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ORCID

0009-0008-1502-0772

Keywords

global DEI, adaptive leadership, racial equity, international higher education, decolonization, global partnerships

Special Issue

JCIHE Summer 2026 Special Issue

Abstract

Abstract

As internationalization in higher education expands through transnational research, global curricula, humanitarian training programs, and faculty mobility, discourses on diversity often remain Western-centered and detached from lived realities of structural inequity. This paper argues that adaptive leadership, grounded in mobilizing communities to confront systemic challenges in complex and uncertain environments, provides a useful pathway for rebuilding global DEI with racial equity at the center (Heifetz et al., 2009). Drawing from practice-based insight in global health, humanitarian workforce systems, HBCU models of global engagement, and higher education HR structures, the paper interrogates how colonial legacies, racial hierarchies, anti-DEI political climates, and generational tensions shape inclusion within international academic partnerships. Through a qualitative synthesis of organizational documents, DEI models, and practitioner reflections, this essay introduces a three-part adaptive framework that includes diagnosing inequities rooted in colonial educational systems, mobilizing communities through storytelling and intergenerational dialogue, and institutionalizing racial equity through equity audits, shared authorship, and the recognition of non-Western intellectual traditions. The paper underscores the urgency of this work, particularly as anti-DEI policies in the United States influence international collaborations and raise questions about the values that guide academic partnerships. The goal is to move beyond symbolic inclusion and support institutions in reimagining global DEI through justice-based, reciprocal, and equity-centered practices.

Abstract - Translated

Resumen

A medida que la internacionalización en la educación superior se expande a través de la investigación transnacional, los planes de estudio globales, los programas de formación humanitaria y la movilidad del profesorado, los discursos sobre diversidad a menudo permanecen centrados en marcos occidentales y desvinculados de las realidades vividas de la inequidad estructural. Este artículo sostiene que el liderazgo adaptativo, basado en la movilización de comunidades para enfrentar desafíos sistémicos en entornos complejos e inciertos, ofrece una vía útil para reconstruir la diversidad, equidad e inclusión (DEI) global con la equidad racial como eje central (Heifetz et al., 2009). A partir de perspectivas basadas en la práctica en salud global, sistemas laborales humanitarios, modelos de participación global de instituciones históricamente afroamericanas (HBCU, por sus siglas en inglés) y estructuras de recursos humanos en la educación superior, el estudio examina cómo los legados coloniales, las jerarquías raciales, los contextos políticos anti-DEI y las tensiones generacionales configuran la inclusión en asociaciones académicas internacionales. Mediante una síntesis cualitativa de documentos organizacionales, modelos de DEI y reflexiones de profesionales, este ensayo presenta un marco adaptativo de tres componentes que incluye: el diagnóstico de inequidades arraigadas en sistemas educativos coloniales, la movilización de comunidades a través de la narración y el diálogo intergeneracional, y la institucionalización de la equidad racial mediante auditorías de equidad, autoría compartida y el reconocimiento de tradiciones intelectuales no occidentales. El artículo subraya la urgencia de este trabajo, particularmente en un contexto donde las políticas anti-DEI en Estados Unidos influyen en las colaboraciones internacionales y plantean interrogantes sobre los valores que orientan las alianzas académicas. El objetivo es trascender la inclusión simbólica y apoyar a las instituciones en la reimaginación de la DEI global mediante prácticas basadas en la justicia, la reciprocidad y la equidad.

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