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The representative of the Montevideo Group hopes that the meeting on Regional Mobility for the Andean countries will be the origin of a pilot program for student mobility that will be underway in 2015, with the support of the five rectors' associations involved.
Julio Theiler, representative of the Montevideo Group, expressed his optimism that the debate among academic authorities of the continent would translate into international cooperation programs. Theiler asserted that "student mobility is an excellent means not only to improve cooperation and the quality of universities but also to enhance the education of university graduates, because it's not all about classrooms and books.".
-How did your participation in this Regional Mobility and Integration meeting come about?
It all stems from an initiative by CONSUAN (Andean University Council), which decided to explore the possibility of promoting a student and academic mobility program among its member institutions. I believe, quite rightly, they convened a working meeting, bringing together members of a network of universities with experience in this area, namely the Montevideo Group of Universities. Since this program (of the Montevideo Group) was established in 1999, meaning it's almost 15 years old, and I was one of its designers, I've been working systematically on this since then. Therefore, I want to contribute my technical expertise to help improve this particular project.
-What are the conclusions of the meeting?
These have been very interesting days, and it's clear from the experts present—people from different associations, CONSUAN, the European Union, German and French Cooperation, and ourselves, the Montevideo Group—that there's a very strong foundation for promoting this mobility. We must acknowledge that in Latin America it's still not very widespread; for example, Chilean students don't have many opportunities to spend an academic semester in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, or Colombia, and I believe this program can address that issue. We are convinced that student mobility is an excellent means not only to improve cooperation and the quality of universities but also to enhance the education of university graduates, because it's not all about classrooms and books. That hidden curriculum, which is so important for a university graduate's development, is greatly enriched by mobility.
-What is the main difficulty for mobility in our countries?
The lack of dialogue within our countries' higher education systems. I believe that's why we in Latin America still have several outstanding issues regarding student cooperation. It's great that they migrate to other regions, to Europe or the United States, but there's a tremendous amount of work and potential in our universities that isn't being utilized by our sister countries.
-What are your expectations regarding this first meeting?
That a pilot program for student mobility be launched in 2015, among the five associations of rectors involved, and that in the second semester of 2015 we have a group of approximately 100 mobilized students, taking courses and semesters at other universities.
-What is the contribution of the Montevideo Group to this task?
The Montevideo Group is headquartered in Uruguay, but it brings together 30 universities from six different countries, including Chile. Our experience is that we have facilitated the exchange of more than 4,000 students over the past 15 years. Since the program's inception, we have had great success because young people gain international experience very early in their lives. By the age of 20, they realize that the world is not limited to their city and university; they understand that diversity is a fundamental part of the world and their professional future.
Andean Mobility: Interviews with the protagonists of the meeting organized by CRUCH:
Interview with Elizabeth Colucci, European Association Universities, USA
Interview with Nicolás Patrici, Ulises project coordinator (OBREAL) and University of Barcelona
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