Last Monday, May 18th, the Board of Directors of the IALU (International Association of Lasalian Universities - IALU.org) met virtually to share information on the impact of the Covid-19 global crisis and the response of the different regions and university centers.
The meeting, called by its President, Br. Andrés Govela, was attended by the Director of La Salle - URL, Josep Santos, as Regional Director of IALU for Europe and francophone African countries. Representatives from other regions, Asia and the Pacific Islands, Mexico, North America, Bethlehem, anglophone African countries and South and Central America were also present, as well as the executive managers of the areas of Internationalization, Research and Institutional Training.
Although the impact of the pandemic is global and present in the five continents, it was revealed that the impact on countries has been different. The meeting allowed sharing the initiatives promoted both by universities and regions, to mitigate the effects of this crisis and actively respond to social need by collaborating in the global campaign #LaSalleCOViD19 promoted by the international coordinator of Lasallian NGOs, Fondazione De La Salle Solidarietà Internazionale.
Some of the initiatives promoted by the IALU were also presented and, at this time when virtualization has become more present and necessary than ever, will help to consolidate cooperative work.
La Salle is committed to internationalization from home
The international network of Lasallian universities is solidly committed to internationalization despite movement restrictions. A positivist view of the world situation is needed to not only minimize its impact, but also achieve leadership in what will most likely be a paradigm shift.
The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is one of the clear goals of transferring content and knowledge among IALU university centers. Through this initiative, La Salle students will be allowed to participate in classes taught by leading universities on five the continents.
Virtual exchanges will also be promoted, offering our students the possibility to continue with mobility experiences at times when travel is not possible.
Through the initiative "La Salle Talks", discussions with experts continue to be produced and disseminated in a short video format, now focused on the topic of coronavirus, offering advice, both professional and personal, to try to minimize the effects of pandemic.
Nor do the leadership training courses aimed at university staff and students stop. This year it will not be able to be held in Manila and Rome as planned, but the program has been virtualized so that it can be kept on an online format.
Finally, the IALU Council has approved the creation of transdisciplinary and multinational groups to work on initiatives that allow for a better and faster adaptation to change and promote lines of research that will contribute to the generation of knowledge and thus to the improvement of our societies.