WAHEN at NAFSA 2026

WAHEN is pleased to highlight the participation of WAHED Director Professor Graeme Atherton at NAFSA 2026, the world’s largest gathering of international educators, held in Orlando, Florida, from 26–29 May. NAFSA sbrings together more than 11,000 members and international educators worldwide and is committed to international education and exchange, working to advance policies and practices across the globe.

This year’s conference, themed “Global by Design,” brought together professionals from across the sector to explore key issues including student success, global engagement, and the growing complexity of international education systems. Throughout the week, discussions emphasised the importance of collaboration, relationship-building, and resilience in a rapidly changing policy and mobility landscape, with a strong shared commitment to expanding opportunities for students worldwide.

Professor Atherton spoke on the panel “Who Gets In, Who Succeeds? Global Evidence and the Policy Choices That Matter,” where he was joined by Tamara Cunningham (Inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Initiatives and Arts & Campus Activation, UC San Diego), Gerado Blanco (Associate Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College) and WAHEN Board Member Courtney Brown (Vice President of Impact and Planning, Lumina Foundation). The panel examined how access to and success in higher education are shaped by institutional practices and policy decisions, and explored how factors such as institutional scale, mission, and resources influence approaches to widening participation, and identified global patterns among institutions making meaningful progress. It also addressed the ongoing tension between internationalisation as a force for expanding opportunity and its potential to reproduce inequality, highlighting that many students, particularly those from underrepresented and lower-income backgrounds, remain excluded from higher education and international mobility.

A key focus of the discussion was on what actually improves outcomes for students, with panellists pointing to the importance of targeted support, practical institutional strategies, and policy approaches that can demonstrate real impact. These themes echoed wider conversations at NAFSA 2026, where participants highlighted the need for clearer insight and more joined-up approaches in response to an increasingly complex global education environment. The World Access to Higher Education Network helps ensure that international debates are informed by global evidence and shared practice, supporting institutions and policymakers to make more effective decisions around access and student success.