Friday 10 October, Arts et Métiers ParisTech hosted a delegation composed of 4 Vice Presidents and deans of American universities within the framework of the 2^nd edition of the Fulbright « Education Administrators Program » which aims to present the French Higher Education landscape in order to facilitate exchanges with the US. The 2014 edition of the « Educations Administrators Program » included visits to Lyon –Grenoble –Paris –Mainz.

The question that we were asked to address: “how universities and grandes écoles are responding to the challenges of globalization in a very constrained economic environment”.

During the morning discussions, Laurent Champaney, Deputy General Director for Education, presented the system for educating engineers in France and the specificity of Arts st Métiers ParisTech as a Technology School,  followed by discussions on Arts et Métiers ParisTech’s international relations strategy, led by Audrey Stewart, Director of European & International Relations, with 2 presentations by Jean François Omhover, Associate Professor, Conception & Innovative Products Laboratory on the Master design, and Wafa Skalli, Professor on the International relations strategy of the Biomechanics Laboratory. 2 colleagues then spoke about their interest in participating in transatlantic exchange programs - Damien Subit, from Virginia University who is presently in our Biomechanics laboratory with a Marie Curie grant, and Celia Amabile, a young French PhD student in the biomechanics laboratory who will soon be in New York to carry out research with colleagues at the New York University within the framework of a Fulbright grant.

The night before, it was Laurent Carraro, Director General of Arts et Métiers ParisTech who participated at a round table discussion on the emerging model of the COMUE (federation of institutions) in the presence of 3 other Presidents of COMUE’s in Paris in front of the delegation from 15 American universities.

An excellent public relations event whereby American Higher Education decision-makers were able to appreciate the positioning of Arts et Metiers ParisTech as a technology school as well as our international relations strategy, particularly in the US where we aim to build on research collaborations to reinforce partnerships, thereby encouraging exchanges of students and researchers both sides of the Atlantic.

Audrey Stewart, Director of European & International Relations