Intercultural Dialogue: Arqus Language Centre Directors Gathered at the University of Granada

Language centre directors from eight Arqus universities and one associate partner met in Granada from 25 to 27 June to focus on the topics of culture and management during their network meeting titled “Bridging cultures and leading change in university language centres: Intercultural and language workshop series for the plurilingualism module”.

The meeting began with a welcome session and an atmospheric evening tour of the Alhambra, Granada’s world-renowned historic palace and fortress. The next day was dedicated to intercultural awareness, with an insightful session led by Maria José Pérez from the University of Granada’s Language Centre. Participants explored key cultural concepts such as the three levels of culture and the distinction between low-context and high-context cultures. These themes will be developed further in future Arqus Plurilingual Hub workshops.

On the second day, Professor Andrés Navarro delivered a session on business models and strategic planning for university language centres. His presentation focused on building institutional vision, generating added value, and strengthening leadership practices.

Professor Roma Kriaučiūnienė from Vilnius University, who took part in the meeting, described the event as both meaningful and necessary. “The interactive lectures and practical workshops were immensely valuable, as were the discussions on intercultural cooperation led by Maria José Pérez from the University of Granada’s Language Centre,” she said.

She emphasised how important it is to foster students’ cultural sensitivity: “We were reminded of the need to continuously nurture students’ awareness of cultural differences – to help them recognise and respect these differences. This is the foundation of smooth and respectful communication in any multilingual and multicultural environment.”
The professor also noted that many of the ideas presented during the event will be reflected in upcoming seminars organised by the Arqus Multilingual and Multicultural Centre.

Reflecting on Professor Navarro’s contribution, she added: “His insights into language centre management models, strategies, and vision were both inspiring and practically useful. Many of his ideas can be creatively applied across the varied management contexts of our Arqus universities.”

This was the seventh meeting of the Arqus Language Centre Directors, and the group plans to meet again next year.