Wizyta przedstawicielek Biura Współpracy z Zagranicą w Oulu (UNIC)

The UNIC Alliance provides not only an opportunity to build relationships and exchange experiences for people who work in science, but also an opportunity for development for administrative staff. Agnieszka Łukawska and Anna Stolarek from the International Relations Office, University of Lodz visited the University of Oulu (Finland) – one of UNIC's partner universities.

During the meetings organised at the partner university, members of the International Relations Office team had the opportunity to meet the employees and get to know the specifics of the work of units such as Academic Affairs – Admissions Services, International Mobility Services and Communications, Marketing and Community Relations.

the team during work

The visit to the University of Oulu was extremely interesting – we had the opportunity to share ideas and experience related not only to the process of admissions for studies and promoting admissions, but also more general reflections regarding cooperation within the Alliance. Such meetings of international teams provide mutual benefits – we see what can be done differently, we assess the chances of implementing new solutions

– says Agnieszka Łukawska, a specialist from the International Relations Office, University of Lodz.

The team during one of the meeting

Trips as part of UNIC create the opportunity to meet directly with employees of the partner university and allow for closer cooperation. They open the door to developing relationships and allow for insight into the different ecosystem of a foreign university.

From the very beginning, it could be seen that the University of Oulu was vibrant and the main reason for this was its students. How much international students wanted to get involved in university initiatives, such as UniOulu Ambassadors, Student Tutor, to further enrich the academic community was a positive surprise. Diversity and inclusion were visible at almost every step. The university encourages students to attend training sessions where they can gain information about equality and anti-discrimination. Events organised on campus are also designed with international students in mind, so that no one is excluded. In the corridors, you could see that the displayed advertisements, posters and leaflets were almost always available in English.

The trip took place on 12–15 November 2024.

building of the University in Oulu