Introduction

Since the opening of the Eurostar and the development of low-cost airlines, it has never been easier to travel between France and Britain. In terms of international relations between universities, this opens a wealth of opportunities for joint projects initiated and organised by students. This is not the usual structure of university international programmes. These typically take the form of long-term exchanges or joint diplomas, and are organised by staff. As will be argued below, student-led and staff-led approaches are complementary. If student-led projects can overcome certain of their inherent weaknesses there is much scope for their development in terms of international cooperation, especially in the Franco-British context.

Once initiated, student projects face difficulties in sustainability due to the particular dynamics of student societies. Inevitable annual turnover magnifies the challenges of long-term existence and improving best practices over time. Adverse selection problems also arise when the project holds enough prestige to be a valuable addition to a curriculum vitae (CV). One way of overcoming both these challenges is for ex-students of a society to maintain an alumni network which works closely with present students in those societies.

The Franco-British Connections is one such initiative. The role of alumni within this association will be to transmit their experience in organising cross-Channel student projects, with the aim of encouraging other students to develop their own initiatives, and help students in ongoing projects to stay in touch with their predecessors.