In­ter­na­tional Week

Are you excited to learn more about leadership in higher education in Europe? Do you want to develop your professional understanding of the subject? Are you interested in inspiring and motivating your colleagues and team members, stimulating their thinking and broadening their horizons for the greater good? Do you see potential for institutional change through leadership development at your own university?

If your answer is 'yes' to one or more of the above questions, then the Higher Education Leadership in Europe professional development programme is for you.

The programme is based on the idea that leadership - both as a field of study and as a practical skill - encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organisation to lead, influence or guide other individuals, teams or whole organisations, and in so doing influence societal developments.

Good leadership cares for staff members, enhances their social safety and well-being, and promotes diversity, equity, equality, inclusion and belonging.

When? 

The three collaborating Universities of Applied Sciences – Laurea (Finland), TH Köln (Germany) and Avans (the Netherlands) – organise this 5-day programme at the Laurea Campus in Leppävaara, City of Espoo, in the Helsinki Metropolitan region on 2-6 June 2025.

Prior to this 5-day event in Finland, there will be an online session for all accepted participants. The online session is an integral part of the training course and will be hosted by TH Köln on Tuesday 6 May 2025 at 10am-1pm CET (Central European Time; 9-12am in Portugal, 11am-2pm in Finland).

For whom?

This professional development programme is for PIONEER Alliance members only. It will bring together university staff members – both academic and non-academic experts – from across the PIONEER Alliance that consists of ten European universities focusing on the sustainable development of future cities. The programme will provide a forum to discuss concepts and methods, share personal and professional experiences, showcase best practices and learn from the other participating experts.  

Please note that participants will be selected in the order in which they register for the event, while ensuring that each PIONEER partner university is able to participate. Only 30 representatives of PIONEER partner universities can be offered the opportunity to participate. Please don't proceed with any flight or hotel booking before getting your official confirmation. 

Still interested? At PIONEER universities in EU countries, please contact the International Office or International Services at your university to explore the possibility of receiving an Erasmus+ staff mobility grant to participate in the Professional Development Programme in June 2025. To be able to participate, you need to have your manager's permission and confirmation of your Erasmus+ grant. Please note that this international week is a Erasmus staff week, not a Erasmus teaching week at Laurea. 

Swiss PIONEER BFH representatives can participate in the programme through their own national funding. As a BFH staff member, before registering for the programme, make sure you have your manager’s permission to participate and the means from BFH for your travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.

The online registration will be open until 31 January 2025. The registration form can be accessed through this "Sign Up" link. 

Confirmation of participation will be sent to those accepted in late February or early March.

Laurea staff will be notified separately on how and when they can register for the development programme.

Programme:

"Higher education leadership in Europe – Empowering individuals and teams to drive institutional and societal transformation (2-6 June 2025)"

The PIONEER professional development programme consists of two parts:

• ONLINE session on Tuesday 6 May 2025 (at 10am-1pm CET, meeting on Zoom, event link and agenda available in April)
• ONSITE event on Monday-Friday 2-6 June 2025 (full days apart from Friday 6 June, see draft agenda below)

Participants arrive in Finland either on Saturday 31 May or Sunday 1 June 2025 – no organised programme

ONLINE EVENT         
DAY 0 – Tuesday 6 May 2025 (compulsory to all registered par­tic­i­pants)

Online session at 10am-1pm CET; 9am-12am in Portugal; 11am-2pm in Finland
Zoom event link will be provided to participants closer to the online event.

10:00-10:15 am (CET) Welcome to the online session on leadership in higher education 

• TH Köln, Avans and Laurea organisers

10:15-10:30 am (CET) Aim of the event in Finland in June 

• TH Köln, Avans and Laurea organisers
• Participants introducing themselves 

10:30-11.00 am (CET) Practicalities around the June event 

• Sini Aalto-Friman, Laurea
• Questions and answers

11.00-11.20 am (CET) Leadership in higher education seen from a European perspective

• Mika Launikari, Laurea 

11:20-11:40 am (CET) A short break

11:40-12:50 pm (CET) The three levels of leadership – Individual, group and society/culture & EDI

• Franz Krönig, TH Köln
• Lies Parmentier, Avans
• Instructions for the individual assignment to the participants – to be completed for the onsite event
• by 23 May (deadline)

12.50-13:00 pm (CET) Closing the online event – see you in Finland in June

• TH Köln, Avans and Laurea organisers

ONSITE DAYS on Monday-Friday 2-6 June 2025 at Laurea UAS

DAY 1 – Monday 2 June 2025

• General programme in Tuomo auditorium
• Classrooms for group work (to be specified)

Morning 9-12am         

Moderators – Mika Launikari & Franz Krönig

09:00-09:30: Welcome by Katri Ojasalo, Laurea Vice President (Education) Introduction of Laurea, TH  Köln and Avans organising team

09:30-10:30: Icebreaking exercises facilitated by Mika Launikari, Laurea

10:30-11:00: Coffee break

11:00-11:50: Keynote speech – Building Blocks for Future-Oriented Leadership (Open to Laurea staff) Kirsi Maste & Marika Nikkinen, Laurea 

11:50-12:00: Housekeeping issues – practicalities before lunch break

12:00-13:00: Lunch in the canteen

Afternoon 1-4pm

13:00-14:00: Linking leadership in higher education into the UN Agenda2030 and PIONEER Alliance’s work package 3 on transformative leadership – Changing paradigms, new phenomena and trends (Open to Laurea staff) Franz Krönig, TH Köln and Taru Maamies, Laurea         

14:00-14:30: Coffee break

14:30-16:00: Reflections on the individual assignments completed by participants to bridge the online and onsite events, including ‘five pre-eminent leaders’ –Lies Parmentier, Avans Franz Krönig, TH Köln & Lies Parmentier, Avans    

DAY 2 – Tuesday 3 June 2025

• General programme in Tuomo auditorium
• Classrooms for group work (to be specified)

Morning 9-12am         
Moderators – Mika Launikari & Sandra Heijstermann

09:30-10:00: Opening of the day – reflecting on the first day and getting oriented for the second day

10:00-11:00: Keynote speech – Resilience and leadership at times of global turbulence (Open to Laurea staff) Roy Sillen, Commander, Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA) ONLINE
            
11:00-11:30: Coffee break

11:30-12:00: How can we apply the ideas and experiences presented by Roy Sillen to our own work at the university? Discussion in groups based on the keynote speech. 

