Internationalization in higher education holds the promise of promoting understanding and cooperation among peoples of different cultures and nationalities.

“The way to survive and thrive in this increasingly complex global society is through collaboration,” Saint Louis University President Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, said. “We need to foster a culture of harmony that transcend national interest,” he added.

Saint Louis University is strategically located in Baguio City, the educational center of the north, a major hub in the Cordilleras, and a melting pot of cultures both locally and internationally.

Sales believes interculturation, which refers to the mutual exchange of cultural traits among peoples of different cultural backgrounds or the psycho-cultural change that results from the engagement of peoples not sharing the same culture, is an essential aspect of international education.  

“Cultural harmony can be realized by creating a campus environment that is safe, free, and inclusive to welcome everyone from different cultures who wishes to learn and to achieve integral human development,” he said.  

He noted: “In today’s global and digital world, many of the things we do in the university are put in question; our assumptions are challenged; and the opportunities for a truly relevant international education need to be embraced with an open mind. We live in a small world, one world; and we continue to share and co-exist.”

Saint Louis University is a member of the ANTENA Project, a capacity building cooperation project co-funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Commission, led by the University of Alicante in Spain with the support of the University of Montpellier in France and the European Foundation for Management Development.

Other members of the ANTENA network are Ateneo de Manila University, Benguet State University, Central Luzon State University, De La Salle University, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, , University of San Carlos and Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, University of the Philippines, and the Commission on Higher Education.