Speech given by Kate Jurva, Tsemppi Board Member, at the Rector’s International Evening at the University of Helsinki on November 16, 2011.
Rector Wilhelmsson, Chancellor Niiniluoto, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am very pleased to be here with you tonight on behalf of Tsemppi, the organization for internationally-minded students and researchers.
This evening, we honour the contributions of the international community at the University of Helsinki. As we heard in the Rector’s speech, internationalism has received a lot of attention at our university in recent years and it will continue to be important in the future. If we look at the current status of international activities, we will see that much progress has been made. The university’s strategy recognizes the multicultural nature of our community, as well as the university’s role in promoting fruitful interaction between cultures, and relaying new cultural influences to Finland.
Indeed, internationalism is a key component of confirming our position as one of the best multi-disciplinary research universities in the world.
The strategic importance of internationality can be seen, for example, in the increasing numbers of international students. This year, we have about 2500 students enrolled at our university from abroad, which is roughly equivalent to the number of Swedish-speaking students. There are now more international Masters’ programs than ever before, and there is also an increasing number of international researchers and teachers.
As a result of internationalization efforts, we are also seeing new ways to recognize the international community. This past year, for instance, we saw the first ever international graduation event, where recent graduates were welcomed into the alumni community. Such events, just like the one tonight, are a great way to show these individuals that they are an important part of the University of Helsinki.
As we look towards the future, we must continue to recognize the international community in this way. But we also need to focus more on the active and meaningful participation of this group, especially in decision-making activities. It is rather unfortunate that—despite all the positive steps towards internationality—foreign students and researchers are vastly underrepresented within decision-making bodies of the university and related institutions like the student union.
But why is this the case?
Many of the international graduate students at our university are enrolled in international Masters’ programs. Tsemppi often hears from these students, who struggle to feel like a valued part of the community. In many cases, they lack even simple knowledge of how the university functions or anything outside their own studies.
Language, of course, is one of the root problems. Students coming from abroad usually have no knowledge of Finnish, and it is next to impossible to gain a high level of fluency in the language during a two-year master’s program. There is also a perceived division between students. In a recent small-scale survey conducted by Tsemppi, 63 per cent of respondents, so three in five, felt that international students and Finnish students were too separated.
With such feelings of isolation, it’s no wonder that there are so few students from abroad who put themselves forward to participate in university administration or decision making.
Among postgraduate students, the situation varies greatly. In the best conditions, international PhD students work in English as members of larger research projects, have the security of full-time employment, and are valued for the insight they give as highly skilled researchers. This is something worth striving for.
In the worst situations, international PhD students are unable to participate even in the courses mandatory for their programs. They’re isolated from their peers and the academic community. They struggle to secure grants or project work, which is especially problematic because international doctoral students often have no access to government social benefits when funding dries up.
I bring these points forward, not to be negative or divisive, but rather to provide a realistic picture of the challenges we face at our university, and the work we must do together to achieve our goal of internationality. I spoke earlier of the increasing numbers of international students and researchers over recent years. Certainly, these numbers are a measure of some aspect of internationality. But it does not end there.
The time has come to take a serious look at the barriers faced by international students and researchers in our institution. This is of paramount importance for a university that promotes well-being and a just society as part of its guiding vision. Especially when we aim to bring even more international students and staff into our community in coming years.
True internationality demands that all members of our university can participate fully in the academic community, as well as in decision making. We must choose inclusion over exclusion.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle involved is language.
International students are admitted to the University of Helsinki based on their English-language skills. Researchers and teachers are also hired based on English when they lack fluent Finnish or Swedish. But in practice, meetings and activities are held in Finnish. Although there is more and more information available in English, when we look at the flow of information within most departments and faculties, as well as central administration, it most often unilingual. There is an inherent conflict between the language skills required to be a full member of the community in theory and those required in practice.
The solution to this issue is, in one way, simple. If we recognize that English is a sufficient basis for bringing international students and researchers to the University of Helsinki, it only follows that it should be possible to participate fully in the university community using this language. It means having more courses offered in English. It means, in addition to Finnish and Swedish, having information available in English, and making this the rule rather than the exception. And it means not only allowing international students and researchers to participate in meetings and activities in principle, but also welcoming them to do so in practice.
Let me be clear. We must continue to encourage newcomers to learn Finnish. Speaking the local language can only enhance one’s connection to broader society, especially for those intending to stay in Finland—which many do. But we need to recognize that learning a language is a long-term project that will take several, if not many, years.
In addition to addressing matters of language, we must also strive towards a culture of inclusion. Internationality is meant to be international; it does not concern only foreigners but Finns, too. With this in mind, let’s consider how in the future every member of our university can be, in some way, international.
The University of Helsinki is in the unique position as the most comprehensive research institution of higher education in Finland to take a leadership role in internationalism. We cannot forget that— although these matters are of utmost importance within our community—outside these doors is a society struggling with how to address increasing cultural and ethnic diversity.
Let’s choose to not only address the challenges we face here, but also make our university a shining example of how a truly international community can succeed. To move forward, we must ask: How can we make participation more equitable, given the realities faced by international students and researchers? What resources must we allocate to ensure that these individuals have their voices heard, and so that they can contribute on equal footing with their Finnish counterparts?
But most of all, we need to work together to raise awareness of international issues and promote the internationality of our university.
As diversity is a relatively new phenomenon both here and in broader Finnish society, we need to make it clear that internationality is not about choosing English over Finnish or Swedish. Nor is it about choosing foreigners over Finns. Rather, it’s about making it possible for all of us to participate in a meaningful way and as equal partners.
With that, I would like to encourage everyone here tonight to do their part to promote internationality. You can learn more aboutTsemppi, for example, at our pikkujoulut next Thursday, November 24. We welcome all internationally-minded students and researchers—“foreigners” and Finns alike.
But if you take just one thing with you tonight, let it be the message of inclusion over exclusion. It really is for everyone.
Thank you.
