A worldwide web: Strengthening higher education governance globally

Peter Eckel is a senior fellow in the Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems division and, as an expert in higher education governance, is an in-demand consultant for university leaders and governing boards around the world.

He recently collaborated with the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, an organization of 215 faith-based colleges and universities from countries such as the Philippines, Korea, Laos, and India, to enhance its governance practices and support their member institutions. He was also part of a team, alongside other Penn GSE faculty, including Professor and Board of Advisors Chair of Education Matthew Hartley, that helped to develop a new research-intensive graduate school of education at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan (NUGSE).

“We host NUGSE’s doctoral students for an eight-week dissertation seminar and do capacity-building work and other advisory services for them as well—everything from curriculum to strategic planning to performance metrics,” said Eckel. “They’re going through an internal restructuring right now of their graduate programs, so we anticipate being thought partners with them as they navigate and execute that.”

These kinds of partnerships helped Eckel identify a need in the higher education market outside the US—professionalizing the administration and preparing mid-level administrators and academics for leadership roles—which he has since created a new program at Penn GSE to address. The online Global Higher Education Management program, launched in 2023, takes advantage of technology to gather a truly international cohort of top experts in the field to address the sector’s evolving challenges.

“We recognize that as the world invests in its university sector, it needs well-trained, knowledgeable professionals in key management and leadership roles,” said Eckel. “We need to be able to address those needs, leverage technology, and create the type of learning experience that will benefit individuals in their universities.” 

But, he adds, that doesn’t mean he is trying to turn a global cohort of administrators into American-style deans and leaders.

“We want to make sure that we work with universities and their current and emerging leaders in ways that are going to best help the countries and context in which they’re operating,” he said. “Being able to understand the US but not see it as the only model, I think, is really important. We want to help people have the tools to have conversations within and across their local contexts. It’s a model that is built around meeting the needs of their society, informed by their local conditions and traditions, but also one with an eye to opportunities to expand and innovate.”

“Given the recent globalization of higher education, I believe the Global Higher Education Management program is the most holistic and practical higher education master’s program on the market today,” said Josh Forman, GED’24, one of its first graduates. “Higher education institutions are not just competing with their neighbors today; they are competing with institutions all over the world. Understanding higher education in a global context, or simply in a context different from your own, is paramount.”