Council on International Higher Education (CIHE) Pre-Conference

CIHE Pre-Conference Call For Proposals & Volunteers

Proposals and Volunteer Interest Forms due Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 3:00pm Pacific Time

Review the Call For Proposals Learn more about Volunteering 

During CIHE Pre-conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, we want to embrace a profound commitment to this year’s theme, “Land, Memory, and Power: Collective Movements to Revolutionize Higher Education,” calling to reckon with colonial histories, collective struggle, and the possibilities for transformative change across the higher education landscape. CIHE recognizes that knowledge production is deeply entangled with power, place, and memory, and invites scholars to examine how our research practices can either reproduce or actively disrupt colonial and exclusionary structures within international and comparative higher education. Methodological rigor, critical inquiry, and ethical responsibility are central to this work, particularly in cross-border and international research. In this spirit, and alongside our traditional proposal formats, we are introducing a new proposal category, a Meta-Reflection which allows for a peek into the behind the scenes of research. 

This new category offers participants the unique opportunity to engage with what happens behind-the-scenes of research by examining deeper approaches to reflexivity, ethical awareness, and innovative and culturally responsive approaches to the research process. A Meta-Reflection or ‘Behind-the-Scenes of Research’ focuses on how research is done rather than the findings, i.e., the emotional, political, or relational labor that is often absent from published work. It offers participants a unique opportunity to engage in the behind-the-scenes of research, fostering deeper reflexivity, ethical awareness, and culturally responsive approaches. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

• Navigating power dynamics in cross-border research

• Emotional labor of qualitative inquiry

• Failures, false starts, and ethical dilemmas

• Methodological choices and trade-offs within cross-border settings

• Ethical dilemmas and institutional constraints

• Power, identity, and positionality in the research or practice process

• Moments of uncertainty, failure, or recalibration

A Meta-Reflection proposal can be submitted as an Interactive Symposium that introduces the concept of a Meta-Reflection process in decolonizing one’s research, and then opens discussion and interactive conversations on how participants can intentionally work to decolonize their own research by applying decolonization practices to their research methods, positionality statements, and ethical approaches to research. Thus, we can all become more intentional about decolonizing our research by fostering engagement, discussion, and opportunities for collective learning about the Meta-Reflection process. 

By creating a space for Meta-Reflection, the CIHE Pre-conference seeks to engage in deep reflective critical discourse, examining how our own stories and positionalities intersect with these colonial legacies. We reflect on the power dynamics inherent in cross-border research and the emotional labor that accompanies it. Because we recognize the potential harm that research can inflict on international communities when cultural sensitivity and critical consciousness are absent, we want to provide an opportunity to look behind the scenes of research and unpack the researcher's journey to transformation. 

Aligning well with ASHE’s commitment to advancing knowledge in higher education and this year’s theme, this new category for proposal submission will help us to explore healing practices that honor the land, the memory, and the communities to which we are connected. It will provide a space to emphasize the importance of amplifying marginalized voices and creating a shared narrative that is inclusive and transformative. Thus, we will not only acknowledge the ongoing colonialism in higher education but also commit to being allies who actively engage in dismantling these systems of oppression by cultivating a space for reflexive engagement and deep self-reflection that promotes collective action by encouraging our scholarly community to move toward disruption, dismantling, and transformation in ways that are culturally responsive and ethically grounded within our own research practices. 

We warmly invite you to participate in this year’s CIHE Pre-conference under the theme of “Land, Memory, and Power: Collective Movements to Revolutionize Higher Education” by submitting a proposal that reflects the behind-the-scenes of research through the submission of a meta-reflection or any of our traditional proposal submission formats listed below.

In-Person Proposal formats accepted (Tuesday November 3, 2026)

*Posters accepted via the Pre-Conference will be presented during the General Conference Poster Session on Thursday, November 5, 2026.

Please note that the CIHE Pre-Conference Forum is different from the General Conference section International Higher Education. Authors can submit to either the general conference or the CIHE Pre-Conference; however, the same proposal may not be submitted to both.

Call For Volunteers

We know the quality and success of the conference is contingent upon the collective engagement of each and every member serving as Reviewers, Chairs, and Discussants. Service in these roles helps to ensure the integrity of our conference and, subsequently, the field of higher education scholarship. However, we also know that the rapidly changing landscape of higher education and the challenges we are facing more broadly in society, and within our communities are taking a toll on our members. Please know that we value you and the time and energy you give to ensuring our conference programming can meet the moment.

Learn more about Volunteering

Tentative Schedule

DATE (Virtual via Zoom)

Monday, November 2, 2026 (In-Person in San Juan)

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (In-Person in San Juan)

Registration Rates

Registration will open in April 2026