The Importance of Partnerships for International Higher Education

Partnerships in international higher education have always required trust. But as Fernando Rojas Franco sees it, they now require something more specific: a shared belief that human relationships are what universities exist to build, not just a byproduct of the curriculum.

Fernando is the Director of International Relations at Avanse University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, a top-ranked institution that welcomes roughly 800 international students each year from more than 40 countries. In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, he talks with host Scott Miller about what makes international partnerships actually work, and why the case for them is stronger than it's been in years, even as the policy environment grows more complicated.

The conversation opens with an argument that cuts against the grain: AI makes human connection more strategically important, not less. With knowledge now accessible on any phone, what universities can offer that algorithms can't is the experience of working alongside people from different cultures, resolving disagreements across worldviews, and building something together. As Fernando puts it, "We cannot only rely on the understanding of knowledge or sharing knowledge in university anymore. The focus should be in relationships, human relationships, human connections, which I don't think they will be able to replace by AI."

That argument shapes how he thinks about partnership selection. Rankings and accreditations tell you almost nothing about whether two institutions will actually collaborate well. Fernando looks for something harder to measure: pedagogical alignment, a genuine interest in joint innovation, and a campus culture that signals ambition. Avanse redesigned its own physical campus to mirror a tech company environment, a deliberate choice about the kind of learning it wants students to walk into.

The second half of the episode gets into geopolitics. Restrictive visa policies and shifting immigration rules are making traditional mobility harder, but Fernando reads the moment as an opening rather than a setback. Online collaborations and short-term mobility programs are filling in where long-term exchanges have become difficult. And for European institutions specifically, US policy may redirect international talent flows in ways that create real opportunity. Avanse already ranks Mexico as its seventh most popular outbound destination, and Fernando expects that trend to keep developing.

Listen to the full conversation to hear how Fernando's own background, growing up across Mexico, Australia, and the Netherlands, shapes his view of what international education is actually for.

Who’s in the episode?

Fernando Rojas is the Global Relationships Account Manager at Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, where he oversees the development of strategic partnerships with educational institutions worldwide. With over 27 years of experience in management, sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and international higher education, Fernando has worked globally, driving innovative and collaborative initiatives to enhance universities' global presence and impact.

Scott Miller is the host of Keystone Higher Ed Chats and the Executive Director of Keystone's international division, bringing over 11 years of EdTech experience to conversations about global education.

After graduating from DePauw University, living and working in different cultures showed him that stepping outside your comfort zone doesn't just broaden your horizons; it reshapes them entirely. That belief in the transformative power of international experiences brought Scott to Keystone in 2010, where he's spent over a decade (and counting) helping higher education institutions reach students worldwide.

On Keystone Higher Ed Chats, Scott speaks with thought-leaders in the industry about what he's most passionate about: how education changes lives, how cultural experiences broaden perspectives at any age, and how Keystone's mission—connecting students with their ideal higher education institution—makes those life-changing moments possible.

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

Takeaways

Intercultural fluency is now a competitive advantage AI can't replicate
Fernando's core argument is practical, not philosophical: AI makes knowledge freely available to anyone with a phone, which means universities can't compete on knowledge transfer alone anymore. The differentiator is what AI can't do: build intercultural awareness, collaborative problem-solving, and human relationships. Institutions should make these outcomes explicit in how they describe international programs, not treat them as side effects of study abroad.

Pick partners on pedagogy and strategic alignment, not rankings
Rankings and accreditations are the easiest shortcut for evaluating a potential partner institution, but Fernando argues they're insufficient proxies for what actually produces student value. The questions that matter: Does this institution share your pedagogical values? Does the structure of the collaboration create genuine student development, or just a credential exchange? Institutions that audit existing partnerships against these questions will often find mismatches worth addressing.

Innovation comes from collaboration, so design for it physically and structurally
Avanse redesigned its campus to mirror a tech company environment because collaborative, cross-cultural settings are where most meaningful innovation happens. As Fernando put it: "Most innovation comes from collaboration... from seeing different perspectives, different things everywhere and just getting that together and producing something new." Institutions building international programs should ask whether their physical spaces and program structures actually create those conditions.

Short-term mobility and online collaboration aren't fallbacks, they're the future
Geopolitical restrictions are making full-semester exchanges harder to arrange in some corridors, but Fernando frames this as an opportunity rather than a setback. Short-term mobility and structured online collaboration are becoming serious alternatives, not consolation prizes. Institutions that develop strong short-format international experiences now will be better positioned as full mobility faces more headwinds.

US policy shifts could redirect student and talent flows toward Europe
This one's worth watching closely. Fernando observes that restrictive US immigration and visa policies may push high-potential international students toward European institutions instead. For European universities already active in international recruitment, that's a meaningful window. The smarter institutions are already thinking about how to position themselves for students who would previously have defaulted to the US.

Stage your student development model: personal, intercultural, then global
Fernando describes international experience as a three-stage progression: first, students deal with the personal challenge of living abroad; then they build intercultural awareness through contact with peers from different backgrounds; finally, they develop a sense of global responsibility and impact. Institutions that consciously design programs around this arc, rather than hoping it happens organically, will produce stronger outcomes and have a more credible story to tell prospective students and partner institutions.

Higher Ed Chats

April 23, 2026

27 minutes

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The Importance of Partnerships for International Higher Education

Who’s in the episode?

Fernando Rojas

Scott Miller

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

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