President of SBU at the Meeting of International Directors of Universities:
A strong country has a strong university, and a strong university has a strong international section
The meeting of the international directors of universities and higher education institutions across the country, attended by Dr. Rezaeifar, the president of the Center for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, was held on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, hosted by Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) in the Molavi Hall.
Prof. Seyyed Mahmoud Reza Aghamiri, the president of SBU, considered universities as an important part and symbol of a country’s power, stating: "Whenever a country's credibility is discussed, its universities are mentioned. Our country is no exception, and conditions must be created for them to be symbols of the country's power."
He pointed out that one of the most important parts of a university are its news outlets and websites, which introduce the university. The main duty and primary goal in this regard is to internationalize the university. He added: "This means we must have a university that is a symbol of power at the international level because a powerful country has strong universities, and a strong university has a strong international section."
Prof. Aghamiri mentioned that there are 30 to 35 universities in the country capable of being symbols of national power. To achieve this goal, he emphasized upgrading university websites as the gateway to the university from an international perspective, creating necessary facilities for identifying prominent figures, educational connections, transferring current knowledge with global scientific centers, ranking universities by the international section, enhancing the international level, improving rankings, and utilizing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support universities.
Another aspect of internationalizing universities mentioned by the president was the presence of professors in international seminars. He said: "The presence of professors in international scientific meetings has decreased to one-tenth, and this needs to be addressed."
He also noted the interest of international professors in connecting with domestic universities, adding that although there are challenges and limitations in this area, investment is necessary.
Dr. Rezaeifar, president of the Center for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, stated that the center has attempted to adopt a different approach. He announced the first approved plan to create a multilingual website for the Ministry of Science and added that this website could play a clear role in the international arena.
Dr. Rezaeifar said that in the fields of culture-building and interactions, science and technology parks are obliged to produce content based on their significant achievements to maintain system dynamism.
He referred to the priorities of the international center in educational, research, and technology fields and Islamic civilization and the Persian language as important topics in international interactions, emphasizing operational cohesion in international behaviors and communications. For example, one serious issue in the international arena is the numerous memorandums of understanding signed with various universities and countries, but the non-implementation of these memorandums can have adverse consequences on the country’s international reputation.