Making students active partners in the internationalisation efforts of higher education institutions

The institutional capacity to attain an international profile seems to be the standard by which contemporary institutional leaders are judged. This article aims at capturing the student view on the internationalisation of higher education, stressing the opportunities, threats and challenges, while making a case for student involvement as a key element in designing and implementing successful internationalisation strategies at institutional level. The article’s viewpoint is based on the author’s two years of experience as Chairperson of the European Students’ Union, a one-year mandate as President of the National Alliance of Students Organisations in Romania and as a student in a university with a clear internationalisation commitment – the Constanta Maritime University. Some of the views presented in the article were voiced at the 2009 European University Association Autumn Conference in Giessen.