October 16-18: The NEOLAiA Symposium on University Language Policies

From October 16-18, 2024, the University of Tours hosted the first NEOLAiA International Symposium on Plurilingualism and Intercultural Education in European Higher Education and Research Policies. This event, held at Mame, the city of creation and innovation, brought together about one hundred participants, including specialists in language policies and plurilingual and intercultural education, members of partner universities, and students. 

Co-funded by the European Union and co-organized by NEOLAiA university partners, this symposium was part of the working axis "Towards a Plurilingual and Intercultural European University" within the European alliance. The scientific organization of the symposium was entrusted to the DYNADIV (Dynamics and Issues of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity) laboratory at the University of Tours.

NEOLAiA, which brings together nine universities primarily located in medium-sized cities, aims to co-construct a common charter on plurilingual and intercultural language policies. This symposium provided a space for reflection and collaboration on linguistic diversity in higher education and the challenges it poses in the context of university internationalization.

At the heart of the discussions over these three days, conferences and roundtables allowed for the sharing and confronting of ideas and experiences, particularly to define the role of languages in the learning and teaching of academic disciplines. The general idea was to establish a number of findings on the difficulties faced in a variety of contexts (those of the NEOLAiA Alliance) and the differences in policy directions regarding linguistic and cultural diversity management at universities, with the goal of democratically establishing possible foundations for common action.

The discussions addressed themes such as:

- The growing anglification of higher education,  
- Plurilingual and intercultural perspectives in higher education,  
- Sharing ideas and experiences for plurilingual and intercultural integration in universities,  
- Exchange of experiences with other European university alliances that have also explored these aspects.

The symposium concluded with an initial collaborative work session on a common charter, which will be deployed across the alliance starting in 2025.

This event marks an important milestone for the NEOLAiA alliance in its quest for a more inclusive, plurilingual, and intercultural university that truly reflects European values.