Description
Global Education Partnerships (GEPs) have come key component of Universities’ strategies globally engaged students. Varying in scale, time and levels of formality across programmes and modules GEPs provide staff and students opportunities to collaborate and widen their teaching and learning. Yet, the motives and dynamics of GEPs have been heavily contested by critical internationalisation scholars (See for Stein 2021; Craig et al 2024). From the competitive market for international students, to the hierarchy of knowledge production, the equity and reciprocity of global education partnerships has come under increasing scrutiny.
This paper seeks to explore these dynamics in depth drawing on research at the University of Leeds that sought to understand the obstacles and opportunities in fostering equitable and reciprocal partnerships both within the University and the global partner. Split into three sections, the paper will firstly outline how, reflecting much of the literature, initial staff surveys exposed the inequality and lack of reciprocity staff experienced within the University in establishing and maintaining such partnerships. In reaction to this, our research refocused more closely on dynamics within the institution itself. Thus, the second section will outline key considerations, processes and people that are essential in building such partnerships within UK institutions, highlighting the micro and macros individual and institutional tensions and opportunities in building effective partnerships. Thirdly, the paper will present our ‘manifesto’ of guiding principles for fostering equitable and reciprocal partnerships within and across institutions, audited by critical internationalisation experts from external institutions.
The paper will conclude by arguing we must think critically about the everyday politics of power dynamics and institutional processes in fostering transformative GEP, while honouring the complex global context in which UK and global partners. Critically, this paper wishes to bring into dialogue how we get better establish equitable and reciprocal international education partnerships for all.
