It was a remarkable time spent in an extraordinary place. The reason for all this was NAFSA 2025 in San Diego, attended by the representatives of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan.
The event was the world's largest international education conference organised by NAFSA. More than 8,000 participants representing over 100 countries attended the conference, with this year's theme being "Purpose, Place, and Partnership", highlighting the significance of sustainability, social justice and inclusivity in international education. Among the plenary speakers were Pico Iyer, Andrew Leon Hanna, Kyaw Moe Tun, and Raihana Sattari.
Meetings throughout NAFSA were just one thing, however, a lot was happening around the event itself as well. As part of the Polish delegation's additional programme at NAFSA, the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange organised a visit to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, dedicated to ocean research, one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the world, owned by the University of California, San Diego, among others. A demonstration of the Scripps Ocean-Atmosphere Research Simulator (SOARS), a system enabling the study of the atmosphere and ocean under controlled laboratory conditions, was shown during the appointment. It allows complex climate processes to be simulated with high precision, supporting the development of knowledge on climate change.
- Our hosts have mentioned that in a few weeks, they are going to Svalbard to conduct research at the Polish Polar Station (PAS), says Dr Kostiantyn Mazur of the AMU International Relations Office. - While providing information about the university, I also made reference to the fact that we have a centre there.
The following day, the Department of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Languages and Cultures at the University of California was visited as part of the Polish delegation's additional programme. The discussions focused on the possibility of establishing cooperation in the context of international student and doctoral exchanges, with particular emphasis on short-term mobility. Initiatives supported by NAWA were discussed, along with activities conducted as part of the individual universities' programmes, including those of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, and Jagiellonian University. Representatives of Polish HEIs present at the meeting emphasised the numerous benefits of participating in such projects, from gaining experience in an international environment to developing language and intercultural competencies to increasing participants' competitiveness in the labour market.
On 2 June, the delegation visited the University of California, Berkeley. A meeting with Jeffery Pennington, Director of the Institute of Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, was the first point on the agenda. The discussion focused on the possibility of expanding international cooperation and supporting scientific and teaching exchange programmes. Professor Tomasz Mizerkiewicz from the Faculty of Polish and Classical Philology at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, highlighted the strengths of Slavonic Studies in the city. He spoke about the available majors for international students and the university's involvement in various global scientific initiatives. Following this was a meeting with Ted Sengpaseuth, International Exchange Advisor at Berkeley Study Abroad. A conversation was held between the Polish universities and UC Berkeley regarding the possibilities of cooperation in the sphere of student mobility. Representatives from both sides presented their best courses and educational initiatives aimed at international students.
- A unique and touching moment of the day was a meeting with Polish students and academics associated with the Polish Club of Berkeley. The participants included Jakub Kierdaszuk, PhD (postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), Adrian Kubicki (law graduate and representative of the Board of the Polish Club of Berkley), Ilan Roth, PhD (scientist at Space Sciences Laboratory), Franciszek Waligóra (physics and oceanography student) and Maksymilian Jasiak (doctoral student in civil engineering),' recalls Kostiantyn Mazur, PhD. At the end of the day, the Polish students invited the delegation for a tour of the UC Berkeley campus, sharing their experiences and perspectives on academic life at one of the best universities in the world.
The concluding highlights of the visit organised by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) featured Poland at the Silicon Valley Centre for Science (PolSV) and Stanford University.
Following the meeting, the delegation travelled to the Stanford University campus for a tour of the university, accompanied by Stanford researchers and a Stanford student.
Source: Kostianty Mazur, PhD and Życie Uniwersyteckie,
Photo by Kostiantyn Mazur, PhD
