Trends, Challenges and New Perspectives in Transatlantic Higher Education – The Seminar for US Administrators in International Education and Fulbright Workshop for US & German Administrators 2025

Fulbright Germany has a longstanding tradition of facilitating professional development programs for US and German administrators in international higher education. Both programs explore strategies and concepts to strengthen academic exchange in an ever-changing global environment.

From November 9 to 22, Fulbright Germany welcomed 17 US higher education administrators from various regions and institutions in the US for the “Seminar for US Administrators in International Education”.

The seminar started in Berlin with a comprehensive overview of German higher education. Through lectures and discussions with experts from various professional fields and organizations, participants gained a deeper understanding of current trends and challenges in internationalization. Campus visits at HWR Berlin, BHT Berliner Hochschule für Technik, TU Berlin and FU Berlin offered firsthand perspectives on internationalization strategies, institutional priorities, and innovative research projects at Berlin HEIs.

At the beginning of the second seminar week, participants divided into smaller subgroups for an immersive three-day stay at TU Ilmenau, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, or Hochschule Anhalt. Each host institution offered unique insights into their internationalization strategies, campus life and innovative research projects and thereby once more highlighted the institutional and regional diversity of Germany’s federalistic higher education. Smaller group settings allowed participants to explore further topics of interest in depth and to engage in open and direct discussions with their hosts. Fulbright Germany’s seminars would not be possible without the active engagement and support of these partner institutions.

The seminar concluded in Berlin with a joint workshop with alumni of our German Administrators seminars. This peer-to-peer exchange offered a perfect platform to discuss the latest trends in international higher education on both sides of the Atlantic. Together, US and German participants shared best practices, explored new ideas for cooperation, and built connections that promise to last beyond the workshop.

Beyond our exciting program, we asked our US admins to share their thoughts on our central theme for 2026: Independence. Here’s a glimpse into the inspiring words they found. Check out the video below.