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
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’s 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.
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.
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
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’s Summer Institute was Reimagining Boundaries: Decolonization and Internationalization in Higher Education.
Previous Summer Institute Proceedings
"Equitable Higher Education in Times of Disruption: Proceedings of the 2024 WES–CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
We are delighted to present the 2024 Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute, a joint initiative of World Education Services (WES) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College.
The theme of 2024’s Summer Institute was Equitable Higher Education in Times of Disruption. By focusing on this theme, our aim was to foreground new empirical and conceptual work that seeks to advance higher education equity, profiling work from around the world that highlighted the experiences of a diverse range of stakeholders faced with a broad range of “disruptions,” at the local, national and international levels.
"Power and Equity in International Higher Education: Proceedings of the 2023 WES–CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
It is our great pleasure to present the sixth publication of papers selected for the WES–CIHE Summer Institute, a joint initiative of World Education Services (WES) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College. The theme of the 2023 Summer Institute was "Power and Equity in International Higher Education".
"Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization: Proceedings of the 2022 WES–CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
It is our great pleasure to present the fifth publication of papers selected for the WES–CIHE Summer Institute on Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization, a joint initiative of World Education Services (WES) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College.
"Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization: Proceedings of the 2021 WES-CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
It is our great pleasure to present the proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute 2021 on Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization,a joint initiative of World Education Services (WES) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College.
"Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization: Proceedings of the 2020 WES-CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
It is our great pleasure to present the third publication of papers selected for the WES–CIHE Summer Institute on Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization, a joint initiative of World Education Services (WES) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College.
"Inclusive and Innovative Internationalization of Higher Education: Proceedings of the 2019 WES-CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
It is our great pleasure to present the proceedings of the 2019 WES-CIHE Summer Institute on Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization, a joint initiative of World Education Services (WES) and the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College.
"Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization: Proceedings of the 2018 WES-CIHE Summer Institute, Boston College"
This series of studies focuses on aspects of research and analysis undertaken at the Boston College Center for International Higher Education. The Center brings an international consciousness to the analysis of higher education. We believe that an international perspective will contribute to enlightened policy and practice. To serve this goal, the Center produces International Higher Education (a quarterly publication), books, and other publications; sponsors conferences; and welcomes visiting scholars. We have a special concern for academic institutions in the Jesuit tradition worldwide and, more broadly, with Catholic universities.
