2024 IEASA CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

2024 IEASA CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

The 26th Annual IEASA Conference (https://ieasa-conference.studysa.org/) was held in Johannesburg from 20 to 23 August 2024. Themed “Navigating Internationalisation in Challenging Times”, it provided participants with an opportunity to engage deeply with relevant topics including the following:

  • Internationalisation in the contemporary national, regional and global geo-political environment;
  • Internationalisation’s role in principled and ethical engagement in work, scholarship and social action;
  • Internationalisation and transformative, visionary and decolonial education;
  • Speaking truth to power – in universities, at the national level and in the global arena – to further ethical internationalisation of higher education; and
  • Challenges and possibilities of international partnerships.

The Conference was attended by 246 delegates from 21 countries: Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United States, Zimbabwe.

Over four conference days, delegates were able to attend a variety of sessions, including the following:

  • 2 campus tours,
  • 5 workshops,
  • 2 keynote addresses,
  • 3 plenary sessions,
  • 44 parallel sessions, and
  • 2 social functions.

The Conference provided excellent networking opportunities for all delegates, and the South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF) and the Southern African – Nordic Centre (SANORD) used the conference platform to hold meetings with their members. In addition to these side events, IEASA hosted a networking lunch for the participants of its 2024 Mentorship Programme.

A conference scene setter co-authored by Dr Samia Chasi and Dr Lavern Samuels titled “Navigating internationalisation in times of polycrisis” was published in the Africa Edition of the University World News (UWN) on 25 July 2024 (https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20240724221448951), and several conference sessions were covered in subsequent UWN articles, including the following[MOU1] :

IEASA would like to thank everyone who participated in the Conference for playing their part in making it a successful and memorable event. IEASA’s 26th Annual Conference would not have been possible without the generous support of the following sponsors[MOU2] :

  • Flywire – PLATINUM Sponsor
  • Momentum: conference bags; gifts for keynote speakers
  • Compcare: conference mugs
  • Simeka Health: lanyards
  • Remata: name badges
  • Rhodes University: branded USBs (120 year anniversary of RU)
  • University of Johannesburg: student assistants
  • University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg: student and staff assistants
  • National Convention Bureau