Winter 2025

December 15, 2025

Winter canopy

Introduction

As 2025 draws to a close, the global higher education community remains committed to renewed collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose. This Winter issue of Quality International Newsletter highlights the growing momentum behind international partnerships that strengthen quality assurance, expand recognition frameworks, and support institutions navigating rapid change. From groundbreaking regional initiatives to new scholarship and global exchanges, the stories in this edition reflect a sector committed to integrity, transparency, and meaningful cooperation.

At the forefront is the launch of the new CHEA–ANQAHE Gateway, a landmark partnership that brings together CHEA’s global leadership and ANQAHE’s (Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) regional expertise to advance recognition and quality assurance across the Arab region. We also explore lessons from South Asia’s rapidly evolving quality assurance landscape, celebrate the publication of Crossing Bridges Between Education Systems—a timely reflection on the enduring impact of the Lisbon Recognition Convention—and spotlight CHEA’s continued engagement with higher education leaders from across the world through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. Additional features include an in-depth look at Iraq’s progress toward a unified national accreditation framework and a preview of the upcoming CHEA/CIQG 2026 Annual Conference, where attendees will convene around the theme Leading with Integrity in a Shifting Landscape. Together, these contributions underscore CHEA’s ongoing commitment to building strong, collaborative, and globally connected systems of quality assurance.

MOU signing
CHEA and ANQAHE Launch Gateway to Advance Quality and Recognition in Higher Education

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the CHEA–ANQAHE Gateway, a new platform designed to strengthen collaboration on quality assurance, recognition, and institutional engagement across the Arab region. Announced during the 6th ANQAHE Conference in Riyadh, the partnership brings together CHEA’s global recognition leadership and ANQAHE’s regional expertise to support shared research, policy dialogue, and capacity-building initiatives.

Through the Gateway, the two organizations will coordinate joint activities such as co-branded events, bilingual policy briefs, and professional exchanges focused on recognition, student protection, and institutional autonomy. Leaders from both organizations emphasized the collaborative spirit and shared commitment to improving higher education quality, noting that the Gateway will expand opportunities for universities and quality assurance agencies in the Arab region to engage with CHEA’s frameworks and networks while contributing to the global conversation on academic quality. READ MORE.

Strengthening Higher Education through Quality Assurance: Lessons from South Asia

NurunnabiSouth Asian higher education quality assurance has reached a critical juncture, marked by unprecedented scale, innovative approaches, and serious governance challenges. From India's world-leading 16,321 accredited institutions to Afghanistan's completely disrupted system, the region offers vital lessons for the global quality assurance community. Recent developments include major corruption scandals, multi-billion dollar investment programs, complete system transformations, and the emergence of crisis-resilient frameworks. This comprehensive analysis, based on official government data, UNESCO statistics, and peer-reviewed research, examines quality assurance across all eight South Asian countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan. The findings reveal significant disparities in system maturity, coverage, and effectiveness, while highlighting innovative approaches that merit international attention. READ MORE.

Professor Dr. Mohammad Nurunnabi: UNESCO Chair - Education for Sustainable Development, Green Skills and Climate Actions; Director - Center for Sustainability and Climate; Aide to the President, Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia: Academic Visitor, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK

New Publication: "Crossing Bridges Between Education Systems: The History and Relevance of the Lisbon Recognition Convention"

Crossing Bridges Book Cover

"Crossing Bridges Between Education Systems: The History and Relevance of the Lisbon Recognition Convention" tells the story of how one international agreement helped shape the way the world understands and values higher education across borders. Edited by Sjur Bergan, Chiara Finocchietti, Kees Kouwenaar, Luca Lantero, and Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić, this volume brings together the voices of those who built the Lisbon Recognition Convention and those who continue to make it thrive today.

The book traces the Convention’s origins in the optimism of the 1990s—when Europe sought to open its educational systems and promote student mobility—and follows its continuing evolution as new challenges emerge. From digital technologies and micro-credentials to the recognition of refugees’ qualifications, the contributors show how the principles of fairness, transparency, and mutual trust remain as vital as ever.

Blending history, policy, and personal insight, this volume celebrates nearly three decades of progress in international academic recognition. It offers a timely reminder that recognizing each other’s qualifications is also a way of recognizing each other’s value—and of building bridges between education systems around the world.

International Visitor Leadership Program Engagements Highlight Global Interest in Accreditation and Quality Assurance

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) continued its collaboration with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) this fall, engaging with two distinguished delegations of higher education leaders focused on accreditation, quality assurance, and global trends in university partnerships.

