MIIC News

CEEDUCON 2025, organized by the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research, was a very eventful time at the Mestenhauser Institute! To kick off CEEDUCON 2025, MIIC and some of our higher education experts hosted a networking event for HE professionals interested in internationalization and building transatlantic connections. The event was hosted by Professor Jaroslav Miller at the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education. Speakers included Dr. Darla K. Deardorff, Dr. Jos Beelen, Dr. Harvey Charles, and Dr. Eva Janebova. We were joined by many familiar faces in the MIIC community, but many new people as well! We are grateful to everyone who attended and to NAU for hosting us.

MIIC Experts Lenka Henebergova, Eva Janebova, Harvey Charles, and Jos Beelen also led a panel on the role of international education in responding to current geopolitical issues. Participants found the session to be provocative and stimulating and provided the highest reviews at the end of the session.

On 12-13 November, the YOUROPE team gathered at Coventry University’s Brussels hub. We reviewed our first year and planned what comes next.

Two days of collaboration

• Reflected on a year of learning
• Strengthened our research methods (CLRAs and CLRA Coils)
• Met with our project officers to discuss progress
• Planned the work ahead

Young researchers are leading change
Since we started only a year ago, dozens of young researchers have investigated the issues that matter to them:

• disappearing community spaces
• mental health
• discrimination
• cyberbullying
• their visions for Europe’s future

Their voices have been heard locally, captured in poetry collections, and amplified at the Council of Europe. They’ve challenged assumptions and shown what youth-led democracy looks like in practice.

What’s next:
We’ve built solid foundations. Now, with two more years ahead, we’ll deepen our work and create even more space for young people to lead.

The best is yet to come. 🌟

The Mestenhauser Institute is excited to launch our new event, the Thought Leaders Summit, supported by the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) and done alongside their 2026 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Date: Sunday, February 15th, 2026

Time: 14:00-17:00

Venue: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 4200 Linnean Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008, United States

Registration cost: $150

This event introduces MIIC to international education leaders and is principally intended to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the Internationalization at Home (IaH) dimension of comprehensive internationalization.  This IaH dimension, originating in Europe, and linked to Internationalization of the Curriculum (Ioc) has been instrumental in linking the success of all students to global learning and intercultural competence.  Thought leaders will also explore the relatively new phenomenon of European Universities Alliances that has added greater heft to the work of IaH and succeeded in institutionalizing the connection between student success and internationalization at participating European universities. Currently, 65 of these Alliances are active across the  European Union.

You can register for the event at this link.

The Mestenhauser Institute is excited to launch our our new program, the Mestenhauser Academy for International Leadership. This is a comprehensive four-month evidence-based professional development experience in leadership of institution-wide internationalization. Participants will gain skills with the support of internationally recognised trainers and guest speakers from the practice.

The 2026 program will take place during the following dates:

• April 12th-14th, 2026 (in-person)
• March/May/June (online, dates TBA)

The program is open to Vice Rectors, Vice Deans for Internationalization, Policy Advisors, and Senior Internationalization Officers who may choose to bring their International Office Directors with them.

Applications are now open! You can apply using this link, or you can learn more at https://miic.world/mestenhauser-leadership-academy/.

The Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at Charles University (FSEV UK) recently hosted MIIC’s Founding Director, Dr. Eva Janebova at their course Energy Policy and Energy Security in the EU.

Eva joined them for both a lecture and a seminar, followed by thoughtful discussions, and provided them, as teachers, with valuable feedback on their teaching practices with the objective of internationalizing the curriculum.

Internationalisation of studies is about more than welcoming students from abroad—it enriches learning by bringing diverse perspectives, fostering cross-cultural collaboration, and enhancing teaching practices. By embedding these principles in their course, FSEV aims to:

• Enhance curriculum quality and relevance for both Slovak and international students.
• Promote inclusive, engaging teaching practices that meet diverse learning needs.
• Support student well-being and integration, creating a collaborative and stimulating learning environment. We are excited to implement these insights and continue providing our students with a truly enriching educational experience.

Thank you to FSEV UK for inviting us!

Several scholars within the MIIC network have authored chapters in the new book: Critical Internationalization of Higher EducationFrom Internationalization Drift to Ethical Global Engagement, edited by Melanie Agnew and Jos Beelen and published by Routledge.

Dr. Jos Beelen is a MIIC World Expert and scholar of Critical Internationalization. MIIC’s Founding Director Dr. Eva Janebova has also authored a chapter with Christopher Johnstone and Thi Nguyen on the topic of Exploring Incoming Mobility through a Critical and Inclusive Internationalization Lens.

The book can be previewed or purchased here.

We are delighted to invite friends and colleagues of MIIC to a special Networking Gathering hosted by the Mestenhauser Institute for International Education.

📅 Date: November 18, 2025
🕖 Time: 19:00–20:30
📍 Venue: Národní Akreditační Úřad*
Please note: The venue is provisional and may be subject to change.

Join us for an inspiring evening of professional networking over light refreshments and wine with distinguished thought leaders in international education:

• Prof. Jaroslav Miller (Czech Republic)
• Dr. Darla Deardorff (USA)
• Dr. Harvey Charles (USA)
• Dr. Jos Beelen (The Netherlands)

RSVP required – limited capacity. To RSVP, please fill out this form. 

(In case of a venue change, we will ensure you are informed.)

We look forward to seeing you there. Please contact Lucy.roberts@miic.world with any questions. 

This past Wednesday, the MIIC team presented at the 2025 STAR Scholars Network Conference, along with our colleague Dr. Katherine Wimpenny from Coventry University, on building inclusive collaborations through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Our presentation focused on the key parts of PLCs, how we use them in our Horizon project, YOUROPE, and using the appreciative inquiry method in PLCs.

At this year’s European Association for International Education (EAIE) conference in Gothenburg, , MIIC Director Dr. Eva Janebova and Dr. Jos Beelen from The Hague University of Applied Science delivered a pre-conference workshop on Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as a way to advance Internationalization at Home.

They have developed expertise in PLC together with Eveke De Louw, Claudia Bulnes, Leona Stašová, Renata Tomaskova, Christopher J. Johnstone, Barbara Kappler Mikk, Jana Ter-Akopow Čemusová, and Ida Andersson-Norrie, who have designed and delivered numerous PLCs. The workshop also drew on experience from our current Horizon project, YOUROPE, which aims to get youth more involved with European democracy. The Mestenhauser Institute, along with Coventry University, runs a partner learning community as a part of this project to support the aim of involving youth and changing higher education.

Our 2025 Summer Program: Cross-Cultural Pathways for Young Leaders was recently featured on the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York’s website. You can find the article here.