Learning from the ultimate mobility crisis

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Going abroad for a study exchange or mobility period is often described as a positive and life-changing experience. Yet, every coin has two sides. While many take this wonderful experience with them throughout their lives, there are also cases where disaster strikes and a mobility experience has an unexpected outcome. In this episode of the EAIE podcast, host Laura Rumbley talks to two international HE professionals who went through such an experience together and were willing to share their stories with others to learn from.

Tineke van der Gaast (Head of International Relations, Coordinator Internationalization, lecturer of Intercultural Competence & Dutch Culture at Rotterdam Business School) and Lourdes Zilberberg (Director International Office and Confucius Institute Director at FAAP - Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado) talk about the importance of trusting your international partners, learning from difficult experiences and what they did when forced to deal with the ultimate mobility crisis. Laura is also joined by Dr Amelia Dietrich, Senior Director for Research and Publications at The Forum on Education Abroad, who shares useful information on data collected for the Student Risk Report.

About Tineke van der Gaast

Tineke van der Gaast has worked at Rotterdam Business School, Rotterdam UAS, the Netherlands, since 1999. Currently, she manages international relations with universities around the world, coordinates exchange programmes for incoming & outgoing exchange students (academic part), and teaches Intercultural Competence (3-year course) in the International Business programme. During her studies in Hotel Management, she went to Indonesia for a year in 1992 and worked there for another two years. Coming from a small village in Fryslân (northern Netherlands), it was a huge culture shock and a steep learning curve in terms of intercultural and personal/professional development.

About Lourdes Zilberberg

Lourdes Zilberberg is Director International Office and Confucius Institute Director at FAAP - Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado. Originally from Montevideo, Uruguay, her international relations background brought her to São Paulo, Brazil, where she began working at Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) as the Director of the International Office and, more recently, as the Local Director of the Business Confucius Institute at FAAP. Lourdes has lived abroad for over 23 years and completed an MBA in Brazil in partnership with a university in the United States, a master’s degree in Portugal, and a PhD in Argentina. As a practitioner, professor, and researcher, she has dedicated her entire professional career to supporting and studying the Internationalization of Higher Education, Interculturality, and Intercultural Competence.

About Dr Amelia Dietrich

Dr Amelia Dietrich is the Senior Director for Research and Publications at The Forum on Education Abroad and Managing Editor of Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad. A former Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow, Amelia leads The Forum’s original research and publishing initiatives to highlight best practices, maximize the impact of education abroad for students, institutions and communities, and identify promising practices on the leading edge, including the State of the Field Survey, the Student Risk Report, and the Standards in Action book series. Amelia facilitates professional development workshops on the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad and lends her expertise to project-based consultancies and comprehensive reviews. She serves on the IIE Open Doors Study Abroad Working Group and the Advisory Board for the Center for Research on Abroad and International Student Engagement.