Lavern Samuels: 25 years of internationalisation in South Africa

The International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. Between 22 and 25 August the association organised its 25th annual conference, this time bringing together international higher education professionals from around the world in Durban, South Africa.

For Europe, partnership with Africa is a key priority – whether in terms of economic development, sustainability objectives or other activities. How should we view the current dynamics in EU/Africa partnerships in higher education? What are some of the core values and topics of interest for IEASA at the moment? And what can be seen as some fundamental challenges and opportunities for internationalisation in South Africa today?

In this episode of the EAIE podcast, host Laura Rumbley talks to Lavern Samuels, IEASA president for 2023-2024 and Director of International Education and Partnerships at Durban University of Technology, South Africa. Join us to learn more about this topic!

About Lavern Samuels

Lavern Samuels is a dental surgeon and medical scientist with a special interest in oral medicine and broader public health. Currently, he serves as the Director of International Education and Partnerships (IEP) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). He is also the President of the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA), a position he previously held between 2012 and 2014. He is also a past Chair of the IEASA Directors Forum. Additionally, Lavern Samuels is Chair of the Southern African Nordic Centre (SANORD), a consortium of 60 universities across 15 countries from the Southern African and Nordic regions. He is also a member of the Board of the International Virtual Exchange Consortium (IVEC) and represents South Africa in the Network of International Education Associations (NIEA), the peak global body for international education associations. Currently, he also serves as a Board Member of the International Centre for Non-Violence (ICON) and the ML Sultan Charitable and Educational Trust.

Having come from the field of Health Science, Dr Samuels has served as the academic head of the Departments of Dental Sciences and Environmental Health, as well as Deputy Dean and Acting Executive Dean, in the DUT Faculty of Health Sciences. He is a former board member of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), and also previously served on the Foreign Qualifications Committee of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).