Sofia Corradi, the educational scientist who is considered the ‘mother’ of the European exchange program Erasmus, was buried in Rome this week. Corradi died last week in Italy, at the age of 91. She was professor of educational sciences at the University of Roma Tre, in Rome. Offering European students the opportunity to study for a period in another EU member state during their secondary studies, without ‘Erasmus’ this would only be possible for a wealthy family, Corradi once said himself.
Since the introduction of Erasmus, in 1987, more than 16 million people took part in the exchange program, which became one of the most successful European projects ever. The name of the European project is a reference to the cultural travels of Erasmus of Rotterdam. The program has now been significantly expanded and no longer only applies to students. ‘Erasmus+’ is a lifelong learning project, also available for professionals. During the 2021-2027 budget period, Europe will invest 26.2 billion euros in Erasmus+.
Two kinds of reactions at the time
The great success of Erasmus – a way to introduce young Europeans to other languages, countries, cultures and other Europeans – was not obvious from the start. There were two kinds of reactions, Corradi once said himself, according to the Italian press: “You had people who said that the universities in our own country were good enough, and that our young people should not go abroad and chase girls from other countries. And then you also had that other reaction, one of pure enthusiasm, from whom after twenty seconds they were completely convinced of the idea.”
Afterwards, the Erasmus students all told me the same thing: that Erasmus had changed their lives
Sofia Corradi studied law at La Sapienza University in Rome and, thanks to a Fulbright scholarship, was able to pursue a master’s degree in comparative law at Columbia in the US in 1957. But upon her return to Italy, that education was not recognized and Corradi had to continue her Italian studies. In an interview with the public broadcaster Rai, Corradi said that the administrative staff even insulted her and suggested that she had only gone to have fun in America.
Seed planted
Her frustration with this would plant a seed, and in 1969, as scientific advisor to the Italian university rectors, she developed a proposal to offer students the opportunity to complete part of their university career at a foreign university, subject to prior approval from their own faculty. The seed had become the seed of the later Erasmus project, which officially started in 1987 after a long experimental phase.
Corradi said in the conversation with Rai that she continued to receive letters from Erasmus students for years, thanking her for her idea. According to its creator, the project created a generation of Europeans who were tolerant of other peoples and cultures, and with an open mind: “A small provincial went abroad, and a world citizen returned home. Afterwards, the Erasmus students all told me the same thing: that Erasmus had changed their lives.”
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