Toolbox for Internationalization and Academic Resilience in Times of Crisis

Practical Takeaways from Germany, Israel, and Ukraine

Implement hybrid learning formats to reach students locally and abroad.
Allow research and exchange students to continue or resume studies remotely with financial and academic support.
Offer tailored academic calendars and program tracks for international and domestic cohorts.
Reinstate students returning from exchange into local studies without penalty.

Acknowledge diversity and unequal impact in times of crisis (e.g., reserve duty, displaced status, ethnic or international identity).
Provide multilingual, trauma-informed support services.
Train faculty for inclusive, sensitive engagement across communities.
Create safe and inclusive spaces with active mechanisms to report and respond to misconduct.
Promote volunteering opportunities to foster resilience and solidarity within the campus community.

Establish regular, real-time updates for partners, students’ families, and funders.
Maintain direct lines of communication with students abroad and internationals on campus.
Share challenges openly to build trust and attract meaningful support.
Embrace expressions of solidarity and cooperation, even amidst global political tensions (e.g., boycott climates).

Leverage international collaborations to provide emergency mobility, joint programs, and academic continuity.
Institutionalize long-term alliances through joint initiatives, co-teaching, and shared infrastructure.
Reframe internationalization as values-driven and supportive of democratic, intercultural, and sustainable goals.
Recognize universities as pillars of social resilience in national and global crises.