Gone are the days, in the early years of this century, when universities thought the best way to build their international footprint was to send home-campus staff to recruit students from far-flung locations on a regular basis, racking up countless long-haul flights.
Long before Covid-19, things started to change. The 2010s was a decade when the UK saw a huge expansion in overseas offices, generally staffed by local appointees. Some were not so much offices as individual ‘road warriors’. Others involved a physical presence, often managed by a third party organisation, which could help navigate the ins and outs of operating in a particular country. The vast majority focused solely on student recruitment to the home campus from the country or region concerned.
But there are alternative approaches to establishing institutional profile and presence in key regions.
The University of Manchester’s long-standing transnational education centres
The Alliance Manchester Business School set up its first Global Centre in Hong Kong in 1992 to meet the growing demand for business education from English-speaking professionals in the region. Its website notes that Manchester is still the only UK institution in Hong Kong to have a centre with its own staff, teaching facilities and student support.
The University also has well-established physical centres in Singapore, Dubai and Shanghai. They offer a range of online and blended learning activities, particularly in support of Global Part-time MBA students. As well as teaching, the centres host networking events, build relationships with the business community and professional bodies, and act as a hub for alumni in their region.
These Global Centres play a major role in extending Manchester’s influence in China, wider East Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East.
University College Dublin’s network of five high-performing Global Centres
University College Dublin (UCD) established its first Global Centre in India (Delhi) in 2014 and, between then and 2018, set up a further four centres in New York, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai. Each one is home to a regional team (of between five and eight staff) responsible for engagement across a defined wider region. Initially, their focus was on recruiting students to the Dublin campus, but the intention was always for the Global Centre remit to extend well beyond this. They now spearhead delivery of broad-based regional strategies.
They undertake all recruitment (including agent management) and admissions (including application processing) for their regions, generating approximately 85% of UCD’s non-Irish fee income. A tiny number of Dublin-based international recruitment staff support regions not covered by the current Global Centre network. The remit of the centres is regularly reviewed, helping them to evolve over time. They are now active in partnership development and partner relations, other stakeholder relationships, alumni engagement and broader regional profile-building.
UCD’s Global Centres are seen as pioneers by other institutions with overseas offices in the same regions. And their successful contribution to UCD’s strategic goals means they are highly respected internally too.
The University of Melbourne’s new ‘home in India’: Global Centre – Delhi
The University of Melbourne’s university strategy sets out an ambition to establish global centres in ‘Asia and the Pacific’ as part of its commitment to Global Place. The first such centre, The Melbourne Global Centre – Delhi, was launched in September 2024. It describes itself as ‘where we invite the global academic community in to deepen our engagement and explore opportunities for partnerships and collaboration across teaching, research and the community’.
The centre is led by a distinguished University of Melbourne professor, originally from India, who has experience in establishing significant transnational education and transnational research programmes. Alongside his role as centre Director, he acts as Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor International (South Asia and Middle East).
While it is too early to evaluate the impact of the new centre, it certainly has ambitious plans to showcase Melbourne’s full offer, with the press release for the launch stating that ‘the Centre will feature cultural performances, art exhibitions, and lecture series, serving as a platform to connect research with Indian corporations, industry partners and academic institutions… The Centre embodies our partnership model in India, fostering capacity and collaboration through mutually beneficial relationships that address the educational needs of this region’.
Lessons from three different models
These three institutions in different countries have all established entities which they call Global Centres. The thumbnails above show just how different they are. Manchester’s model developed around having a base for transnational education delivery. UCD’s model built outwards from a student recruitment focus. And Melbourne’s concept is to facilitate wide-ranging academic and community engagement across teaching, research and culture.
One thing they have in common is a high level of institutional commitment (including associated investment) and a clearly defined role in supporting institutional strategies for global engagement in selected regions.
It is not always straightforward to work out the right balance of activities between the home campus and the Global Centre – and requirements change over time. It’s therefore crucial that those working in the centres are treated as integral members of the wider university team, with their local expertise fully valued. An inclusive approach (from key meetings to the planning process) and effective two-way communication channels are essential.
When strategically aligned and appropriately resourced, having an ambitious presence on the ground (beyond just a traditional ‘overseas office’) can have an immensely positive impact on a university’s profile in its chosen region.
Halpin is the home of experts in Higher Education and Dr Vicky Lewis one of our Consulting Fellows, an expert in HE international strategy and leadership. To find out more about how Halpin can support your institution with your international strategy get in touch.