The World Wise Podcast

The World Wise podcast celebrated its one-year anniversary last month, in March 2023. In this episode I give you a brief peek behind the scenes on what it has felt like to launch the podcast; the power of stories and storytelling; and--most importantly--things I have learned from my guests about the broader field of international education. These in-depth conversations over the past year have both challenged my assumptions and beliefs, but have also confirmed things which I always sensed to be true, but that were now being validated by others based on their work and lived experience.

Episode Resources:

Episode 7: Where talent meets opportunity: A conversation with Rebecca Zeigler Mano

Episode 13: Shaping the future leaders of Africa: A conversation with university founder Patrick Awuah

Episode 27: Building the world's talent by enabling African brilliance: Dr. Lydiah Kemunto Bosire of 8B Investments

My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration

Connect with me: LinkedIn, Twitter

In honor of Women’s History Month in the US and International Women’s Day which was in early March, this episode focuses on three women leaders in

The three women leaders in international education featured in this episode include Peggy Blumenthal. With a 40+ year career spanning international education and U.S.-China relations, Peggy previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Institute of International Education (IIE) and is now Senior Counselor to the President of IIE. Ronit Avni is a tech and media entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Localized, an organization and tech platform that helps connect highly accomplished immigrants in the diaspora with young and emerging talent and graduates in their home countries. And last but not the least: a reflection on challenges as an emerging woman leader of color as well as critical advice for those of us who have intersectional identities from Esther Benjamin, the Executive Director and CEO of World Education Services or WES. These three leaders bring varying perspectives and insights on developing leadership skills.

Episode resources:

Daughters of the Samurai by Janice Nimura

Listen to the full episode with Peggy Blumenthal

Listen to the full episode with Ronit Avni

Listen to the full episode with Esther Benjamin

My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration

Connect with me: LinkedIn, Twitter

Connect with my company, Rajika Bhandari Advisors

When we think of the movement of students and migrants we usually think of their motivations—what drives them and why they move. We think of money and financing, we think of visas, we think of all the universities and countries who want to attract them. But we often don’t talk about the role that someone’s degrees or credentials play in their ability to actually cross borders and be recognized for what they know and have learned. This episode’s guest is Margit Schatzman, President of Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that provides foreign credential evaluation, research, training in international education and free evaluations for refugees. Margit has also served as the president of the Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals (TAICEP).

Episode Themes:

Episode Resources:

Margit's statement: 1939 All Over Again

Follow ECE on LinkedIn and Twitter

The National Qualifications Framework Project

My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration

Connect with me: LinkedIn, Twitter

In this week’s episode, we focus on a group of dreamers in the U.S. who have lived in the country for most of their lives yet have no clear path to permanence or citizenship in the country. The episode’s guest is Dip Patel, the founder of an organization called Improve the Dream which advocates for this group of young people known as “Documented Dreamers.” It turns out that many people do not know about the predicament and difficulties that Documented Dreamers face—their situation often flies under the radar and is often overshadowed by larger immigration debates in the U.S. Dip helps us disentangle why almost a quarter million young people who call America home face an uncertain future that hangs in the balance.

Episode details:

Episode Resources:

Documented Dreamers: An overview

Breakdown of dreamer populations

Follow Improve the Dream

Follow Dip Patel

My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration

Connect with me: LinkedIn, Twitter

The World Wise podcast returns with its third season and also has a new look and feel. Season Three launches with an episode with Jamil Salmi, the perfect guest to inspire us and help us kick off 2023 by staying focused on some of the biggest issues in higher education globally, including how inequalities in education continue around the world despite greater access to technology, and how universities need to transform themselves for the future or else they risk becoming obsolete—or becoming "museums" as Jamil describes it. Jamil Salmi is an economist, development and policy expert, one of the foremost public intellectuals in higher education, and is also a former head of higher education at the World Bank. He is widely regarded as one of the most astute tertiary education experts in the world, and has provided policy advice to governments and university leaders in about 100 countries in all parts of the world. He is also a prolific author and his series of books on world-class universities (co-authored with Philip Altbach) are an essential reference.

Episode highlights:

- Jamil’s global educational journey across Morocco, France, and the U.S., and how it shaped his interests and career, especially as someone from the Global South.

- The uneven and inequitable impacts of COVID-19 on higher education around the world.

- The important role of technology in higher education, and why Jamil has been predicting its rise for several years.

- What is means for institutions to aspire to be world-class, particularly for institutions in developing countries? What are the costs and benefits of such aspirations? The current status of higher education in Jamil's region of origin, the Middle East and North Africa.

- Jamil’s vision for the universities of the future and how they need to change and adapt in order to be student- and learner-centered, or else they risk becoming “museums of the 20th century.” The rise of micro- and stacked credentials.

- The critical role of scientific reasoning and evidence in higher education.

- Jamil’s key pieces of advice for the next generation of professionals in our field.

