SiiUss - Sustainability, inclusiveness, integration for University support services
Sustainability, inclusiveness, integration for University support services (SiiUss) is the name of a project and joint initiative between University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) and KI that has been awarded the STINT Initiation Grant.
The overarching objectives of this new project are to provide support staff and services (SSS) with a greater understanding of internationalisation, to emphasise the importance of inclusiveness and diversity, and how they relate to SSS, and to more actively engage SSS in the internationalisation processes at their respective institutions.
Online training in pairs
The aim of the SiiUss project is to design an online training course by a core project group from both participating institutions, through a pilot course. This course will pair one member of staff from each institution in an online international tandem in order to provide them with a virtual mobility experience.
Engaging support services in internationalisation
The idea to the project is sprung from similar course pairing teachers (Two2Tango) in combination with experiences from another Erasmus+ strategic project called Systemic University Change Through Internationalsiation (SUCTI) that was finalized in 2019. Staff from both UPD and KI participated in the train the trainers’ course that was arranged by SUCTI in October 2019. Within UPD and KI the training has led to more activities and initiatives like interactive workshop series and seminars focusing on involving and engaging administrative staff in the process of internationalisation. The SiiUss project is a one-year initiative.
Karen Gustafsson from KI and Noelle Riviera from UPD will coordinate the project activities with support of colleagues from both institutions.
“I look forward to working with our partners in the Philippines, who share our vision and consider the Support Services of a HEI as key players for the successful implementation of an Inclusive, Sustainable and Diverse HEI strategy. Together we will create a tool whereby our colleagues within the support services will not only develop their intercultural competencies and network with their international peers but also contribute with their expertise.”
Karen Gustafsson, Coordinator, Unit for Teaching and Learning
“This is an exciting project for UP Diliman, as it is led by support staff from both UPD and KI with the vision to provide fellow support staff with greater understanding and appreciation of internationalisation in relation to inclusiveness and diversity. We highly value our partnership with KI which started with UPD and KI support staff meeting at a training program abroad, and we look forward to learning from each other and growing together, both as institutions and as individual support staff!”
Noelle Rivera, International Programs Officer at Office of International Linkages Diliman, University of the Philippines Diliman