‘We don’t get to opt out’: Global higher education must confront seismic challenges, says NAFSA CEO

‘We don’t get to opt out’: Global higher education must confront seismic challenges, says NAFSA CEO 

In an era marked by geopolitical tensions and policy uncertainty in the US, the global higher education sector stands at a pivotal juncture. 

At a recent Keystone Education Group event in the US, Dr. Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, issued a call that the sector must move ‘beyond business as usual’ to remain impactful. 

“We don’t get to opt out of global education,” Dr Fanta Aw said. “I know there's a lot of headwinds that say otherwise, but actually we don't get to opt out of global education. 

“We’ve been in it for too long and it is not going away. It may take a different form, there will be ebbs and flows, but we don’t get to opt-out.” 

As narratives challenging the value of higher education gain traction, especially in the US under the Trump administration, Dr. Aw underscored the need to reframe the story—backed by robust data and real-world outcomes. 

Data from Keystone’s websites (5 million monthly student visitors) showed that during autumn 2024 and in the run-up to the November election, international student interest in the US fell.  

The good news for US institutions, however, US interest in February and March 2025 saw a sharp recovery. 

Dr Aw warned: “This is a pivotal moment for global education, and we have to continue to champion internationalization. 

“It has to be essential to how we consider educational excellence and how we think about social cohesion.” 

The topic of future labor shortages in the US, and the role of international student graduates in offsetting declining populations, was high on the agenda at the event held at Boston University.  

And Dr Aw posed the question: “We’re seeing more and more people being educated. How can we have 88 million gaps in labor by 2030? 

“We have to reconcile that in our head and ask ourselves, where is that gap?” 

While calls to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion were also sharply criticized. “You can leave behind the language, but it doesn’t mean that the reality has changed,” she said. 

Ultimately, Dr Aw concluded that higher education institutions must prepare for growing challenges, including shifting political alliances, constrained budgets, and growing skepticism toward global collaboration. 

She noted that while the need for change has long been acknowledged, the real challenge lies in moving from awareness to action. 

She added, "Business as usual is simply not going to cut it anymore." 

As the sector looks toward the future, during the Keystone event the message from NAFSA’s leadership was clear: transformation is not just necessary—it is urgent. 

 Watch Dr Aw's session back here: