International students are part of AUAS
31 Jan 2023 12:30 | CommunicationThe Dutch House of Representatives today debates the recruitment of international students in higher education. The AUAS regards our current contingent of international staff, students and researchers as an integral part of the AUAS community.
Dutch students benefit a great deal from interacting with foreign students and from collaborating on practical issues in an international classroom setting. Moreover, by attracting international students, AUAS makes an active contribution to remedying labour market and industry shortages. We welcome international students because they enhance the quality of teaching and research by introducing alternative perspectives, thereby expanding our horizons.
We consider current international students, researchers and staff an integral part of our AUAS community. Dutch students benefit greatly from meeting students from abroad, and from cooperation on practical issues in an international classroom. Moreover, by attracting international students, the AUAS is actively contributing to solving labour market shortages generally and in the sectors struggling the most. We welcome international students because they contribute to the quality of education and research at AUAS by bringing in different perspectives, thus broadening our field of vision.
Another important point is that the current tasks facing society can no longer be resolved solely from a national perspective. The energy transition, the refugee crisis, pandemics and the climate transition all transcend national borders and need to be dealt with at an international level. We address these issues in collaboration with the countries, higher education institutions and partners around us. We prepare our students for work in an international context, at international organisations or at Dutch companies and organisations which often operate in an international setting. Studying in an international classroom setting is part and parcel of that. Our students are keen to spend a semester studying abroad, and foreign students are also welcome to come and study with us. We would like to keep it that way.
See also the statement of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) (Dutch)