Rome, 4-6 November
The third European Conference for Student Affairs and Services 2021, organised by EucA in collaboration with NASPA and LUMSA University, gathered the past week more than 65 participants in Rome coming from all over Europe, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
The three days conference offered to the participants the possibility to meet again in person (finally) to discuss innovative programs, practices, models and trends in student affairs. This year’s theme was Students' Recovery and Success.
During the conference, some of the attendants were involved as speakers presenting sessions based on their specific areas of expertise: Sustainability Education, Employability & Career Services, International Mobility, Students Well-being, and Next Frontiers of Innovative Curricula.
The concurrent sessions and networking lounge were a unique opportunity to get deeper into the topics and network in small groups. Remarkably inspiring the student panel on Sustainability Education. Three students took to the stage to share how colleges, universities and halls of residences are implementing more sustainable practices for a better and greener future: “No plastics in the cantine and vending machines, electricity generated by solar panels, vegetable gardens…These are just some of the things we do at Collegio Lamaro Pozzani to reduce our environmental impact”, said one of the students.
Moreover, the keynotes speeches were very inspiring and practical. Kevin Kruger, President of NASPA, the leading association of Student Affairs in the USA, opened the conference talking about the 10 why’s of Student Affairs, covering important topics like the life in Colleges post-covid and students’ mental health & well-being.
On the other hand, Luca Lantero, Director of CIMEA, held a presentation about the theory and practice of Micro-credentials within the European Higher Education Area.
EucA offered an overview also in one of its most ambitious projects so far: a brand new Master Programme in" Student Affairs & Services" for Professionals in SAS. Three organisations will work together in the upcoming months to launch it in March. More info will be published soon.
There was also space to relax and have fun. Shared meals in Italian restaurants, a gala dinner in an iconic hotel overlooking the whole of Italy, or a tour of the Vatican museums were some of the activities that participants enjoyed the most.
The organisation of the Conference confirms once again the role of EucA as a 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.
See you next year in Madrid, Spain!
