Podcast: Dr. Chris Busch on global conflicts and its impact on international student mobility

In a world rife with global conflicts, the consequences extend far beyond the diplomatic stage. These conflicts are leaving an indelible mark on international student mobility, causing a ripple effect in the international education sector.

From the ongoing Israel-Hamas clashes to the diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, Dr. Chris Busch, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management at the University of Windsor, discussed the far-reaching effects of global conflicts on international student mobility.

Busch said that global diplomatic tensions, such as those between India and Canada, raise concerns for students considering Canada as their study destination. These tensions add uncertainty to students’ academic journeys and can cause apprehension among those already studying in Canada. However, he pointed out that most students continue to feel welcomed in the Canadian community, and the value of Canadian education remains strong, offering high-quality education and opportunities for work experience.

Looking at the long-term impact, Busch suggested that institutions should consider diversifying their efforts to attract learners from different markets. Relying less on a single market, such as India, could be a strategic move. While diplomatic tensions are unsettling, the shared values of democracy and the strong foundation of Canada-India relations provide hope for resolutions behind the scenes.

Busch also stressed the urgency of resolving diplomatic tensions as it introduces unnecessary uncertainty for students, making it challenging to plan international enrollments effectively.

Moreover, Busch highlighted that global conflicts, like the ongoing Israeli-Hamas clashes, disrupt scholar mobility and research collaborations. These disruptions also have a considerable impact on students’ mental health and require post-secondary institutions to provide essential support.

Additionally, economic and political instability in conflict regions affects international student recruitment efforts and collaboration strategies.

Busch also mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for flexibility in accommodating learners’ needs and embracing new methods of delivering education, such as online and transnational programs, as institutions adapted to new technologies and learning methodologies.

Busch acknowledged that addressing mental health challenges resulting from conflicts is complex. He recommended providing a broad range of support and enabling students to access them in ways that make them comfortable. He added that being responsive and making international students feel connected and a part of the community is essential for their success and mental well-being.

Moreover, Busch predicted that the demand for international education would continue to grow globally due to a lack of capacity in many countries to meet learners’ needs. He also anticipated an expansion of destination countries closer to students’ home regions, offering branch campuses and tailored programs to meet learners’ needs.

How are the diplomatic tensions in India and Canada affecting students both in the short term and in the long term?

I think in the short term, it raises apprehension of students potentially selecting Canada as a destination.

Anything that adds uncertainty to students’ journey can cause concern for students who are currently studying here in Canada. I think the diplomatic tensions between the two countries is nearly a non-issue because students are still feeling welcome as part of the Canadian community and cultures, both on and off campus, and the value proposition that Canadian education still brings to international learners is still strong.

High-quality education, opportunities to gain Canadian work experience, and transferability both here in Canada and abroad is still strong in the long term. I think it will make institutions think a little bit more about how to potentially diversify their efforts. Being able to attract learners from, from many different markets there as well, and maybe shifting some of the attention or over-reliance that they, one may have had in the Indian market.

How soon can this diplomatic row be fixed, and how urgent is the action?
I know that our Canadian and Indian diplomats are working closely to continue the conversation. Once again, diplomatic relationships are built over. And I hope India and Canada’s relationship has been strong for quite some time. So I suspect that any disagreements will hopefully be settled behind the scenes there as well.

Both Canada and India share the same values when it comes to democracy, et cetera. So the fundamental basis of our two countries’ relationship, I think, is still strong despite, as with any relationship, minor disagreements. So I’ll leave it up to our diplomats to continue to work there.

The urgency is quick. Anything, as I mentioned earlier, anything that brings uncertainty to learners about the idea of going abroad, they’re already nervous about: ‘Did I make the right decision?’, ‘Did I pick the right country? The right institution? The right program?’. This just adds another unnecessary variable into the mix and is something I would want to see resolved as quickly as possible.

Also, from a professional standpoint, when we think about international enrollment management, it adds uncertainty to our planning and we want to make sure that we admit the right number of students and recruit the right number of students for the number of seats we have available. We don’t want to see oversubscriptions and things like that.

So, therefore, anything that could get us back to a normal baseline would be appreciated.

Apart from the mobility restrictions and even the debts, what are the other more covert effects on student mobility?

The Israeli-Hamas conflict and what’s happening in the region, it’s destabilizing the entire region, not just within Israel and Gaza, but throughout the whole region.

If we think of scholar mobility, students coming inbound to Canada, for example, or also our research collaborations within the region, it’s causing significant disruption there as well. And recognizing here in Canada and on our campuses, we have different growing diasporas of students, including many from these regions.

It’s continuing to cause stress on students. Their mental health is being affected, thinking about loved ones who are being impacted by the conflict, and big calls on post-secondary institutions to be able to provide the support necessary. For them, not only to deal with those issues personally but for them to be able to continue with their studies.

When we think about the mobility side, obviously, anything that disrupts the economy, disrupts the political stability, um, also has an impact on students thinking about going abroad, collaborations that we have with partner institutions within the region.

How are global conflicts affecting trends and patterns in international education?

Huge demands on post-secondary institutions to provide financial support. To those learners, their whole livelihood and plans to study have been disrupted completely because of these conflicts. I think now institutions are sadly seeing global conflict regions become and how to support those learners becoming the new normal.

Therefore, how do we assess and support learners who are coming from? In this case, the Middle East, as we were talking about earlier. With the Israeli-Hamas conflict, if we think about what is happening even in areas of Africa and conflict regions. That is, that is now becoming front and center.

Here in Canada, many of our institutions have a very strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. And as part of that, on the diversity side, is ensuring that all learners have access to higher education. And in cases where there is a conflict or an upheaval in a specific market, we’re trying to provide support within our, within the area that we can.