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View from the top: Professor Victor Beker, University of Belgrano
Professor Victor Beker might be described as the perfect teacher to have for an international student – internationally educated, continually excited about all aspects of academic life, supportive of those experiencing university for the first time and still, after more than 30 years in higher education, enthusiastic about international graduate studies.
A graduate of the London School of Economics, Professor Beker is the author of six books, numerous articles and a winner of various academic prizes including a first prize from the Buenos Aires Academic of Sciences and a prestigious Fulbright fellowship to research and teach at the CV Starr Centre for Applied Economics at New York University.
“I joined the University of Belgrano in 1990 as a professor in economics. One year later I was appointed Chair of the Department and managed one of Belgrano’s most popular and successful departments for a number of years. In 1995 I was promoted to my present job as Dean of International Affairs at a time when we received only 100 international students a year. This was a moment of great change in Argentina and we were interested in making sure that a university like Belgrano could somehow help to encourage more international links with the country. We must have been successful in some small way as today we receive around 2,000 international students out of a total of 10,000 students in the university as a whole.”
Professor Beker’s experience of the academic world has been moulded, in part, by the changes in higher education in Argentina. As one of the powerhouses of Latin American university and college education, Argentina used to offer large, state-run universities. But in the 1960’s, smaller private institutions began to emerge offering focused and student-centred undergraduate and graduate programs for local and international students. Entering into the world of privately funded university education allowed Professor Beker the time to develop relationships with his students and ensure that all students had the best possible student experience.
Founded in 1964, the University of Belgrano has developed an enviable reputation throughout Latin America and beyond for its graduate programs across a range of academic areas including law, economics, international studies, humanities and information technology. In recent years it has also become well known for its distance learning and joint programs, making it possible to read a joint degree offered with universities in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the USA.
Teaching international students has manifold effects for both teachers and students.
As Dean of International Affairs, Professor Beker has seen the impact of international exposure firsthand and relishes the opportunities such an approach to graduate education has for all those involved in the process. “Teaching international students has manifold effects for both teachers and students. As an academic and an administrator I would say that it certifies the quality level of the host institution and its faculty members but it also creates a very important intercultural atmosphere which enriches the teaching and learning activities.”
There are also some unexpected results of the international education experience, according to Professor Beker, that add much to its value. “I have often seen that the discussion of different topics, when they are analysed from very different points of view and cultural perspectives provide for some unforeseen conclusions. It opens the mind of professors and students as well as making everyone more involved.”
With over 30 years of experience, Professor Beker has met an enormous number of students who have benefitted from the increasingly international nature of higher education, particularly the two-way exchange of students. Just as the more academically focused areas of the international experience have some unexpected results, travelling abroad can impact on different aspects of life. “The first story which comes to mind is the case of a student of mine whom I recommended for an exchange program at the Erasmus University Business School in Rotterdam. One of the tasks she had was to study the Russian market for a beer company. For that purpose she had to visit Russia and her report was assessed as one of the best and ultimately, when she returned to Argentina, she held a contract with the beer company to promote their business in this country. But the story does not stop there. I did not hear from her for one year or so until I received an invitation to attend her marriage with one of her classmates she knew during her stay in Rotterdam!”
