Full Program »

Internationalization at the State University of Maringa: achievements and challenges

Brazilian universities face challenges every year to follow the social, economic and cultural development of the XXI century and have been carried out its mission in a joint work. The future of higher education institutions are to consolidate the internationalization and the actions of researchers, teachers, students and technicians experienced abroad and achieving good results in the scientific, cultural and technical aspects. The appreciation of internationalization reached a plateau that drives the universities and their members to constantly look for opportunities to enhance knowledge and optimize results to make competitive their peers in national and international context, contributing to build global science. In addition, the relationships created between external communities and universities strengthen public and private efforts to monitor and to integrate the institutions and to seek for the contribution or return to the society and indeed, the quality of education is a persistent concern in discussions and even worldwide. There is already excellence in scientific research and the exchange of knowledge between researchers, scientists, although the interinstitutional relations need more support with regard to the study of international law, which is different from the Brazilian legislation and also, it lacks dynamic and less bureaucracy. The Double Degree is also possible and real, but once more it lacks increment, political will and legal support. Currently the greatest concern of the State University of Maringá (UEM) is to contribute and participate on equal terms with new projects, programs, new technologies, and these same conditions need more increments: political and intrinsic knowledge to individual and collective routines to the university communities. The State University of Maringa showed significant and essential results to the advance of internationalization, what drives to new projects for the coming years. In a period of less than five years, the UEM effectively ruled the international student mobility process providing to Brazilian and foreign undergraduate students, the experience abroad through Programs as Science without Borders, Ibero-american Mobility Scholarship Program, thanks to a partnership with Latin America institutions, MARCA Program, programs managed by PAEC-OEA-GCUB, and international teacher mobility provided by the UEM, the Group Coimbra Programs and Zicosur among others, and indeed Double Degree Programs in co-tutorship already approved in our institution, improvement of languages initially English, in projects implemented by the “Paraná fala inglês” Program, English without Borders and more recently, the French without Borders Program. In order to provide adequate care to foreign visitors it was established the position of the international monitor which is usually an undergraduate or graduate student who supports the first days of foreign student at UEM. As a result of new cooperation agreements there was a significant increase of actions that generated new mobility of students, teachers and researchers and foreign students’ orientation, conducting courses among partner institutions, publication of articles, books, new research and a greater external interest in our research and their respective peers. The insertion of the UEM on the international scenery was also significant, with membership to international organisms such as the Coimbra Group, Tordesillas Group, the Francophone University Agency, Latin American Council of Social Sciences, and FAUBAI, which contribute to the institutions in updating and participating in the process of internationalization of the universities. And also, the efforts to build the house of the foreign visitor at each public institution of Paraná State and the expansion of the financial assistance to provide the international mobility for undergraduates, graduate, university teachers and staff have been made as well. In recent years, thanks to the International Cooperation Office and the Internationalization Permanent Committee efforts, UEM have been receiving funds to progressively increase the quantity and quality of financial support. The Rectories during the past years indeed have always supported the ideas and ideals of internationalization at UEM. After seventeen years of the inclusion work of internationalization at UEM there is a bigger challenge: to consolidate the role of cooperation as an institutionalized office and be able to meet external demands of partners, guests, international visitors completely fulfilling the needs that arise. Therefore, it is necessary to share and constantly renew practices of internationalization, as a way to understand how we will be able to move forward in our international projects considering the economic framework, political and social of this decade.

Author(s):

Evanilde Benedito    
Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Brazil

Silvana Marques de Araújo    
Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Brazil

Katia Regina Machado    
Universidade Estadual de Maringá
Brazil