CHEA Meets with IVLP “University Partnerships” Delegation – October 1, 2025

IVLP DelegationOn October 1, CHEA welcomed a multiregional IVLP delegation participating in the project “University Partnerships,” organized by the Institute of International Education (IIE) on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. The group represented countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean and included senior higher education administrators, faculty members, and government officials.

The program aims to strengthen international university partnerships through strategic planning, sustainable collaboration, and an enhanced understanding of U.S. higher education management and internationalization practices.

CHEA Vice Presidents Loretta Waldron (Recognition Services) and Michelle Claville (Research and International Initiatives) briefed the delegation on CHEA’s mission and the work of the CHEA International Quality Group (CIQG) in promoting quality assurance worldwide. Their presentation set the stage for a robust and wide-ranging discussion on:

  • The role of accreditation in supporting high-quality, globally engaged higher education systems
  • Peer-review-based approaches to quality assurance
  • Trends in campus internationalization
  • Opportunities for collaboration through student and faculty mobility

Participants shared perspectives on building durable, transparent, and future-oriented global partnerships, underscoring the value of accreditation as a foundation for international cooperation.

CHEA Hosts IVLP Delegation from Ukraine – December 9, 2025

IVLP Delegation UkraineCHEA also met with a delegation of senior Ukrainian university leaders and government officials visiting the United States under the IVLP project “U.S. Approaches to Market-driven Education,” arranged by American Councils for International Education and conducted from December 6–20.

The nine-member group included rectors, vice-rectors, and representatives from Ukraine’s national quality assurance and education oversight bodies. With a shared interest in accreditation systems, quality assurance frameworks, and strategies for aligning higher education with workforce needs, the Ukrainian delegation engaged in an in-depth conversation with CHEA’s Loretta Waldron and Michelle Claville.

The 90-minute meeting focused on the State Department’s key objectives for the project, including:

  • Examining best practices for modernizing education to reflect evolving labor market demands
  • Exploring U.S. approaches to accreditation, competency-based education, and curriculum innovation
  • Understanding how job market trends inform institutional priorities and partnerships
  • Learning about student support structures and career advising models

The discussion reflected the delegation’s strong interest in strengthening quality assurance mechanisms to support Ukraine’s ongoing educational reforms.

Continued Global Engagement

These IVLP engagements reaffirm CHEA’s leadership in shaping international dialogue on accreditation and quality assurance. Through participation in these exchanges, CHEA helps global higher education leaders strengthen their quality assurance systems, build sustainable partnerships, and advance high-quality, internationally connected educational opportunities.

The Iraqi Council for Institutional Accreditation (ICIA) 

Ziara photoThe Iraqi Council for Institutional Accreditation (ICIA) represents a key milestone in Iraq’s journey toward establishing a comprehensive national framework for higher education quality assurance.

The initiative began in 2013 with the formation of a specialized committee tasked with developing national standards for institutional accreditation. The committee conducted an extensive comparative study of regional and international accreditation frameworks, including those adopted by QAA and other global agencies.

Following years of research, consultation, and benchmarking, Iraq launched its National Institutional Accreditation Standards in 2018, marking a major step toward a unified quality framework for higher education institutions. READ MORE.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khalid Shanawa Ziara: Director of Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Directorate; Supervision and Scientific Evaluation Authority; Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research – Iraq

CHEA Conference LogoCHEA/CIQG 2026 Annual Conference

Leading with Integrity in a Shifting Landscape: Innovation, Accountability, and the Future of Accreditation
January 26–29, 2026 | Washington, D.C.

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) invites you to join higher education leaders, accreditors, and policymakers for our 2026 Annual Conference—a dynamic gathering focused on the future of accreditation and the power of values-driven leadership.

This year’s theme, Leading with Integrity in a Shifting Landscape, explores how innovation and accountability can work hand in hand to strengthen academic quality and student success. As institutions and accreditors adapt to evolving regulations, rising expectations, and global change, CHEA remains committed to championing integrity, transparency, and responsible innovation.

Throughout the conference, participants will engage in thought-provoking discussions on how accreditation can:

  • Advance equitable student outcomes and continuous improvement

  • Foster ethical leadership and collaboration across sectors

  • Navigate the changing role of accreditors in national and international contexts

Register today and join us in Washington, D.C., for an inspiring, forward-looking conversation about the future of higher education accreditation.

Submissions

hand icon with paperRemember that you are invited to submit articles or op-eds that focus on current topics relevant to quality assurance and international higher education. After reviewing the Quality International Newsletter Guidelines, please submit your articles, op-eds, and announcements by February 23, 2026, for consideration of inclusion in the Spring 2026 issue of QI News.

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation,
its International Quality Group, its Board, or its members. 

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