WES-CIHE Summer Institute

WES-CIHE Summer Institute brings together graduate students and early career researchers in international and comparative higher education from all over the globe.Since the founding of the Institute, we have hosted nearly 200 participants from more than 35 countries

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About the WES-CIHE Summer Institute

The WES-CIHE Summer Institute supports the development of the next generation of international higher education leaders and scholars by connecting graduate students and early career researchers with seasoned professionals and senior scholars from around the world.

What is it like to participate in the WES-CIHE Summer Institute?

Watch the video to learn more!

Summer Institute Info

What to Expect

At the Summer Institute, young scholars from around the world convene to share insights, challenge traditional paradigms, and propose innovative approaches to some of higher education thorniest problems.

The theme of the 2026 Summer Institute is Fulfilling the Unfulfilled Promise of Higher Education.

At the Summer Institute, participants can expect to:

  • engage in substantive discussions,
  • share their work, in a supportive environment, and receive both written and oral feedback from established scholars,
  • network with other early-career researchers, and
  • participate in discussions about important developmental topics, such as innovative methods, disseminating your scholarship, and the international job search.

We alternate between an online and an in-person format, year on year, in order to ensure that a broad diversity of early career researchers has the opportunity to participate. The 2026 Summer Institute will be offered in a fully online format.

Event Program

The Summer Institute combines individual paper presentations, panel discussions with expert speakers and opportunities for group discussion and networking for participants and presenters.

CIHE Summer Institute Agenda 2026

Speakers

We have a fantastic line-up of expert speakers lined up for our 2026 Summer Institute, including Yusuf Oldac, Samia Chasi, Damtew Teferra, Ariane de Gayardon, Chrystal George Mwangi, Danial Craciun, Elspeth Jones, Hans de Wit, Miguel Lim, Jenna Mittelmeier, Amy Scott Metcalfe, Shanton Chang, and Christina Yao.

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Paper Submission

Any graduate student or early career professional* is invited to participate in the 2026 WES-CIHE Summer Institute. Participants who wish to participate should submit a 1,000-word paper representing original research relevant to the conference theme, as well as an up-to-date CV.

Selected participants will be invited to present their paper at the Summer Institute. Selected papers will also be considered for publication in a future edition ofCIHE Perspectives.

The paper submission portal is! Papers must be submitted no later than March 15, 2026. Selected participants will be informed by the end of March.

* Early-career professionals are eligible if they completed their terminal degree within the past five years.

Have questions about the submission process? Watch the video above to learn more!

Registration Fees

No registration fees will be collected. All accepted participants can attend the event, free of charge. Space is limited.

2025 Summer Institute Proceedings

Reimagining Boundaries: Decolonization and Internationalization in Higher Education. Proceedings of the 2025 WES-CIHE Summer Institute. Rebecca Schendel, Taryn Aldrich, and Siro Pina Cardona, Editors.

We are delighted to present the 2025 Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute, a jointinitiative of World Education Services (WES) and theCenter for International Higher Education (CIHE) atBoston College.

The theme of 2025 Summer Institute was Reimagining Boundaries: Decolonization and Internationalization in Higher Education.

Previous Summer Institute Proceedings

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