The NEOLAiA Symposium on University Language Policies
From October 16 to 18, 2024, the University of Tours hosted the first International NEOLAiA Symposium on Multilingualism and Intercultural Education in European Higher Education and Research Policies.
Held at Mame, the city of creation and innovation, this event brought together a hundred participants, including experts in language policies, multilingual and intercultural education, partner university members, and students.
At the Symposium Šiaulių valstybinė kolegija (ŠVK) was represented by delegate of work package 7 lecturer Kristina Kulikauskienė, Deputy director, associate professor dr. Nedas Jurgaitis, Head of Studies and Science Coordination Unit, associate professor dr. Rasa Pocevičienė and Head of International Relations Office Augustina Norkutė.
A Collaborative Effort for European Multilingualism
Co-financed by the European Union and co-organized by the NEOLAiA partner universities, the symposium is part of the working axis "Towards a Multilingual and Intercultural European University" implemented within the European alliance. The scientific organization of the symposium was entrusted to the DYNADIV laboratory (Dynamics and Challenges of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity) at the University of Tours.
Aiming for Common Charter on Language Policies
NEOLAiA, a network of nine universities mostly located in medium-sized cities, aims to co-develop a common charter on multilingual and intercultural language policies. This symposium created a space for reflection and collaboration on Linguistic Diversity in Higher Education and the challenges it presents in the context of international university training and research.
Key Topics and Discussions
At the heart of the discussions during these three days were conferences and round tables that enabled the sharing and confrontation of ideas and experiences to define, in particular, the role of languages in learning and teaching academic disciplines. The general idea was to identify the difficulties encountered in a wide variety of contexts (those of the NEOLAiA Alliance) and the different policy orientations in managing linguistic and cultural plurality at universities, in order to democratically establish possible foundations for collective action.
The discussions addressed topics such as:
• The increasing anglicization of higher education,
• Multilingual and intercultural perspectives in higher education,
• The sharing of ideas and experiences for multilingual and intercultural integration in universities,
• The exchange of experiences with other European university alliances that have also explored these aspects.
A Step Towards a Multilingual Future
The symposium concluded with a collaborative working session on a draft common charter, which will be implemented across the alliance starting in 2025.
This event marks an important milestone for the NEOLAiA alliance in its pursuit of a more inclusive, multilingual, and intercultural university, truly reflecting European values.
