Charting the Future of TIEC: A Model for International Higher Education

As I wrap up my first month as president and CEO of the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC), I’m struck by the strength of our team and the depth of our global partnerships. It’s clear why TIEC has earned its reputation as a trusted leader in international education. My first official act in the role—joining colleagues at the AIEA conference to celebrate TIEC’s 40th anniversary—was a meaningful and fitting way to start this new chapter.

For four decades, TIEC has endured as a nonprofit that serves Texas higher education for better global engagement. One key strength that has helped TIEC endure is our ability to meet the needs of the moment. We have adapted to best serve our institutions and Texas students. Today, in our 40th year, we again find ourselves poised to meet the needs of this moment.

This moment marks a significant shift for those of us working at the intersection of higher education and international engagement. In a relatively short period, many of the traditional approaches, established relationships, and familiar frameworks for collaboration have evolved. We now find ourselves operating in a dynamic environment shaped by changes in visa policy, trade, immigration, and funding.

However, the benefits of international engagement for Texas higher education, and what we offer in turn to global collaborators worldwide, has not changed overnight. I understand that it can be difficult to find our footing when the paths for engagement are shifting. As we at TIEC revisit our role and how we can currently best serve our members and partners, I want to share my own mileposts that will provide our team’s guide as we make our way forward.

Bridging Diplomacy & Education

Education diplomacy remains one of the strongest tools to build and sustain relationships between countries. And while the thousands of international students and global campus staff within our Texas institutions may not always see themselves as informal ambassadors, they most certainly are. In the coming months and years, we hope to make a stronger connection between education and diplomacy, formal and informal. Most importantly, TIEC wants to remain a resource to our member institutions, but also to our Texas city and state officials, as they navigate new ways of building relationships with potential international partners.

Solidifying Texas as a Global Education Hub

TIEC has made big strides over the last few years to advance new models for international projects and partnerships. We’ve built bridges across institutions and created working models that pull in industry experts alongside academics to ensure we’re addressing workforce development in the most effective way. TIEC’s been a connector between silos—not just for some of our rival Texas university systems but also between traditional four-year institutions and community colleges, making room for broader pathways to global engagement.

We’ve doubled down on virtual exchange. We’ve supported our members with faculty training but we’ve also made investments in technology tools and built communities that make global engagement easier for professors to integrate in all sorts of classrooms. TIEC now offers access to a virtual exchange platform as part of our member benefits. The online hub helps our members find virtual exchange partners within our consortium, alongside a wealth of resources on building virtual global engagement into curriculum in big and small ways.

The Texas International Education Fund, now in its third year, supports and seeds new ideas, sustaining educators seeking to bring global experiences into their curriculum. As the needs of our members evolve, TIEF will be there to help our members adapt and innovate.

Partnering for Global Workforce Readiness

In the face of policy shifts, TIEC is ready to help educate officials and industry leaders on the benefits of ensuring Texas institutions maintain global engagement, workforce competitiveness, and international collaboration.

Texas is the 8th largest economy in the world—bigger than many nations. To keep that momentum, our students need the skills and experiences that prepare them to compete and collaborate on a global stage. Today’s workforce demands the ability to work on international teams and stay ahead of innovations coming from every corner of the world. Texas schools can’t prepare students for that reality in isolation. Through partnerships with higher education institutions across five continents, we’re building the kind of global perspective and skills that today’s jobs require. We must keep growing these international connections—even if it means rethinking how we build and sustain them.

Staying connected internationally takes intention—and sometimes, a shift in our approach. Texas academic leaders may need to meet partners where they are, including traveling abroad more frequently to maintain strong ties. In other cases, it may mean tapping into industry networks to help sustain or expand these relationships. If we want our graduates to thrive in a global economy, we have to model that same mindset—proactive, collaborative, and willing to go the distance. We must be ready to forge new paths for engagement.

The Opportunity Ahead

Rather than seeing these shifts as challenges, we must leverage this moment to lead, pushing the boundaries of investment in research and driving global engagement across universities beyond the traditional models.  

For our consortium, we understand how vital it is to have both official and unofficial networks of colleagues who understand the challenges and choices we face in serving the students across our campuses. We’re committed to finding avenues to share among our membership and serve as a resource and space for those conversations.

In the weeks and months to come, I look forward to many conversations with our members in Texas and abroad. The success of TIEC’s next forty years rests on our being a responsive partner to all who are invested in Texas institutions of higher learning.