DrEducation: Trends and Insights on Global Higher Education

Next 15 years are expected to be dramatically different from the previous 15 years due to megatrends--“a long-term, transformational process with global reach, broad scope, and a dramatic impact” (John Naisbitt, 1982). Are universities and colleges ready? Here is an excerpt from a recent article--Megatrends Prompt Universities to Innovate and Internationalize.








Recent Studyportals report, “Envisioning pathways to 2030: Megatrends shaping the future of global higher education and international student mobility” identified following eight megatrends transforming global higher education:

Aging world: finding new opportunities of education and employment;Labor market shifts: increasing automation to affect global workforce;Skills mismatch: gap between what employers’ demand vs what education provides;Rapid urbanization: shift towards cities in search of jobs and career advancement;Stricter immigration policies: more barriers for mobility to high-income destinations;Economic shifts: dependen…

Public-private partnerships are becoming critical for US higher education. I moderated a panel discussion of leaders from universities and pathway providers to identify some of the best practices for building successful public-private partnership for international enrollment growth and diversification. Given below is the panel of university and its pathway partner:
Ed Feser, Provost & Executive Vice President, Oregon State University John Sykes, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President North America, INTO University Partnerships Gayle Nunley, Director Global Educational Initiatives, University of Vermont Emily Williams-Knight, Managing Director, Study Group J. Tyler Hart, Chief Development Officer, Richard Bland College (RBC) of William & MaryJames Applegate, Senior Academic Advisor, Navitas North America Jim Burkee, Executive Vice President, Concordia College New York Jose Flores, Managing Director, Kings Education  This panel discussion took place at P3EDU, an invitation-only …

Inside Higher Ed ran a series on the evolution of third-party pathway programs for international student recruitment in the US. This comprehensive and incisive reporting by Elizabeth Redden looks into multiple dimensions related to this complex and evolving topic. It relates to the NAFSA commissioned research report I led on the landscape third-party pathway partnerships and the reasons reported by international education professionals for considering to partner or not.

The article highlights that "Colleges have turned to the third-party pathway model for one main reason: to grow the population of full-pay international students, and in turn the revenue they bring. "



This aligns with the findings of the report. Given below are the topic five reasons for partnering with third-party pathway provider as reported by 347 professionals from 261 institutions who attended NAFSA conferences are:
To access recruitment network of pathway provider To expand enrollment of international st…

Conference theme for British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) Summer Conference for 2018 is "Things we should be talking about in International Education." This theme prompts us to reflect on "what we think we are doing, and why, by poking holes in some of the assumptions embedded in International Education, by looking at things we are talking about, by suggesting things we should be talking about."


It asserts that "Our sector casts a long shadow and there may be other things we should be talking about:...our culling of the top economic strata from the global South’s burgeoning middle classes (our emerging markets) to fill our classrooms, quotas and coffers; our wilful ignorance of the demography and elitism of study abroad, building programs and pedestals for the 1% to springboard their careers. There are uncomfortable conversations to be had to be sure."

I am will be presenting a Thought Leadership session on "Preparing for th…

American universities and colleges are facing a dire challenge of an overall decline in student enrollment. Between Fall 2010 and Fall 2016, higher education institutions suffered a drop of 7.3%, which translates into 1.5 million fewer students in 2016, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

While the domestic enrollments had been declining, one area of optimism had been growth in international student enrollment. The number of international students in the U.S. increased from 723,277 in Fall 2010 to 1,078,822 in Fall 2016, an increase of 49%, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In the same period, the financial contributions of international students grew at a faster pace of nearly 83% to reach US$ 36.9 billion in 2016/17.

However, this growth was unevenly spread by the type of institution. Doctoral Universities drove majority or 88% of the growth. Between 2010/11 and 2016/17, international enrollment at Doctoral Universities increased by…

How is the future of student mobility likely to shift? To understand the future trends, let us look back at the recent history of mobility. In my article, Three Waves of International Student Mobility, I analyze the trends from the lens of three overlapping waves shaped by key events impacting future trends. While many variables influence mobility, this framework provides a bigger picture of how mobility has changed over time from the perspective of competing destinations.



Wave I: Impact of Terrorist Attacks 
Wave I of international students has its origin in the increasing demand for high-skilled talent, especially in STEM subjects at master’s and doctoral level. During this wave, many institutions were motivated to attract international students for research and reputation – and were willing and able to provide funding and scholarships to lure global talent.

Wave II: Impact of Global Financial Recession 
Wave II has its origins in the global financial recession that started in the US.…

I chaired a session at ICAM AACSB conference in Hawaii on international student mobility and recruitment trends from leadership perspectives. The discussion was set in the context of new competition from ambitious institutions in Asia and Europe and unfavorable political climate for many American institutions.

Despite its challenges “in today's turbulent climate, it's more crucial than ever for business schools to pursue and promote globalization in their programs,” says Pankaj Ghemawat and Phillip Bastian in “(Anti)Globalization and Higher Education.”

This interactive session discussed shifting mobility trends and its implications for business schools, which are aiming to attract and enroll international students. 
I highlighted the many traditional B-schools (Defenders) which have been attracting international students to English-speaking countries must reflect and assess how they are preparing to defend their enrollment goals in times of increasing competition from Challen…

I recently participated in a panel presentation on the theme of More than two to tango: bridging global collaboration and local engagement at Going Global conference in Kuala Lumpur. The conference attracted over 1,000 attendees.
I shared the key elements of the global engagement framework and how four segments of institutions--defenders, adapters, challengers and innovators--must prepare for a different future and balance the tension between local priorities and global expectations.

Here are some of the questions explored during the panel discussion:
What are the shifting delivery models that will shape the future of global higher education and can they benefit local communities? How can universities’ internal structures support new styles of partnership involving international communities? What challenges does a broader and fully international engagement of social and community objectives present? How can universities manage an extended international community engagement alongside …

A variety of megatrends indicate that the next decade is likely to become even more competitive and disruptive for recruiting international students.

Despite the challenges, American higher education institutions have a significant opportunity and capacity to grow international student enrollment. International students comprise of only 5% in the total tertiary enrollment in the U.S. as compared to 18% for the U.K., 15% for Australia, 11% for Canada (OECD, 2017).

In this 60-minutes interactive Studyportals webinar, I will host a discussion with an expert panel on how U.S. higher education institutions can maximize the opportunities and overcome the challenges of growing and diversifying international enrollment? Join us for an insightful and engaging panel discussion with experienced professionals. 

Daniel Palm, Associate Vice President for Global Initiatives, Northern Arizona UniversityDavid Di Maria, Associate Vice Provost for International Programs, University of Maryland, Baltimor…