Managing internationalisation versus managing diversity? Global imperatives and national trajectories in German and Polish universities

Abstract

In institutions of higher education, both internationality and diversity are highly valued. Yet the relationship between these two values often remains undefined. On the one hand, the ‘internationalisation imperative’ and the ‘diversity imperative’ can be regarded as two sides of the same coin. On the other hand, they are perceived as two different tasks and are associated with different groups, interests, and organisational units. To better understand their nexus, this article presents a comparative analysis of German and Polish universities. It identifies the administrative units and actors responsible for managing internationalisation and diversity. Mixed methods were used, including surveys in university administrations, publicly available data from universities’ websites, and qualitative interviews with practitioners in both fields. The results illustrate how the traditional ‘International Offices’ and the more recently established ‘Diversity Offices’ are equipped and related to each other. Regarding internationalisation, German and Polish universities have comparable national trajectories as both institutionalise this task at the administrative level and within university leadership. At the same time, there is a gap between the two countries in terms of how they deal with the diversity imperative. Finally, the article raises the practical question of whether the respective units need to reconceptualise their relationship in the future.