2023 Spring Forum: Risk and response

If the last several years have taught us anything, it is to always be prepared for the unexpected. The Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic surely remain top of mind for most of us, but let us not forget the whole host of other challenges that have presented obstacles in the path towards internationalising higher education in recent years. From refugee crises and threats to academic freedom, to geopolitics and climate change and market pressures on higher education, uncertainty is a constant backdrop to our work. This raises the question: what do we do?

With this edition of Forum magazine, 16 authors representing perspectives from 11 different countries across the world seek to address these questions and others related to risk management in today’s rapidly changing higher education landscape. From Alejandra Vicencio’s compelling story about how Northumbria University managed 324 exchanges in the midst of COVID-19, to DAAD Secretary General Kai Sicks’ insistence that “whatever else happens, science diplomacy never ends”; from Jérôme Rickmann and Kirsi Kettula’s illumination of Aalto University’s calculated yet nuanced approach to risk assessment, to Janet B. Ilieva and Vicky Lewis’ dive into the complexities of UK-China relations; the Spring 2023 edition presents a diversity of perspectives on expecting the unexpected in higher education today.

This issue of Forum magazine seeks 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.