Governance
of the Maison de Norvège

Tell us about your background and your arrival at the Cité internationale.

At the Cité internationale I can find the centres of interests and values – not to mention passions – that align with my professional background. The value and importance of education is at its core. For several decades I have worked in the field of promoting student and teacher mobility as well as international cooperation in the domains of education and research within international organisations and universities. Another very important aspect of my professional background is the supervision and integration of students from all categories into their place of study and their work environment. The Cité internationale’s vocation is to be a place for interaction and meetings and an environment that morally and physically supports the students throughout their studies.

What do you think it is that makes the Cité internationale a unique campus in the world?

A strong internationale presence and a feeling – via the buildings for different countries – of truly living in an international environment, all whilst profiting from a very attractive city and host country. The good-quality facilities, cultural life (normally), the heritage and the exceptional parks evidently contribute to the uniqueness of the Cité.

How does living in your house allow residents to have a different outlook on the world and how is it a spring board for their futures?

The maison de Norvège is a house of mixing and sharing that allows students that are open to doing so meet others from different backgrounds and to discover mentalities and approaches to the world that are different from what they already know through them. This experience – especially if it is accompanied by a reflection on one’s own values and behaviour, as well as a desire to listen and respect others – can prove to be very useful in their future personal and professional life.

If you had to sum up the Cité internationale in one word, what would it be and why?

The word that comes to mind is “openness”: a Cité open to the world by welcoming residents from diverse origins, openness to the spirit of those necessary to accomplish the Cité’s mission and to exhibit its values; openness to the future of the Cité by the desire to develop in a sustainable and inclusive manner – this is just to name a few of the many types of “openness” that I could mention.