Brought to you by Penn Global & Penn GSE Academic Conference

The Future of Global Higher Education
A Penn Global & University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) Conference
March 17, 2023  |  9:00 AM  | Perry World House

At a time of great global disruption, the need for international partnership and cooperation in higher education is more apparent than ever before. Cross-border collaborations are the basis for developing and sustaining tolerance and understanding between different peoples, cultures and academic traditions. They can inspire innovation, increase opportunities for mutual endeavors and be the basis for the pursuit of shared solutions to pressing global problems. Opportunities for collaboration have broadened and diversified with new technologies and new communication platforms. But building partnerships between institutions is often challenging because there are sometimes competing cultural values and social practices. There are also often stark differences in resources and short-term objectives. While there have been notable and praiseworthy successful partnerships between institutions that can inform future joint work the challenges ahead are formidable. At the same time, tensions between nations have increased, while constraints on trade and the free movement of people continue to emerge and have been amplified by COVID pandemic, among other phenomena. In combination, these factors signal the importance of taking stock of existing partnerships and a strategic rethink of the nature and direction of global partnership development for higher education institutions.   

As the University celebrates the tenth anniversary of Penn Global and develops its strategic priorities for the next era of global engagement, it is time to critically appraise cross-border higher education partnerships. Penn Global and Penn GSE will examine the pillars of global partnership in higher education through an event that will draw out both lessons learned from the past decade plus of Penn’s international engagement as well as possible solutions to future challenges.