Today there is talk of the formation of the global citizen, few understand what this means, that is why from higher education institutions such as the UTP, a commitment to this formation is made.
Currently, this Alma Mater has more than 140 international cooperation agreements, including those for double degrees, international accreditation of engineering programs, among others.
In an interview with El Diario, Carolina Cuartas Náder, director of International Relations of the UTP, stated that “the Office of International Relations of the UTP is the agency in charge of the integral internationalization process, it is directly related to globalization. From the universities we have a commitment and it is to bring the global dynamics, the challenges, what happens in the social, economic, political and cultural field, to the university campus, to the classrooms, to the interaction of the daily life of the students, teachers and administrative”.
These actions allow the formation of the global citizen. “It is what we do every day in the classroom when it comes to introducing skills such as collaborative work, intercultural communication, languages, teamwork based on solutions to global challenges. At UTP we do this, not only in classes, but also in cultural, sports and other activities”, the Director said.
It’s more than mobility
Tools such as the Internet allow greater access to the world, but having the possibility of knowing the life of other countries, cultures, among others, cannot be classified as a true process of integral internationalization.
Cuartas Náder pointed out that “often they confuse internationalization, solely, with mobility or exchanges, obviously these components are part of internationalization, but they are not the only ones, because if you do not have a diverse, multicultural, bilingual campus, in which they are when ethnic, racial, and linguistic differences are present, where different international issues are discussed, one cannot speak of comprehensive internationalization.”
On April 24, the day of Interculturality and Language will be held at the UTP, related to university inclusion, which is a topic on the international agenda. In this activity, foreign students from the institution, faculties, professors, and other universities are invited to live an intercultural experience and discuss issues that occur locally and globally.
close relationship
“We have a close relationship with European countries such as Italy, Spain and France, with these 3 nations we have mobility, cooperation agreements, it is a particular relationship because, for example, with France we have a double degree exercise, a process that is a sample of comprehensive internationalization, because to achieve it with a foreign university, several requirements must be met. We also have a double degree with Italy”, stated the Director.
There are agreements with universities in the region such as institutions in Mexico, Chile, Brazil, among others, even having knowledge exchange processes, research, among others.