Episode Resources:

Follow Jamil: LinkedIn, Twitter

Lumina report: COVID’s Lessons for Higher Education

The Road to Academic Excellence: the Making of World-Class Research Universities 

The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities 

Equity in access and success in HE is no longer a luxury

The Museum of 20th Century Universities

My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration

Connect with me: LinkedIn, Twitter

In this final episode of Season Two of the podcast and on the occasion of Martin Luther King Day, we go on a journey to India to understand how MLK was inspired by Gandhi and India. Despite this profound connection between the two countries, MLK and the Civil Rights Movement are barely discussed in Indian classrooms, and many Indian international students arrive in the U.S. without a solid understanding of why these histories matter or how they relate to the current status of race relations and social justice in the U.S. Take a listen as I discuss these issues and why MLK's fundamental message of bilateral interdependence and diplomatic ties is a timeless one.

Episode Resources:

MLK's essay: My trip to the land of Gandhi

How the 1965 Immigration Act ended discriminatory immigration laws 

Recommended reading for children: I see the promised land

Dr. Aditi Paul began her journey in the U.S. as an international doctoral student from India and although she struggled initially with the demands of her program, she quickly turned her life around to become a star academic researcher who became known for studying online dating on US campuses. Aditi uses her multidisciplinary background in computer science and communication studies to examine the impact of using human-centered technologies like social networking sites and online dating services. Her research has been published in top academic journals and has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Washington Post, Women's Health, The Telegraph, Huffington Post, NBC News. This episode features Aditi's experiences of being an international student, of navigating a thorny immigration pathway, and eventually becoming an advocate for international students and of course her new book which is about the current culture of online dating, especially on campuses. But the conversation also ended up being delightfully surprising and funny, where Aditi reflects on issues such as identity and the imposter syndrome, the publishing journey, book publicity, and so much more! This episode is also a must-listen for any aspiring or established academic. researcher or author as Aditi offers a refreshingly candid take on how to navigate the complex field of  academic publishing, and how to market and brand yourself as an author.

Episode Themes:

Episode Resources:

It is the end of 2022 and the world’s eyes and ears are tuned to the middle eastern nation of Qatar where the 2022 World Cup is currently taking place. This episode takes us on a global journey that spans Mexico, the U.S., India and ends in Doha in Qatar. But it’s not about soccer; it’s a journey about education. The episode’s guest is Francisco Marmolejo whose expansive, global career in international higher education has taken him from leading a higher education association to heading the World Bank’s higher education work around the world, and to now being the President of Higher Education at the Qatar Foundation (QF) in Doha, where he leads the unique ecosystem of eight prestigious universities that offer more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs to students from 60 countries at QF’s Education City, the largest campus of its kind globally. While at the World Bank from 2012-2020, he provided advice and support to higher education projects in more than 60 countries, including his role as Leader of the Higher Education Governance Benchmarking Project in the Middle East and North Africa region. Originally from Mexico, Francisco’s international education experience has taken him to more than 90 countries around the world, where he has worked with universities, governments and international associations on international education projects over more than 30 years. 

Episode Themes:

Episode Resources:

On November 15, 2022, the world’s population was supposed to reach 8 billion people and is projected to reach almost 10 billion in 2050. Much of this growth will be concentrated in just eight countries of which five are in Africa. In fact, countries in sub-Saharan Africa will likely contribute to more than half the growth anticipated through 2050. To frame this in both demographic and educational terms, much of the world’s young talent already comes from places like India and Africa and will increasingly do so in the future. But how do we harness this talent, particularly from Africa, and why is it critical to create global opportunities for African students? This episode’s guest is Dr. Lydiah Kemunto Bosire, the founder and CEO of 8B Education Investments, a financial and education technology platform specialized in lending to African students to attend world-class global universities and supporting them to succeed. 8B is on a mission to strengthen Africa’s human capital by equipping the continent’s future leaders and ecosystem builders to innovate, compete, and thrive in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

A Kenyan national, Lydiah brings to the field of innovative finance her personal experience, and over eighteen years working on issues of international politics, development, and human rights. Prior to founding 8B, Lydiah worked at the United Nations, the World Bank, and leading global NGOs. Lydiah currently serves on the board at WorldQuant University, and is a member of the UWC Atlantic College Advisory Council. She publishes and speaks on a wide range of topics, including on the role of innovative finance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN and the World Bank in conflict-affected states, and the role of world-class human capital in African development.

Episode highlights:

Episode Resources:

Art can play a profound role in opening our eyes, minds, and hearts to the world, and to understanding ourselves and those around us. This is also the reason that artists have often been a key part of cultural and educational exchanges between countries, enabling the sharing of ideas across border. This episode's guest is Dr. Navina Haidar, Chief Curator for Islamic art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Navina was the coordinating curator of the highly anticipated re-imagining of the New Islamic Galleries project at the Met, which came to fruition with the 2011 and which the New York Times described as "...intelligent as it is visually resplendent." She is also the author of six books Indian and Islamic art. In today's conversation, Navina shares her educational and professional journey; how curating and showcasing the arts of the Islamic world has helped build bridges and helped foster an understanding of other cultures, especially during times like 9/11 and other periods in recent history when there has been a backlash against the Muslim community; and how during these difficult times art can both heal and educate.  

Episode Themes:

Episode Resources: