OBSERVARE

Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 16 Nº. 1, TD1

Thematic Dossier – Internationalization of Higher Education:

Experiences and Challenges

June 2025

EDITORIAL

ŞEFIKA ŞULE ERÇETIN

sefikasule@gmail.com

Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at Hacettepe University (Türkiye). In 1991, she

completed her Phd from Division of Educational Administration, Supervision, Planning, and

Economics in Hacettepe University. She has been working as a professor since 2003. She has

worked as visiting scholar in Texas A&M, USA and Lancaster University, UK. In 2021, she

founded Management of Higher Education Division and Master program in Hacettepe University.

Prof. Erçetin has worked in many national and international projects as a member of project

team project coordinator on education of refugees, women, vocational training. Her main

research fields are comparative education policies, research methods, organizational intelligence

and stupidity and wisdom, leadership, migration, fuzzy logic, children at risk, women and peace

studies, quantum leadership, women leadership model. Also, she is the president and founder

member of the International Science Association in Türkiye (ISCASS). She is the editor in chief of

different national and international journals which focuses on leadership and education.

LUIS TOMÉ

ltome@autonoma.pt

Full Professor at Autónoma University of Lisbon, UAL (Portugal), where he is Head for

Internationalization and Director of the Department of International Relations. He is also Director

of the research unit OBSERVARE-Observatory of Foreign Relations, and of Janus.net, e-journal of

international relations. Senior Researcher at the Portuguese Institute of International Relations

(IPRI-Nova). Member of the Thematic Assessment Committee of the Portuguese Agency for

Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (A3ES) in the scientific field of Political Science

and International Relations. Professor Luis Tomé has been a visiting professor at La Sapienza

Universitá di Roma–Italy, the University of Macau-China, the Middle East Technical University

(METU) of Ankara- Türkiye, National Defense Institute of East Timor, as also at the Portuguese

Military University Institute (IUM), National Defense Institute (IDN) and Higher Institute of Police

Sciences and Homeland Security (ISCPSI). He has a degree in International Relations from the

Autónoma University of Lisbon (UAL), a Masters in Strategy from the Institute of Social and

Political Sciences (ISCSP) of Lisbon University and a PhD in International Relations from the

Faculty of Economics of University of Coimbra (FEUC).

How to cite this editorial

Erçetin, Şefika Şule & Tomé, Luís (2025). Editorial - Presentation and Framing. Janus.net, e-journal

of international relations. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations. VOL 16 Nº. 1, TD1 –

Thematic Dossier – Internationalization of Higher Education: Experiences and Challenges, June

2025, pp. 2-5. DOI https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT0325ED.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 16 Nº. 1, TD1

Thematic Dossier

Internationalization of Higher Education: Experiences and Challenges

June 2025, pp. 2-5

Editorial – Şefika Şule Erçetin, Luís Tomé

EDITORIAL

PRESENTATION AND FRAMING

ŞEFIKA ŞULE ERÇETIN

LUIS TOMÉ

In recent decades, the internationalization of higher education has emerged as a central

theme in global academic discourse. As universities and academic institutions around the

world increasingly operate beyond national borders, the need to examine the

implications, practices, and outcomes of internationalization has become both urgent and

complex. Internationalization, in the context of higher education, refers not only to the

mobility of students, faculty, and academic programs, but also to the integration of

international dimensions into curricula, research agendas, institutional strategies, and

campus cultures. It encompasses policies and practices designed to enhance global

engagement, foster intercultural understanding, and prepare graduates to operate in

increasingly interconnected societies. However, internationalization is not a neutral or

universally beneficial process. It reflects broader dynamics of globalization, power

relations, economic inequalities, and cultural negotiations that shape how it is

experienced and implemented across different contexts. Effective leadership in this

context must not only enable global engagement but also prioritize equity, diversity, and

ethical responsiveness to global challenges.

While internationalization remains a cornerstone of higher education reform, it is

increasingly entangled with broader structural challenges that institutions worldwide

must address. What was once predominantly framed by national systems and local

priorities is now significantly influenced by international pressures and transnational

governance frameworks. The rise of global university rankings, cross-border knowledge

economies, international accreditation mechanisms, and digitally mediated academic

mobility has profoundly reshaped both the strategic aspirations and organizational

configurations of universities.

