This organizing of “entrance mobility” from abroad is now based on the convergence of 1) an external network made up of all CampusFrance offices in the world (about one hundred) operating under the authority of local ambassadors and subsidized by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and 2) an internal network of CampusFrance offices grouped into regions, all of which are coordinated by the Paris office. The missions of the fourth GIP, now named CampusFrance, are more closely defined and at the same time broadened, even though the single operator issue has not yet been resolved once and for all. This new organization, whose duration has been reduced to three years to emphasize its temporary nature, even includes a committee made up of the managers and chairmen of the organizations destined to be partly or wholly merged: Egide, CNOUS and CampusFrance. This committee has met very regularly since its launch at the Sorbonne on March 7, 2007 in the presence of three ministers and the three institutional conferences. CampusFrance’s board of directors and steering committee now include all the international operators, all types of higher education institutions, most of the ministries concerned, the main student organizations as well as local governments and businesses.

Conclusions

It is clear to see that EduFrance, which was initially criticized by educational institutions for the positioning imposed on it, has continued to concretely perform its assigned missions, while striving to thoroughly overhaul its structure. The new structure would be based on a clear definition of its scope of activities and driven by a strategic assessment of international competition in the area of academic and scientific exchanges.

The Agency is therefore required to carry out its activities while continuing to critically examine itself as an organization and to justify an action plan that is, by definition, temporary. This incessant need for justification and self-analysis has a dual effect: first, the permanent stress experienced by employees and management alike - all the stronger since it comes on top of the stress generated by international operations and second, the emergence of a strong sense of belonging to an organization that is extremely responsive to outside requests.

The brief history of this organization highlights its enduring achievements despite the difficulties it has faced: improved foreign representation, a successful brand in spite of the name change, undisputed European recognition, the increasing coordination of all parties’ efforts to implement a quality charter for mobility and the ever greater structuring of university cooperation. The contours of an ambitious and powerful public policy are beginning to emerge while the services provided to members have become increasingly professionalized and diversified. As proof of this progress, CampusFrance now encompasses more than 200 institutions, including nearly all universities, Grandes Ecoles and engineering schools.