The Venn diagram that doesn’t overlap...
But should.
December 11, 2025
Last month I had the opportunity to speak at the P3.EDU conference in Atlanta that brings together university and industry leaders to talk about innovation and public-private partnerships (hence P3) in higher education. It was an energizing event and a first for me—I had never heard of the event within my siloed universe of international higher education.
As I listened to expertly curated panels and chatted with attendees during breaks, I was struck by how little international education featured in the conversation. To the extent that global engagement came up, it was almost entirely through the lens of international student recruitment or transnational education (including the panel I moderated on India and China as higher education markets). Both are important areas of university strategy, of course, yet are a narrow slice of what it means to be an international institution in an interconnected world and especially at a time when we need to think more broadly and creatively about how to engage globally.
This made me revisit something that is often accompanied by much hand-wringing in our field: the apparent disconnect between different higher education gatherings, resulting in echo chambers. Innovation- and industry-focused conferences often sit in one circle, concerned with their own set of issues, while global education convenings occupy another. And the divide goes both ways: at most mainstream international education conferences…
the industry and private-sector voices that are increasingly shaping higher education’s direction are rarely present, or at best are minimal. The result is a set of parallel conversations about the future of higher education that rarely intersect.
This missing link felt even more apparent as I listened to a stimulating discussion at P3:EDU between Maria Flynn, the President and CEO of Jobs for the Future, Lisa Chang, EVP and Global People Officer at the Coca-Cola Company, and others about the intersection of education, skills, and workforce development. These are exactly the sorts of conversations we need to be having within international higher education as well. Instead of engaging industry partners as an afterthought—usually when it comes to international students’ challenges such as OPT and H1Bs—we need them actively engaged from the beginning as both the co-creators and the beneficiaries of a global talent pool. Only then will industry and employers feel a sense of intersection and investment in the issues that matter to us in international education.
Virtual Workshop in Partnership with AIEA!
I'm thrilled to partner with AIEA (the Association of International Education Administrators) to offer a virtual workshop: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. As the international education landscape evolves, many professionals are reimagining their careers and seeking new ways to apply their expertise. The workshop will help you explore consulting as a meaningful next step—whether full-time or alongside other pursuits--and to develop both the needed mindset and gain practical strategies. This workshop will enable you to:
➡️ Reflect on your professional expertise and identify transferable skills that lend themselves to consulting work
➡️ Understand different models of consulting within the broader nonprofit/education sectors
➡️ Assess whether consulting aligns with your professional and personal goals at this stage of your career
➡️ Learn key steps to get started—such as defining a consulting focus,
identifying potential clients, and communicating your value
➡️ Gain practical strategies for exploring consulting as a flexible, purpose-driven pathway during times of transition or career growth.
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 & 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: January 22, 1:00-3:30pm Eastern
Come join us! (Early bird registration ends on Dec. 15)
And if you have questions about whether this is right for you, feel free to reach out.
Announcing SAGE: (SouthAsia-IEN Academy for Global Engagement)
Some of you have been following my South Asia-focused work over at the South Asia International Education Network (SouthAsia-IEN). My Co-Founder, Uttiyo Raychaudhuri and I recently launched the SouthAsia-IEN Academy for Global Engagement (SAGE), the professional development and capacity-building arm of SouthAsia-IEN which helps build bridges between global higher education institutions and South Asia through training, professional development, and bespoke advisory services.
💡 𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄’s 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:
➡️ 𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐛: Focused on global higher education sectors and South Asia, ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠 led by experts and designed for professionals seeking to deepen their global engagements.
➡️ 𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐼𝑛-𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛, 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠, including short-term exchanges, leadership institutes, and delegation visits for global higher education leaders and South Asia.
➡️ 𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 focused on unique problems and solutions for global and South Asian institutions.
𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐍:
⌚ 𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧): An in-person transformative leadership immersion program and strategic partnership initiative driving U.S.-India higher education collaboration (Tentative travel dates for India: March 2026)
⌚ 𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐔.𝐒.-𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐛: A high-impact online learning experience for U.S. and Indian institutions to build essential knowledge, strengthen institutional capacity, and gain practical insights. (Tentative start: April 2026)
I’m interested in learning more!
Recommended Reading: South Asians in the U.S.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟓.𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
In the latest issue of 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐸𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, I argue that while the growing Indian diaspora in the United States serves as a critical link for furthering US–India higher education relations, its role and potential are often overlooked. The article highlights the ways in which the diaspora on US campuses—from faculty to presidents and chancellors, to second-generation Indian American students—is furthering this critical relationship. I also discuss the role of institutional partnerships and national policies. This is the work we are trying to do through SouthAsia-IEN.
International students from South Asia
The much-anticipated new Open Doors report was released last month, offering a data-based view of how the rest of the world engages with the U.S. through its universities. SouthAsia-IEN did a special analyses of what the data means for South Asia and the U.S. You can and also sign up for our SouthAsia-IEN newsletter where we will be sharing content and updates related to South Asia and higher education.
(Note: all the data below is attributable to Open Doors).
