A conversation with Stefano Giacomelli, about his experience at the EAIE Academy in Bucharest

Stefano Giacomelli, assistant to the Ph.D Programme Director of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, shares his experience at the EAIE Academy
in Bucharest.

Hi Stefano, thank you for your time. Please tell us something about yourself and your current position at USI.

“Hi Arianna. Thank you for inviting me to share my experience. I graduated with a degree in business law from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in Milan. I then began my Ph.D at the Faculty of Communication Sciences (IMCA Institute) at the end of 2013. During the past three years, I have been assistant to the Ph.D Program Director and to the Vice-Dean (and Examinations tutor). My administrative duties involve interacting with students and professors at all three levels (BA, MA, Ph.D). I really enjoyed that because it is inspiring on a personal and professional level. 

What brought you to take part in the staff mobility program?

“I think two words best describe my idea of “good administration”: 1) Internationalization and 2) Sharing. Internationalization means being aware of what happens not only inside your university, but also outside of it. This is important because in today’s world, we need to provide efficient and good services: one’s overall approach to academic duties needs to reflect the current trends in the international community so to avoid stagnation of processes inside your institution and to allow it to “surf and not to suffer the trend”. 

Sharing refers to the idea that good and innovative ideas hardly come from the mind of a single person, as human knowledge and development are based on sharing ideas, opinions, and perspectives. Sharing also provides the first feedback to individuals about their ideas, allowing them to improve or reconsider them. A staff mobility program offers exactly that, an international environment where ideas are shared among colleagues working in the same or similar field.”

What did you learn and what would you implement in your daily work?

“I attended two courses organized by the EAIE Academy in Bucharest: 1) How to run a successful Summer School and 2) The credential evaluator toolkit: detecting fraud. The first program provided me with useful insights on how to build, prepare, and manage a summer school. Today, universities are investing valuable resources into these kind of programs to be competitive and attract participants. They need therefore not only to provide a good learning experience, but also to create a professional marketing and management of the event.

The second program has given me an important overview of an international problem, i.e., the fake-diploma market. There is an unbelievable number of fake diplomas in circulation, and it is very difficult to detect one; hence, it is important to avoid fraud. Considering my administrative duties, both courses have practical relevance and immediate application: for example, in my office I now have a magnifying glass and portable ultraviolet light to detect possible false diplomas!”

Overall, would you recommend such an experience abroad to your colleagues? Why? 

“Yes, absolutely. A mobility program is both a personal experience because you meet many people who work in the same field, and a professional experience that allows one to grow because you acquire more competences. Moreover, it is an opportunity to build or become part of a network of people who share the same professional interests.”