International? Of course! – Services offered by the IO and SPZ for non-academic staff

Internationanl?Klar!_Praesentation_Bergmann

In today’s globalised world, internationalisation is not a nice-to-have but a must-have. We encounter aspects of internationality and interculturality in our work on a daily basis. This applies not only to teaching and research at our university, but also, to a particular extent, to the administration.

With that in mind, the event “International? Of course! – Services offered by the IO and SPZ for non-academic staff”, organised jointly by the International Office and the Language Centre on 22 April 2026, was specifically aimed at this group of non-academic staff: to inform, raise awareness and facilitate discussion. The event, attended by around 30 participants, opened with welcoming remarks from Chancellor Angela Fischer and Vice President International Affairs and Digital Transformation, Prof. Dr Teena Hassan. In their opening addresses, both emphasised the importance of internationality and intercultural skills among non-academic staff, as these play a decisive role in shaping the first impression of the university for students and colleagues from abroad.

Thereafter, the heads of the Language Centre, Jeannette Bergmann, and the International Office, Dr Rahel Hutgens, highlighted the importance of internationalisation as a cross-cutting priority. They outlined various reasons for internationalisation, pointing out the areas in which non-academic staff in particular play a key role. They then presented the existing services offered by both units: These range from the low-threshold ‘In English, please!’ initiative, a lunchtime event for informal discussion and networking in the canteen, through language courses for staff, to tandem and mentoring offers with international colleagues and students, and the opportunity for three- to five-day staff mobility placements at a partner university.

Afterwards, it was the participants’ turn: in a World Café, they gathered and discussed their wishes and ideas, needs and the challenges relating to internationalisation offers. The contributions provided the organisers with valuable insights for further development right there on the spot.

In a concluding outlook, the Internationalisation Certificate for non-academic staff was presented. Its individual components are currently being developed on the basis of existing programmes and feedback from the World Café. The launch is planned for later this year. Chancellor Angela Fischer had already announced the certificate in her opening remarks and emphasised that she would be the first to sign up for it. In doing so, she underlined her support for the initiative and the targeted strengthening of international and intercultural skills within the administration. Furthermore, there are plans to offer the event at the Rheinbach campus in future and to repeat it at intervals yet to be determined. An exquisite buffet afterwards provided an opportunity to round off the informative part of the event with finger food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere and to continue the discussions.

We would like to thank all participants warmly for their interest, commitment and valuable feedback.