U21 award for 360 International Māori learning abroad strategy

Lydie Faure-Kilgannon, who leads the 360 International team at the University of Auckland, formally received the award on 3 December. Her team’s work has seen an increase in Māori undergraduate students participating in learning abroad from 3.5% of students in 2015 to 7.2% in 2018. Lydie, a former international student herself, has collaborated with senior Māori leadership on campus and with student and community groups to develop and implement a strategy for increased Māori student participation in learning abroad.

Learning abroad has been identified as a high impact academic practice – participation in learning abroad is strongly correlated with academic success, degree completion and future employability. Lydie said, “Given the potential to improve outcomes for our students, it is important that Māori students have equitable access to learning abroad opportunities. Currently, 8.7% of students at the University of Auckland are Māori, so our goal is to reach parity in learning abroad participation rates.

“The University prioritises our commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and we have established key metrics for assessing Māori student and staff representation and success on campus. We also take internationalisation seriously and have a target that one in four graduating students will have a learning abroad experience during their bachelor degree studies.”

The U21 awards recognise contributions to internationalisation in higher education within the U21 network. They celebrate the work of teams or individuals who have furthered international opportunities for students and staff and improved collaboration within their institution and with external partners. A record number of strong nominations was put forward for the 2020 award.

Professor Jenny Dixon, who will take up the U21 Provost role in January, was thrilled to hear news of the award. She said, “The 360 international team has worked so hard these past few years to give better access to learning abroad opportunities for Māori students and to ensure diversity and inclusivity within our learning abroad programmes. The latest data on participation levels is very encouraging and we are grateful to U21 for recognising what the team has achieved so far and for helping them to continue on the journey.”

This year, the 360 International team pivoted swiftly in response to the global crisis to ensure University of Auckland students still had access to overseas experiences while travel was not an option. Two of the virtual programmes continue the theme of increasing the accessibility of learning abroad opportunities to under-represented groups – Indigenous Rights and History in Brazil and the Diversity Abroad Global Inclusive Leadership Certificate.

The 360 International team was gifted a whakataukī (proverb) for their strategy by Māori leaders at the University: Ko te pae tata, whakamaua, kia tīnā, Ko te pae tawhiti, whaia, kia tata. Translated, it means to secure the horizons that are close at hand and pursue the more distant horizons so they may become close. This is what the University’s strategy for increasing Māori participation in learning abroad is about – doing the work here so that our students can pursue distant horizons.

Download and read the strategic report on increasing Māori participation in learning abroad below, written by Lydie Faure Kilgannon and Ainslie Moore for 360 International.