Student engagement
This issue of our newsletter has a student view. In an earlier issue we focused on student well-being inside and outside the classroom with articles on the challenges faced by international students in the classroom and on how the Copenhagen Student House works to bring local and international students together. This time, we zoom in on student engagement outside the classroom through interviews with two of our international students, Henry Lankes from Germany and Tom Yagel from Israel. Their positive energy, their commitment to get involved in activities in addition to their studies and their eagerness to make a difference – for themselves and for people around them – are inspiring
To me, Tom and Henry are each in their way powerful examples of a resourcefulness which is particular to some international students. We all know that international students spend extra energy to get to know and adjust to their new surroundings. It requires an effort and can mean that they have enough on their plate in addition to their studies. That is fair enough!
Then there are students like Tom and Henry who have a unique personal drive to get engaged beyond their studies and their new circle of friends. You sense that their engagement actually gives them more energy and deepen their experiences of living abroad and being part of the local or university community in a way that is very meaningful to them. We were curious to see what drives them and were inspired by their stories. Please read their stories in our articles It's all about engaging and Participating in student politics.
New UCPH prorector
Communities – be it at the university, a charity or the wider community - depend on people like Henry and Tom who are willing to engage in and contribute to them. ‘Community’ and ‘contribution’ are also two words or concepts that resonate with our new Prorector for Education, Professor Kristian Cedervall Lauta, who took up his new role on 15 June. He stresses the importance of having both staff and students take ownership of our academic programmes and of continuing working towards a unified university - a community, if you will, to which both staff and students contribute.
We look forward to working with our new prorector to ensure that our international partnerships and our international students at UCPH continue to contribute to making UCPH an institution with world-class educational programmes and that UCPH offers a community that our international students can get actively involved in and contribute to.
By Anne Bruun
Topics
Anne Bruun
Anne Bruun is Director International at UCPH
Photo by Kim Vadsk.