Getting Unstuck with Internationalization at Home: Seizing the Post-pandemic Moment

Abstract

As I write this essay in late May 2020, the higher education press is blanketed by debate about the enduring changes brought on by COVID-19. Some maintain that the pandemic has already triggered disruptive changes, such as the quick move to online learning and variations in the academic calendar. They speculate that these shifts will endure after the crisis passes. Others predict a shift in the landscape of higher education. In countries with a private higher education sector that is highly dependent on tuition revenue, a substantial number may close, and the resulting landscape will be dominated by stronger, richer institutions. One estimate is that 20% of private institutions in the United States will close (Wescott 2020).