013. Its staff will be doubled from
3 to 6 and will be headed by an Alumni Office coordinator.
Top diplomat Frans Van Daele and Vice Rector Bart De Moor, both responsible
for the alumni networks of the KU Leuven in Belgium and worldwide
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16
INTERNATIONALISATION AT KU LEUVEN
Useful Weblinks
Introduction
Academic diplomacy,
branding and political impact
n
www.kuleuven.be
n
www.kuleuven.be/english
n
www.kuleuven.be/english/ambassador_lectures/
n
www.kuleuven.be/international
n
www.kuleuven.be/duitslandjaar/en/
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/beleid
n
www.kuleuven.be/frankrijkjaar/
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/beleid/beleidsnota
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/beleid/raden
n
www.kuleuven.be/ontwikkelingssamenwerking/
n
https://admin.kuleuven.be/raden/intranet/
arbitragecommissie-uitgaande-mobiliteit
n
www.flamenco-vzw.be/
n
www.flanderssmarthub.be/communicatie/nieuws/
flanders-knowledge-area/
n
www.studyinflanders.be/
n
http://onderwijsaanbod.kuleuven.be/2012/opleidingen/e/
n
www.kuleuven.be/about/figures
Instruments and tools
Internationalisation@Home
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/index
n
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/beleid/raden
www.kuleuven.be/welcome/
Networking
The Leuven EDGE
n
http://associatie.kuleuven.be/
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/studenten/
studereninhetbuitenland/
n
www.leru.org
n
www.coimbra-group.be/
n
www.kuleuven.be/english/education/summer-schools
n
www.kuleuven.be/internationaal/landenbeleid/index
Development cooperation
n
www.kuleuven.be/mecenaat/
n
www.kuleuven.be/ontwikkelingssamenwerking/
Global summit of university presidents at Tsinghua University, China 2011
17
“I cherish my student years
at KU Leuven. They helped
to pave the way to my
political career”
Herman Van Rompuy,
First permanent President of the European Council
Table of contents
v.u.: Martine Torfs, Atrechtcollege, Naamsestraat 63, bus 5001, 3000 Leuven
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Atrechtcollege
Naamsestraat 63 box 5001
3000 LEUVEN, Belgium
Phone: + 32 16 32 43 13
International.Office@kuleuven.be