María José Pastor and Mónica Candela with the University of Valparaíso student mobility team.

María José Pastor, a staff member from the Service of Communication at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), and Mónica Candela, a technician at the UMH Service of International Relations, Development Cooperation and Volunteerism, have returned from a good practices stay at the University of Valparaíso (UV) in Chile through the Destino international mobility program for UMH staff. Their stay helped to learn new actions to explore in the area of student community and mobility through the exchanges of experiences of professionals from both universities.

During their stay, November 26-30, Pastor and Candela met with Alejandro Rodríguez, UV Institutional Relations Director, with the news team at Radio Valentín Lepelier, the Chilean university’s radio station, and along with teams at its units of mobility, agreements, and alumni. They also visited the Business Development Center in the city of San Antonio, an entity that has a close relationship with the UV. These actions were aimed at publicizing the work carried out by the UMH and learning about UV work structures, which, just like the UMH, has four university campuses.

UV professionals expressed interest in UMH Radio, where students and faculty from all four campuses participate; in contrast, the UV operates a generalist radio station where its university community does not participate. Good practices at the UMH Service of International Relations that the UV Mobility Unit is considering implementing at their work centers include the management of electronic applications, selection criteria for mobility programs, and the Buddy Program for accompanying exchange students right when they first arrive. UV actions praised by the UMH professionals, and under consideration for implementation here in Elche, include management and programming methodologies to improve activities, manage applications, and coordinate communication between university campuses.

The UMH has both framework and specific agreements for student and faculty mobility with the University of Valparaíso; in fact, that school is one of the most sought-after centers for exchange students who apply for Iberoamerica Destino grants.