International HE under siege: Reflect, don’t retreat

Like practically every other sector in the United States, higher education has been swept up in the politically engineered upheavals of recent months. International education has not been spared – indeed, in many ways, it has stood near the epicentre of the unfolding drama.

The blows have come fast and furious. International students have been threatened, arrested, detained, had their visas denied and their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records cancelled. Visiting scholars have been jailed or deported.

Research collaborations have been disrupted as millions in funding have been frozen or cut. Dozens of universities have terminated agreements with institutions in China and other countries now deemed adversaries of the United States.

These developments have shaken the very foundations of internationalisation and challenged our understanding of what it means to foster international learning and engagement.

International educators are understandably alarmed and unsettled. Feelings of disorientation, helplessness and even despair have become increasingly common among professionals whose work is grounded in expanding academic opportunities for students, supporting scholars who push the boundaries of knowledge and advancing peace through intercultural understanding.

And so, urgent questions now loom: How can we remain effective amid direct assaults on our work? How do we more clearly and courageously advocate for the enduring value of international education – and for the principles that have sustained our work for decades?

Value to society

Many universities, reeling from sustained political and ideological attacks, have been pushed to make a more compelling public case for their value to society. International educators must do the same. We must help others understand just how intellectually, culturally and economically impoverished our institutions will become if we fail to attract the best and brightest to our classrooms, laboratories and research centres.

When our students are denied opportunities to connect globally – through international study, diverse classrooms or engagement with global issues – they lose the chance to develop cultural fluency, critical perspectives and a sense of shared humanity.

But we must also confront, head-on, the toxic narratives that have gained traction in recent months. Hosting international students and scholars does not “poison the blood” of a nation – it strengthens the intellectual and economic vitality of our institutions and communities.

When our students engage in education abroad experiences in regions of the world that have been derisively labelled as “s---hole” countries, they do so with the understanding that the lives, traditions and aspirations of these communities matter just as deeply as any in the Global North.

This is a moment that calls for more clarity, more resolve and more courage. This is a time to recommit to internationalising the curriculum, ensuring students understand their academic disciplines within a global context – and recognise their responsibilities as global citizens, particularly in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

While some institutions may view this work as expendable in times of fiscal austerity, international educators must assert that global engagement is not a luxury – it is essential to institutional relevance, resilience and impact; it is one of the most strategic defences we have against isolationism, polarisation and short-sighted thinking.

Looking inward

That said, international educators cannot simply advocate louder. We must also look inward. We must examine the structures, systems and strategies that shape our work. What assumptions have gone unchallenged? What models of engagement no longer serve us? Business as usual will not suffice. If we are to emerge stronger from this moment, we must reimagine what international education can and should look like.

This means questioning outdated frameworks, critiquing programme modalities, reframing budget models, reconsidering who benefits from our programmes and doubling down on equity, inclusion and global responsibility.

There is no denying that the recent political and cultural upheavals have created a chilling effect across higher education. University presidents are under immense pressure, grappling with budget constraints, intense political scrutiny and the looming threat of subpoenas from hostile congressional panels.

At the same time, provosts are contending with threats to academic freedom and shared governance, reductions in research funding, enrolment declines and a shifting student mindset that challenges traditional models of learning and engagement.

To advance international education in this environment, international educators must meet these leaders where they are, understand the pressures they face and demonstrate how global engagement can serve as a powerful tool to address their most urgent institutional priorities.

Amid the uncertainty, this is a moment for international educators to:

• Stand more visibly and vocally in defence of international education, asserting its value in public discourse and institutional strategy;

• Create accessible and compelling pathways for faculty to incorporate global learning into their teaching, research and service; and

• Lead institutional processes of rethinking, rebuilding and recommitting to international engagement through strategic planning and external reviews.

A decade from now, we will look back on this period and reflect on how international education came under siege – and how we responded. Let us ensure that we remember this not as a time of retreat, but as a turning point. A moment when we rethought existing models, rebuilt systems with purpose and integrity and recommitted ourselves to the core values of global learning and engagement.

Anthony C Ogden is the founder and managing director of Gateway International Group. Harvey Charles serves as a senior affiliate at Gateway, where he leads work on GlobalScope 360 – an external review framework designed to help institutions navigate the evolving complexities of international education.

This article is a commentary. Commentary articles are the opinion of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of University World News.