On 1 October 2020, the Tempus Public Foundation organized a conference with the support of the Campus Mundi project entitled “The effect of the pandemic on the internationalization of higher education”. The objective of the online event was to create a forum for the discussion of relevant questions regarding the internationalization of higher education. This year COVID-19 has overwritten every plan and expectation and just like in every field of life, the functioning of higher education institutions, teaching and research activities, and international relations have all faced challenges.

After the morning plenary sessions, the discussions went on in four parallel sections with the following topics: international students’ situation during the COVID-19 pandemic based on students’ feedback, the responses of the institutions, new methods in the recruitment of international students, and the adjustments and re-planning during the pandemic. In the section titled “Homed universities? – observations about organization and methodology during the pandemic” Pusztai-Varga Ildikó and Udvari Beáta shared the best practices of the Faculty and their experiences about the supportive strength of the community regarding the quick and direct crisis management of the Faculty, that was reflective to the lecturers’ and students’ opinion and particularly supportive with international students. The presenters highlighted the honest atmosphere and the democratic communication of the GTK community, and the strength of cooperation, value seeking, self-reflection and solution-focused mentality.

The presentation of the Faculty was listened by more than 30 attendants. The presenters received valuable questions and appreciative words. The importance of human dimension and emotional support in the crisis management methodology of an institution was also emphasized next to the above mentioned technical and operative steps. The participants rated the actions of the Faculty exemplary in their comments. The leader of section, Dr Márton Beke, PhD, deputy head of department (Erasmus+, Ceepus, EEA Grants Scholarship, Reforms of EHEA) said after the presentation of GTK appreciatively: “I would also like to be an international student in this Faculty.”