Our Network
Our Team
Faculty and Staff
Rebecca Schendel
Managing Director
Rebecca Schendel
Managing Director
Rebecca Schendel studies the impact of higher education on human development in resource-poor contexts, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. She is particularly interested in teaching and learning within universities, including the role of faculty development initiatives and the links between curricular and pedagogical choices and student success. Rebecca serves as Managing Director of the Center for International Higher Education and is Faculty Coordinator of the MA, dual degree and Certificate programs in International Higher Education.
Gerardo L. Blanco
Academic Director
Gerardo L. Blanco
Academic Director
Gerardo L. Blanco is associate professor of Higher Education and academic director of the Center for International Higher Education. His research explores explores the intersections of quality and internationalization in higher education with a focus on accreditation, rankings and international assessments.
His research has been published in leading journals, such as Higher Education, Studies in Higher Education, the Comparative Education Review, and the Review of Higher Education. Gerardo has held leadership roles in the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), and the Association for the Study of Higher Education's Council for International Higher Education and serves on several advisory and editorial boards. In 2017, he received the "Best Research Article Award" from the Comparative & International Education Society's Higher Education SIG. In 2014 and 2020, his work received honorable mentions from the same organization.
Chris. R. Glass
Publications
Chris. R. Glass
Publications
Chris R. Glass, Ph.D. is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Boston College where he leads the Executive Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Higher Education program and serves as an affiliated faculty member in the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE). His research and writing focus on global student mobility, virtual mobility and exchange, as well as equity, inclusion, and sustainability in international higher education.
Salina Kopellas
Staff Assistant
Salina Kopellas
Staff Assistant
Salina Kopellas has been with the Center since its founding. She manages the Center’s grants and database, and facilitates the editing and dissemination of International Higher Education. Prior to joining the Center, she worked as the administrative secretary to the dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
Doctoral Research Assistants and Graduate Assistants
Bingran Zeng
Research Assistant
Bingran Zeng
Research Assistant
Bingran Zeng is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education program at Boston College. Her research interests are higher education partnerships (especially in developing contexts) and higher education and development.Â
Bingran has worked as a researcher and consultant for various organizations, such as the World Bank, UNESCO-ICHEI, Hanover Research Council, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Ethiopia. She received a double B.S. in Human and Organizational Development and Second Language Studies from Vanderbilt University and an Ed.M. in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Ekaterina Minaeva
Research Assistant
Ekaterina Minaeva
Research Assistant
Ekaterina Minaeva is a doctoral student in the Boston College Higher Education program. Her research interests include international higher education with a focus on international student experiences, student mobility, and virtual internationalization. Prior to her studies at Boston College, Ekaterina worked as an analyst at the Laboratory for University Development, Higher School of Economics, Russia. Â
Ekaterina received her B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from Far Eastern Federal University (Russia), Graduate Diploma in International Development from University College Dublin (Ireland), and graduated from Erasmus MARIHE program (Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education). Â
Eglis Chacon
Research Assistant
Eglis Chacon
Research Assistant
Eglis Chacon is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education program at Boston College. Her research interests include forcibly displaced people and refugees in higher education, international higher education, student mobility and international aid in higher education. Prior to her studies at Boston College, Eglis worked as policy analyst at the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean and as a consultant for the Interamerican Development Bank (BID).
Eglis received her B.Sc. in Economics from Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela) and graduated from the M.Sc. program in Social and Public Policy in Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain), and from the M.Sc. in Economic Policy from the University of Birmingham (UK).
Siro Pina Cardona
Research Assistant
Siro Pina Cardona
Research Assistant
Siro B. Pina Cardona is a doctoral student in the Higher Education program at Boston College. His research interests include international higher education and training, focusing on traditional (physical) and virtual student mobility, the impact of innovative teaching & learning modes, and the role of education and training policies in fostering positive social change for all.
Before his doctoral studies, Siro interned as a student-researcher and data analyst for the International Association of Universities (IAU), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the OECD Center for Skills.
Originally from Spain, Siro received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S. in Exercise Science with a Minor in Health Education from High Point University, and earned an M.A. in Educational Studies from the University of Cincinnati, while being a student-athlete. He also completed the Erasmus Mundus Double Joint Masters in Research and Innovation in Higher Education (MARIHE).
Nathaniel Annor-Gyimah
Research Assistant
Nathaniel Annor-Gyimah
Research Assistant
Nathaniel Annor-Gyimah is a second-year master’s student in International Higher Education at Boston College. In addition to his role at CIHE, Nathaniel has worked as a graduate assistant in the Office of Off-Campus Student Living at Boston College and a graduate intern with the Pre-Collegiate Outreach Programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Nathaniel holds a Bachelor of Education in Social Studies from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Before his master's studies, he gained valuable experience as a research assistant at the Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast.
Father Chinh Tran
Research Assistant
Father Chinh Tran
Research Assistant
Father Chinh Tran is a first-year master's student in Higher Education at Boston College. He is also an ordained Jesuit priest in his native Vietnam, where he has taught and worked with university students through the St. Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate. Chinh holds a B.A. in International Relations from the Hochiminh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology, a B.A. in Sacred Theology from the Loyola School of Theology and an M.A. in Theological Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Former Directors
Philip G. Altbach
Founding Director
Philip G. Altbach
Founding Director
Professor Emeritus Philip G. Altbach was previously a Research Professor and Distinguished Fellow at the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, where from 1994 to 2015 he was the Monan University Professor.
Hans de Wit
Former Director
Hans de Wit
Former Director
Hans de Wit's research interests include how to reach global learning for all students, internationalization post-COVID-19, and international student recruitment and mobility in non-Anglophone countries.
A Global Network of Scholars
We are an inclusive academic community representing a wide range of theoretical, methodological and regional perspectives.
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Current Visiting Scholars
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Research & Resources
CIHE projects and initiatives result in the creation of a number of unique resources of interest to the higher education community around the world.
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We prepare the next generation of researchers, policymakers, and leaders in higher education. Study with us in one of our graduate programs, ranging from a master's to a doctoral degree.
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Join the WES-CIHE Summer Institute, apply to the Hans de Wit fellowship, and attend our webinars to get connected.