IHE 30th Anniversary Issue: Current Trends and Future Research Directions
Dear IHE subscribers,
Welcome to the Summer 2025 issue of International Higher Education, a milestone edition commemorating 30 years of our publication.
Since 1995, International Higher Education has served as an independent voice in our field, providing critical analysis of global trends and developments. In this special 30th anniversary issue, leading scholars analyze current trends and chart future directions for research to address the most pressing challenges facing higher education today.
Hans de Wit, Philip G. Altbach, and Chris R. Glass open with an analysis of the current state of affairs, followed by reflections on three decades of both International Higher Education as a publication and international higher education as a field of study.
Geopolitics and Academic Freedom features Simon Marginson analyzing how national-global upheavals are destabilizing institutions, while Alma Maldonado-Maldonado examines universities as knowledge battlegrounds where security imperatives clash with academic exchange. Sjur Bergan explores fundamental values at the crossroads between politics, policy, and research, and Daniela Craciun addresses academic freedom's precarious position in today's contested landscape.
In AI, Data, and Digital Transformation, Rajani Naidoo examines artificial intelligence and big data's transformative role in universities, while Janja Komljenovic and Ben Williamson analyze the political economy of datafication and platformization. Marek Kwiek proposes a new research agenda for academic profession studies using big data, and Ellen Hazelkorn explores rankings in the age of surveillance capitalism.
Reimagining Internationalization presents Laura E. Rumbley's vision for taking internationalization to the people, Betty Leask's framework for rethinking internationalization as a transformational educational endeavor, and Santiago Castiello-Gutiérrez's analysis of the recurring tide of politicization affecting international higher education.
The Student and Scholar Mobility section features Jenna Mittelmeier calling for research that moves beyond documenting experiences, Liz Shchepetylnykova and Sevgi Kaya-Kaşıkcı examining the metamorphosis of international student mobility amid global turmoil, and Georgiana Mihut exploring the value of study abroad beyond labor market benefits.
Equity, Access, and the Economics of Opportunity addresses critical challenges with Jamil Salmi analyzing equity policies under fire, N.V. Varghese examining equity as an unfinished agenda, and Ariane de Gayardon arguing why one-size student financial aid cannot fit all.
In Higher Education for Sustainable Development, Marcelo Knobel explores the Global South's rising role as the shifting center of future higher education. Roberta Malee Bassett and Koen Geven address the twin challenges for tertiary education in low- and middle-income countries, while Rebecca Schendel examines the uncertain financing future for higher education in the Global South. Tristan McCowan provides insights on international trends in higher education and sustainability, and Wondwosen Tamrat charts future directions for shaping Africa's higher education.
Private Higher Education features Daniel C. Levy advancing discovery in private higher education research and Elizabeth Buckner rethinking private higher education for changing realities. The Quality section includes Gerardo Blanco and Andrés Bernasconi examining international trends in accreditation and quality assurance, Maria Kelo on articulating fundamental values through the European quality assurance framework, and Elena Denisova-Schmidt addressing corruption's old problems and new challenges.
The issue concludes with Doctoral Education, where Sioux McKenna and Patrick Onyango explore defining the doctorate in Africa by aligning purpose with context, and Maria Yudkevich examines doctoral education riding the waves of changes in academia. In Academic Publishing, Yingxin Liu and Hugo Horta analyze the academic publication drive and its consequences, while Gregory M. Britton reflects on the crowded and growing shelf of scholarly communications.
This agenda-setting issue reflects our ongoing commitment to providing critical analysis and research-based insights that inform policy and practice worldwide.
Chris R. Glass and Hans de Wit (Editors), Philip G. Altbach (Founding Editor), Gerardo Blanco and Rebecca Schendel (Associate Editors)
P.S. CIHE is now on Substack, creating new ways for researchers, policymakers, and leaders worldwide to access and engage with the critical analysis and research-based insights in International Higher Education.
