ERASMUS CHANGING LIVES OPENING MINDS fOR 25 YEARS

Mária
Dudás
‘Age is no barrier – only a state of mind’
Home institution:
Óbuda University, Hungary
Field of study/job title:
Institutional coordinator for
Erasmus
Year became active in Erasmus:
1997
For the past 15 years, Mária Dudás has been very active in European work.
Having recently celebrated her 65th birthday, she is the longest serving and
most experienced coordinator in Hungary. ‘It has been a great pleasure for me
since I have enjoyed every minute of my Erasmus work. I have tried to share
this with everyone.’
For her the greatest satisfaction has been the impact on students. ‘It helps them
to gain knowledge, improve their self-confidence and make new friendships. It also
helps them see themselves as European and improve their options in the employment
market.’ With more than one hundred partnership arrangements, there are
many opportunities for students to travel. And to support incoming students, she
has encouraged the university to offer courses in German and English.
She has received many accolades and prizes for her international work, however
some successes count more than others: ‘I was really proud when Erasmus celebrated
two million students and the Hungarian representative was from my university.’
Helping students and her university to become more international has
been an outstanding achievement. Activities such as an alumni association,
‘buddy’ systems, double degree programmes and accurate information for participants
have all helped to promote mobility. And although ‘you cannot convince
everyone, the original Guild Fellows knew that travelling to learn was
essential – it is the same philosophy today.’
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