For those of you who may wonder if there is any point in spending your summer at the ISS in Oslo, my answer is definitely YES! I am speaking from personal experience, as I spent a summer many years ago at the ISS during my studies in the United States, taking classes in Norwegian and Scandinavian Foreign Policy and at the same time teaching Norwegian language classes at the ISS. This was a very rewarding experience for me and important for my personal and professional development. I know from experience that the ISS experience extends far into the future in the form of fellow alums, international networks and cross-cultural understanding.
As the Director General for the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku), I have a strong personal belief in the importance of international cooperation in education. Through the administration of a large number of programs and scholarships, we promote development and innovation in all levels of education. I am pleased to see that the International Summer School is facilitating some of the scholarships that Diku provides for bilateral and regional collaboration within higher education.
Through institutions like the International Summer School, we glean the strong power of internationalization, wherein I believe lie the solutions to our contemporary global and local challenges. Against the backdrop of war and refugees, poverty, the climate crisis and anti-democratic impulses, it becomes important in this increasingly polarized world to place value on cross-cultural understanding and cooperation. We must build bridges, not walls. Because we need perspectives from all corners of the world to provide a truly international educational experience, it is of great importance that the International Summer School channels scholarships to students from various parts of the world who otherwise might not have been able to attend. In our connections to other countries, be they of political, social, commercial or cultural nature, or within research and education, it is very important to be competent in cultural literacy.
There is great value in meeting new people, engaging in open discussion, and having views challenged. There are numerous studies and individual testimonies about the value of an international education. The Erasmus Impact Study from 2014 describes how international student exchange leads to the development of so-called “transversal skills”: Increased tolerance, confidence building, problem-solving abilities, curiosity and decisiveness. These skills are sometimes undervalued but are absolutely necessary for moving forward together peacefully and sustainably in our collective world.
Whether you take a masters course in Energy, Environment and Social Change, Norwegian Language, or anything in between, Diku and the ISS share the belief that when coupled with interpersonal relationships with peers from all over the world in a close-knit local setting, academic learning can be life altering in the best ways.