EAIE Podcast

The (international) higher education community continues to grapple with the reality that academic freedom - long regarded as essential to open, democratic societies - remains vulnerable across the globe. Today, scholars face escalating pressures from political forces, censorship, and conflict, while institutions navigate increasingly complex ethical and geopolitical terrain. Scholars at Risk, an...

We find ourselves at a time when political tensions, misinformation, and social divides increasingly spill onto university campuses across Europe and beyond. Higher education institutions are trying to respond to growing polarisation and a need to strengthen democratic culture. But how can the foundations for constructive dialogue be secured on our campuses? What’s involved in equipping future cit...

In May 2021, the EAIE podcast published an episode on micro-credentials. At that moment, there was a thrilling mix of excitement and uncertainty surrounding this topic. Would micro-credentials live up to the expectations? How would higher education institutions be transformed, and how would they adapt? Maria Kelo, then the Director of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Educat...

We find ourselves at the start of a new year, a moment of both reflection and celebration. In the case of two of the EAIE’s partner associations, there is indeed much to celebrate: IAU, the International Association of Universities , just marked its 75th anniversary in 2025, while EUA, the European University Association , will observe their 25th anniversary now in 2026. These wonderful milestones...

At the EAIE, we believe that advancing international higher education starts with empowering the people behind the ideas. Guided by this commitment, we were thrilled to announce our first round of EAIE Doctoral Research Grants winners in September 2025. The grants reflect our commitment to inspiring and uniting the community throughout the year by connecting professionals, policy-makers and schola...

At the EAIE, we believe that advancing international higher education starts with empowering the people behind the ideas. Guided by this commitment, we were thrilled to announce our first round of EAIE Doctoral Research Grants winners in September 2025. The grants reflect our commitment to inspiring and uniting the community throughout the year—connecting professionals, policy-makers and scholars...

From handshakes and sharing cultural highlights to photo opportunities and campus tours, delegation visits are activities many HEIs across the globe spend a lot of time on. But how can your institution move from simply making these visits happen to ensuring maximum partnership impact? At the EAIE conference in Gothenburg earlier this year, the Thematic Committee Partnerships organised a Spotlight...

Between 17 and 21 November 2025, the United States is focusing on International Education Week, a suitable time to reflect on the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe, especially in light of recent developments in this field. Earlier this year, in September, colleagues at the Institute of International Education (or IIE) and the German Academic Exchange Service (known as the DAAD)...

Every year on 10 October, we observe World Mental Health Day, which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues worldwide. While mental health is a topic that touches all of us, this EAIE podcast episode zooms in on student mental health: an area that continues to receive more attention but is still occasionally overlooked or underestimated. Navigating new cultures, academic pressures, and soc...

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) has also made its way into the world of international higher education, and it is here to stay! At the 2025 EAIE conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, the topic of AI was addressed and discussed in various sessions and settings, and we’re continuing the conversation in this instalment of the EAIE podcast. There’s a whole world of AI out there to...

The countdown to the EAIE 2025 Conference and Exhibition in Gothenburg has begun! Between 09 and 12 September 2025, many topics within the world of international higher education will be discussed during sessions, networking events, informal gatherings, and the opening and closing plenaries. As we look toward this exciting gathering, EAIE podcast host Laura Rumbley had the pleasure of interviewing...

The current times offer a rich and varied landscape of terms, terminology and acronyms that encompass matters of gender and sexuality. From LGBTQ to LGBTQA+ to LGBTQ+2S, within the international higher education field, we often see the term ‘rainbow community’ used to capture the full scope of this picture. Notably, in the EAIE Barometer, third edition (2024), 32% of respondents indicated the topi...

Since the start of the Erasmus+ programme in 1987, some 15.1 million people have been provided with the opportunity to study, train, work and volunteer abroad. In 2025, a mid-term review of the 2021–2027 Erasmus+ programme will provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the current programme, while efforts are underway to shape the next edition of Erasmus+ for 2028–2034. Many eyes are o...

When crossing borders across Europe and the world, we often find ourselves not only in a different country but also facing a different language. But what is the state of language learning in Europe today? With the widespread uptake of English across the globe, especially within IHE, is there still a need to immerse yourself in new languages? Laura Rumbley talks to Susanna Slivensky, Deputy Directo...

Going abroad for a study exchange or mobility period is often described as a positive and life-changing experience. While many take this wonderful experience with them throughout their lives, there are also cases where disaster strikes and a mobility experience has an unexpected outcome. Laura Rumbley talks to international HE professionals who went through such an experience together and were wil...

1925 was the year in which Europe found itself in an interwar period. It was also the moment when The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) was established with big aspirations. Now, in 2025, DAAD is celebrating its 100th anniversary and taking a moment to look back at its century-long history filled with notable phases and inspiring developments. Why was the DAAD established in 1925, and how ha...

It all started in September 2020: the very first episode of the EAIE podcast series, titled ‘The Stories We Tell.’ We had no idea what our podcast adventure would look like and how long we would last. Yet, here we are: roughly 4,5 years later and still going strong! With a total of 142 individual guests from 36 different countries, the EAIE podcast has focused on all kinds of topics with one main...

As proclaimed by UNESCO in 2002, the third Thursday of November is World Philosophy Day. While philosophy and international higher education (IHE) might not immediately be considered a straightforward combination, there are many ways in which the art of philosophy can complement people’s personal and professional lives. During the 2024 EAIE Conference in Toulouse, France, a session was dedicated t...

Alumni are an important stakeholder group in higher education institutions across the world. An engaged alumni network can not only help an institution to benefit from the experiences and skills of its graduates, but alumni can also make a significant impact on individual students by providing mentorship, advice, and networking opportunities. A possible alumni relationship starts the moment a pros...

The 2024 EAIE Award winners were announced earlier this year, and at the conference in Toulouse, they were all given some of the attention they rightfully deserve. In this podcast episode, the EAIE is honoured to have had the opportunity to talk to not one but two of this year's award winners: Birgit Hernady, Head of the International Office at FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences (Aust...

During the summer of 2024, many of us soaked up the energy and excitement of the Olympic Games in Paris, France. As a global event where people from all over the world come together to compete, collaborate, learn, and enjoy, the Olympics can, in some ways, be compared to international education, which also brings together individuals with shared interests and passions. Upon closer inspection, what...

Within the international higher education community, we see the celebration of achievements regularly. Successfully launching a new research project, reaching a milestone number of international students accepted and signing a new partnership. But what about learning from our failures? We tend not to share the lessons learned from a programme that failed or a collaboration gone wrong, while in som...

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice." Martin Luther King’s quotes still inspire many across the world when it comes to peacebuilding. But in a world of constant change, challenge and conflict, is peace a mere utopian dream or something tangible that we can and should actively strive towards? In this episode of the EAIE podcast, peacebuilding ta...

2024 marks a special anniversary for the EAIE: the Association turns 35! A lot has happened within the world of international higher education in the decades since the EAIE’s founding in 1989, and the EAIE itself has also been on quite an evolutionary journey during this time. Current Executive Director Leonard Engel has been an important part of that journey for 14 years and is now getting ready...

We’re still 'En Route!' to the EAIE 2024 Conference and Exhibition, and we're getting closer and closer to that moment in September when we will meet in person in Toulouse! We’re looking forward to the numerous exciting sessions, networking events, informal gatherings and the opening and closing plenaries. After having had the pleasure several months ago of talking to this year’s op...