From 18 to 20 November the “European Conference for Student Affairs and Services 2020”, organised by EucA and NASPA, gathered around 70 participants from all over Europe and not only. From the initial idea of Rome as the host city the event finally happened online.
The Conference, offered the possibility to analyse, discuss and get NEW proposals on the most pressing topics currently debated by Student Affairs Professionals around the globe as Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Global Mobility, Mental Health & Well-being, Employability & Career Services, Residential Life & Student Success.
Some of the attendants have been involved as speakers presenting their specific areas of expertise in concurrent sessions: a unique opportunity to get into the topics, for networking in small groups and for sharing best practices.
In the intense two-days programme EucA offered an overview also on its ongoing projects as eLene4Life, about the cooperation among Universities and Business to foster employability and Be The Change, developed to improve the exchange of innovative and best practices on Soft Skills for a social impact.
Among the many inspiring contributions the keynote speech by Kevin Kruger, President of NASPA, has been remarkable. As President of the leading association of Student Affairs in the US he analysed and assessed the new challenges for Higher Education in the pandemic, trying to foresee some future scenarios for the SAS Profession.
Gian Luca Giovannucci, President of EucA, intervened on the same theme. During his closing remarks he said: “SAS professionals must be able to foresee future: being able to learn from difficulties and transform them in opportunities”. According to him students should not be left alone in these difficult times of uncertainty and of distance learning, previewing more tutoring and mentoring activities.
The overall purpose, results and outcomes of the event were very positive: the scheduling and the contents have been highly appreciated by the participants coming from Europe and other countries as UAB, Canada, and United States.
The organisation of the Conference confirms once again the role of EucA as leader in Europe in Student Affairs and Services. Thanks to its high-level partnerships with Associations as NASPA, EucA promotes the American model in Europe, facilitates exchanges among professionals and supports the internationalisation of the European Halls of Residences.
Comments