Contemporary higher education operates within a dynamic and often volatile global

landscape shaped by intersecting technological, social, political, and demographic

transformations. In this climate of accelerated change, Artificial Intelligence and digital

transformation are exerting growing influence over pedagogical practices, administrative

processes, and knowledge production. These developments require not only technological

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 16 Nº. 1, TD1

Thematic Dossier

Internationalization of Higher Education: Experiences and Challenges

June 2025, pp. 2-5

Editorial – Şefika Şule Erçetin, Luís Tomé

adaptation but also conceptual rethinking. Within this framework, the concept of

quantum leadership has emerged—a non-linear, holistic, and adaptive approach aligned

with the complex realities confronting internationally engaged universities.

The expanding international responsibilities of universities—particularly in domains such

as climate change, migration, peace-building, and global citizenship—necessitate a

reexamination of the core missions of higher education. Universities are increasingly

expected to serve as agents of social transformation, embedding internationalization

within broader goals of equity, sustainability, and human development. While these

responsibilities entail complex challenges, they also present compelling opportunities for

fostering intercultural dialogue, enhancing global competencies, and driving societal

innovation on a global scale. Through inclusive governance structures that are

participatory, reflective, and ethically grounded, higher education institutions can

respond to global imperatives while modeling values-based leadership in times of

uncertainty.

This thematic dossier, titled Internationalization of Higher Education: Experiences and

Challenges, brings together a series of eleven scholarly articles that explore the

multifaceted nature of internationalization in higher education, offering critical insights

into its driving forces, lived realities, and the pressing challenges it entails. It features

contributions that interrogate both the opportunities and tensions inherent in the

internationalization process. Rather than conceptualizing internationalization as a fixed

policy model, this issue examines it as a fluid, context-sensitive process intersecting with

digital transformation, demographic transitions, geopolitical volatility, and institutional

complexity.

By integrating theoretical, empirical, and practice-oriented perspectives, this issue

advances a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of internationalization in a

post-pandemic, AI-mediated, and globally uncertain era. Beyond identifying disruptions

and contradictions, the contributions underscore the resilience, creativity, and

adaptability of higher education institutions. Examples include the proliferation of globally

integrated hybrid programs, enhanced international research collaborations, and the

widespread adoption of learner-centered digital pedagogies. These developments

illustrate the transformative potential of internationalization to stimulate institutional

innovation, nurture global citizenship, and build inclusive academic communities.

The articles compiled in this dossier approach the theme from a variety of disciplinary,

methodological, and geographical perspectives. Indeed, the authors come from diverse

academic fields — ranging from Education Sciences to International Relations, and from

Law to Public Administration — and are affiliated with various higher education

institutions across different countries, including Bulgaria, Brazil, Spain, Hungary, India,

Kazakhstan, Portugal, Türkiye, and Uganda. Together, they aim to contribute to a deeper

understanding of how internationalization unfolds in practice, what it means for students,

educators, and institutions, and how it can be navigated responsibly and ethically.

In bringing together these varied contributions, this dossier does not seek to provide

definitive answers but to open space for critical dialogue. It underscores the importance

of viewing internationalization not as an abstract ideal or a one-size-fits-all strategy, but

as a contested and evolving process that must be examined in context. As institutions

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL 16 Nº. 1, TD1

Thematic Dossier

Internationalization of Higher Education: Experiences and Challenges

June 2025, pp. 2-5

Editorial – Şefika Şule Erçetin, Luís Tomé

continue to grapple with shifting geopolitical realities, technological change, and

reconfigurations of academic life, the questions raised in this dossier are more relevant

than ever.

As co-editors of this thematic dossier, we are deeply grateful to all 18 authors who

generously agreed to share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives through the

eleven articles that follow. Gratitude is also extended to the scientific reviewers, whose

recommendations contributed to further enhancing the quality of the articles, as well as

to the entire editorial team of the esteemed scientific journal Janus.net, which is

responsible for publishing this thematic dossier. To all, our heartfelt thanks for the honor

and privilege of your collaboration in this truly collective and transnational endeavor.

This issue invites scholars, administrators, and policymakers to engage critically and

constructively with the values, structures, and strategies shaping the future of higher

education. The focus extends beyond navigating uncertainty to envisioning and building

sustainable, equitable, and forward-thinking models of global academic engagement. We

invite readers to engage with the articles that follow with an open and critical mindset,

and to reflect on how internationalization can be reimagined in ways that enrich higher

education while advancing global responsibility, equity, and mutual learning.