The School of Economics and Business has celebrated the ninth
edition of its International Seminars with multiple sessions, workshops, and
cultural and social activities. Sixteen professors from European and African
universities visited Madrid to participate in the School’s international
seminars and deliver sessions to students and professors on topics related to
sustainability and the current energy crisis.
Ana Dos, Monika Foltyn, Joanna Blach, Dominika Krawczynska, and Marcin
Tomecki from the University of Economics in Katowice, Poland; Chiara Bernardi from UAS and Arts of
Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Switzerland; Piet
Wallays from HoGent, Belgium; Linda
Snippe and Abdul Kara from
InHolland UAS, the Netherlands; Theo
Daselaar from Hogeschool Utrecht UAS, the Netherlands; Simone Scholtens and Audrey
Gran Weinberg from Amsterdam UAS, the Netherlands; Karen Kooi from Hanze UAS, the Netherlands; and African professors Rebecca Esliker, Jalikatu Jalloh, and Mohamed
O. Turay from UNIMAK, Sierra
Leone, shared their knowledge, experiences, visions, and ideas with students
and School.
More than 400 students from all degrees participated in over 30
organised sessions. Among the sessions that generated the most interest were:
"Sustainable Entrepreneurship"; "Banking for Energy
Transition"; "Sustainability and SRI funds"; "Sustainable
Performance and Risk Management"; "Currency Redenomination in Sierra
Leone"; "Environmental Sustainability and Industry Analysis";
"Powerful Presentation Skills"; "Implementation of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in Business Strategy"; and "The Effect of
FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) on Women and Girls in Sierra Leone". As a
result of these sessions, an increase in sensitivity towards the presentations
on Sierra Leone was detected among the students.
In addition, various workshops and information sessions were
organised for our students and teachers during the week. The research, teaching
innovation, and internationalisation workshops were of particular interest. These
had the aims of getting to know the participants’ research areas, expanding
their contact network, exchanging best practices, initiatives, projects, and
programmes from various universities. They also served to promote programmes
such as BIP (Blended Intensive
Programs) and COILs (Collaborative
Online International Learning).
One of the workshops to attract the biggest audience, for both
students and teachers, was the information session where visiting professors
shared information and details about their respective universities. This served
to promote international mobility and resolve doubts for future students and/or
professors from those institutions.
As a social activity and to convey the importance of culture in
Spain to visiting professors, an informative session was organised with the
curator of the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Juan Angel López-Manzanares. He explained his role as a curator in
a museum which is a reference in the national and international cultural landscape.
Participants were able to appreciate the fundamental commitment and respect for
National heritage, as well as to observe the museum's commitment to the
challenges of the climate emergency in its activities and exhibition rooms. The
museum is firmly committed to sustainability and social responsibility,
adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the United
Nations' 2030 Agenda, in line with the theme of the International Seminars.
After the session, the professors were able to enjoy a guided tour of the
museum.
The organisers of this great event were
the academic coordinators of the School of Economics and Business, Gloria Aznar, Sara Lorenzo, and Elizabeth Frank, with the support of Paula Revuelta and Camila Granizo. Additionally, they have
had the support and voluntary work of student ambassadors, África Cortés and
Álvaro Peréz-Bedmar. This International Week was co-financed by the University
through the School of Economics and Business and the Vice-Rectorate for
Internationalisation and the EU (under the ERASMUS+ program).