2023 Spring Forum call for submissions: Risk and response

The last several years in international higher education have been tumultuous to say the least. Global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have most certainly been felt in our field, in addition to a whole host of more subtle and slow-burning conflicts and crises, from growing threats to academic freedom to the ongoing climate crisis. In a time when it seems like uncertainty is the only thing we can be certain of anymore, what can those of us working in higher education do to anticipate risks and respond to them effectively?

This is the guiding question for the 2023 Spring edition of Forum magazine on ‘Risk and response’. Successful submissions for this issue of the EAIE member magazine will engage thoughtfully with ‘risk’ in general or specific risks facing international higher education, as well as what stakeholders ranging from national education sectors to individuals working at higher education institutions (HEIs) can and should do to mitigate the potential challenges faced by our institutions, our sector and global society.

This theme can be approached from a number of different angles, but the Publications Committee will be especially interested to receive submissions addressing some of the following topics.

Conflict and its discontents

Violent conflict and its repercussions are surely top of mind for many; not only does daily life continue to be disrupted by violence in Afghanistan, Yemen, Ethiopia and elsewhere, but the invasion of Ukraine has also brought armed conflict back to the European continent.

What are the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for international education in Europe and beyond? How should higher education institutions within and outside Ukraine respond to the crisis? Are there other ongoing conflicts with significant impacts on (international) higher education which are not receiving enough attention? These are key questions of significance for this issue of Forum.

Additionally, wars lead to new waves of refugees, whose forced mobility carries with it significant repercussions for the societies they leave behind and those in which they take refuge. How can institutions and national higher education sectors prepare for potential arrivals of refugees in significant numbers? What policies or approaches are needed to address forced migration and forced mobility of students and staff?

Physical and mental health

The peak of the pandemic is now perhaps distant enough in the rear-view mirror to reflect fruitfully on what has changed and what we’ve learned from it. What lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic could be specifically applied to future global health crises? What is your institution doing to prepare for another pandemic-like event?

One area that was highlighted by our collective experience of the pandemic was the crisis in mental health that it exacerbated as students and staff at many HEIs faced prolonged lockdowns and isolation. How can HEIs and professionals prepare for the psychological impacts of the many challenges we face today, and what can be done to help students and others impacted by war, pandemics etc?

(Geo)politics and international relations

Often it is the shifting political winds within and between countries which generate the very risks and challenges we face in international higher education. This can be seen, for example, in the rising threats to academic freedom in recent years and the renewed concerns around intellectual property and knowledge diplomacy.

In light of these trends, how can institutions or national higher education sectors prepare for political developments that could limit academic freedom, and how can institutions in countries or regions where this is currently happening respond? More broadly, what risk assessments and response plans should be in place as relates to general geopolitical tensions and great power competition? How can institutions or national higher education sectors develop policies that balance issues like intellectual property and national security against the internationalisation of research and partnerships?

Finally, at the heart of these dynamics are questions of values. How should institutions or national higher education sectors respond to threats to human rights and other values-based risks? What are good approaches to partnerships and collaboration with institutions in countries where human rights are limited?

Big picture risks

In addition to surveying some of the specific challenges of the present moment, this issue of Forum will also attempt to take a step back and look at the big picture of the role of higher education in an increasingly crisis-ridden world.

What challenges should we be expecting in conjunction with climate change, and how can we prepare for them? How can institutions prepare for or respond to natural disasters and other climate-related crises? How can HEIs, their students, and academic and professional staff help society be better prepared for or resilient to crises? These are just a few of the big questions that this edition of Forum will attempt to answer.

Take a risk: submit an article!

What have we learned from our responses to the various crises that have unfolded in recent years – responses which have proven key to our success as a sector? How can we prepare ourselves to address the variety of known and unknown challenges that await? Altogether, this issue of Forum magazine will seek to analyse the risks currently facing international higher education, and more importantly, what the sector as a whole or we as institutions and individuals can and should do about any of it.

The EAIE welcomes articles of 800 to 1200 words on any aspect of this topic from both EAIE members and non-members by 20 January 2023. For more information on the issue theme, examples of article topics and guidelines for writing, see our page on Writing for the EAIE.