12:00-13:00: Lunch in the canteen

Afternoon 13:00-16:00 (incl. 30-minute coffee break at 14:30-15:00)

13:00-16:00: Enabling students to develop leadership responsibilities in project teams 
Eberhard Schenk, TH Köln

• Opportunities and limitations: In Masters student projects, we teach comprehensive supervision methods in a separate, parallel track. We encourage students to use these methods to improve their individual and team performance. We want to enable them to reflect on different personality profiles, different cultural orientations as well as on their information sharing, decision making, team building, leadership initiatives and conflict management. This seems to be a promising approach to getting them to explore their leadership potential and behaviours. However, there still seem to be certain limitations that are difficult to overcome.

DAY 3 – Wednesday 4 June 2025

• General programme in Tuomo auditorium
• Classrooms for group work (to be specified)

Morning 9-12am         
Moderators – Mika Launikari & Dennis Van Der Pas

09:00-09:15: Opening of the day

09:15-10:00: Laurea’s Student Union Laureamko – informing, involving and influencing
Rami Hollmerus and Linda Lindgren

10:00-10:30: How to support and promote student engagement at our universities? Discussion in small groups. 

10:30-11:00: Coffee break

11:00-11:50: Leadership Requirements of the Future – Case Sanoma Company (Open to Laurea staff)
Kaisu Kiiskilä, HR Director, Sanoma Learning Nordics

11:50-12:00:Housekeeping issues, if any  

12:00-13:00    Lunch in the canteen

Afternoon 13:00-16:00 (incl. 30-minute coffee break)
13:00-16:00: Workshop on personal leadership and social safety Gijs Dekkers, Bart Siemens, Luisa Decker & Lies Parmentier, Avans 

• The workshop will focus on personal leadership. The need for leaders in education to be self-conscious and self-aware will be emphasised, but also to ask unbiased questions to their team members and understand their team's perceptions to ensure psychological and social safety. Psychological and social safety are the basis for good transformative leadership. The             workshop will start with the introduction of a theoretical framework and include some interactive elements to foster reflection and discussion on leadership qualities and social safety. The importance of offering various educational modules and adapting leadership to meet modern demands will be discussed. Key points include:
• Leaders should work on self-awareness, honesty, and understanding their impact on others.
  Personal leadership involves navigating transitions and transformations while maintaining safety.
  Activities like self-reflection, eye contact exercises, and considering cultural differences are suggested.

DAY 4 – Thursday 5 June 2025/ ONSITE EVENT 

• General programme in Tuomo auditorium
• Classrooms for group work (to be specified)

Morning 9-12am 
Moderators – Mika Launikari & Lies Parmentier

09:00-09:15: Opening of the day

09:15-10:15: From inclusive pedagogy to inclusive leadership and faculty development 
Kosima Kosak and Andrea Platte, TH Köln 

• Part I: Introduction
  The Faculty of Applied Sciences is in the midst of a long-term effort to integrate inclusive pedagogy and didactics into leadership practices - both at the team level and across the faculty as a whole.
  This workshop explores whether and how the principles of inclusive pedagogy can inform and shape 'inclusive leadership'. Are there existing frameworks to ensure that leadership roles remain accessible to a diverse range of individuals? What strategies can faculties and academic teams adopt to promote inclusivity in leadership development?
  An interactive discussion on bridging the gap between inclusive teaching and inclusive leadership, with a focus on practical applications in faculty development.

10:15-10:45: Coffee break

10:45-12:00: Part II Workshop by Kosima, Andrea and Louisa

12:00-13:00: Lunch in the canteen

Afternoon 13:00-16:00 

After lunch transfer by bus to Microsoft Finland for a company visit.

13:15-13:45: Bus from Laurea campus to Keilalahti

14:00-15:30: Company visit to Microsoft Finland, address: Keilalahdentie 2-4, Espoo. Tiina Rolig: AI and Change Management: Microsoft's journey towards the future

15:30-16:00    Bus from Keilalahti to Helsinki city centre

16:15 approx.: After the company visit free time in Helsinki including an organised sightseeing walk (tbc). 

18:00: Dinner in the city centre for the BIP event and WP3 meeting participants (restaurant tbc)

DAY 5 – Friday 6 June 2025 

• General programme in Tuomo auditorium
• Classrooms for group work (to be specified)

Morning 9-12am
Modertators: Mika Launikari & Sini Aalto-Friman

09:00-09:15: Reflection on the company visit to Microsoft Finland

09:15-11:30: Focus on the societal level of leadership – open space method
Sandra Heijstermann, Avans, A 2-hour session – coffee break during the session while continuing to work

11:30-12:00: Summing up the week, takeaways back home, closing ceremony with certificates. Mika together with Avans and TH Köln organisers

12:00-13:00: Lunch in the canteen

After lunch: Official programme ends, participants depart back home again, or they may stay in Finland on their own.