Reflections, challenges, and achievements in 2020, the year that changed everything.
Viviane Martins Mäder – Coordinator for International Strategic Projects, PUCPR International
On the date March 19, PUCPR has determined that all face-to-face activities need to be resumed remotely. A “new normal” has been placed in, and what we thought there would be something temporary has consumed twelve months of our lives. This so-called new normal (and here, I like to highlight a certain discontent when hearing this term), has taught us some lessons, brought opportunities, shown weaknesses, and even threats to our internationalization.
However, these past twelve months have shown us how crucial human interactions are. The discomfort of social distancing has provided us some comfort during the home office, but it has shined a light on the value of the presence that our daily life on our beloved Campus offers. Nowadays, we no longer have our lunch breaks with our friends and coworkers, we now find ourselves content during countless online meetings, when the computer´s cameras are wide open sharing smiles telling you: we´re in this together!
As I reflect on these past nine, twelve months to be more precise, I admit that we have waged a silent war with 2020 (despite the unloading endless News on the US elections, the race of pharmaceutical laboratories for the most effective vaccine, disregard of the everlasting flames in the Pantanal, and not to mention, the total disregard of the Executive Brazilian power despite the pandemic). Now, in December, the curfew imposed by many local authorities has never been more precise, and the withdrawal from ordinary daily activities for humanity has never been more crucial. There has been an invisible threat to our transnational borders and the message was clear “no one enters, and no one leaves,” international relations played a major role in this chaos of an unprecedented crisis. Across the International offices, human relations have never been more essential; despite our socio-geographical distance, the content of our e-mails and interinstitutional messages between our partners has now shown a tone of empathy never seen before.
As for the Internationalization Office (PUCPR International), the pandemic took a toll on our team faced with challenges resulting from the sudden new reality, and the responses regarding all the mobility activities need to be quick-thinking. The mobility team has worked hard to promptly assist and guide local students, who due to the pandemic had their dreams of studying abroad canceled; the team effort of PUCPR International, our Rectory (PRPPI) along with our Undergraduate Unit (PROGRAD) (to name a few) took matters into their own hands and together sought out the best way to answer different groups of Brazilian students (abroad), concerned parents of these students, and international students (that needed to return to their countries), and the constant e-mailing with some of our closest partners for information seeking and (weekly) assurance of the integrity of the outgoing and incoming students.
Despite the challenges described so far, PUCPR International celebrates a positive balance for 2020. The sense of Virtuality toward Education will soon be a reality and has moved us even further into thinking about internationalization from another perspective. Looking into 2021 will definitely require some cautionary take, but it will also be an opportunity to revisit and launch some of the PUCPR International projects that have been in line for development and implementation, as the Reentry Project; all of our internal resolutions that comprises the different types of mobility programs; the long-waiting launch of the Summer Institute that will bring more visibility to our campus in Florence (Italy) that we gladly share with our incredible partners: KSU, Dankook and our newest one Webster; the launch of some undergraduate programs with an innovative international take; the customized internationalization plan from our seven Schools; the now well-structured role of our Agent of Internationalization (our liaison faculty members that represent all of our Schools); the joining forces with the PUCPR Student Union closer aiming at student’s role as an internationalization liaison for their respective Programs; and last but not least, in 2021, we will launch our platform for the management of our international agreements that will answer several units of our International team and PUCPR community.
To sum up, 2020 has taken all of us out of our comfort zone, it has forced us to realign and to rethink all the processes common to our daily routine, and, in a blink of an eye, it has made us rethink internationalization. However, it has also shown us that empathy has been the maxim of 2020, as it boosts connections, encourages collaborations, and improves results during decision-making.
