Before the World Cup came to Boston, the Boston Globe delivered sobering news: hoteliers reporting tepid occupancy during event dates as prices dropped and minimum night stays went from four to two. Sold tickets as of mid-June “portend disappointment for the hospitality industry,” the paper wrote. The forecast looked as grim as the train to Foxborough Stadium looked long.
Then came the Tartan Army.
Meet Intead!
- We're presenting at NACUBO in July alongside College of the Canyons, University of Memphis, and UC San Diego. Let us know if your business office colleagues will be there and Be in touch we'll look for them at the conference.
Boston, a city with genuine pride in its libations, started making emergency keg runs. Fenway Park didn’t know what hit it. Mayor Michelle Wu signed a formal letter of intent to make Glasgow a sister city. Locals are wondering if their city is, dare we say it, actually fun. No one has accused Boston of that since before Covid.
Then, right in the middle of this World Cup mania, the University of Strathclyde slid into our Instagrams with a perfectly timed message “Dear Boston, let Scotland return the welcome. Study in Glasgow – the world’s friendliest city.” Chefs kiss on the timing of that placement.
It seems we all are having a bit of fun.
The World Cup Reset
For those of us with a global point of view, the World Cup has served as a welcome corrective. The stories we typically hear have run dire for too long. Enrollment declines, visa uncertainty, policy whiplash, vanishing enrollment. But this moment has re-ignited faith in the idea of global community. The idea that we are better together is alive and well. Have we drunk the World Cup Koolaid?
Yes! Can we offer you any?
And yet, what University of Strathclyde’s ad quietly signals: while US institutions navigate the turbulence, competitors abroad are on the move. According to Keystone’s 2026 State of Student Recruitment report, drawing on 67,000 prospective students across 150 countries, the UK rose to the top of stated study intentions, interest in Italy and Germany held strong, and India entered the top 10 intended destinations for the first time. The globally mobile student population isn’t in decline; it’s expanding its options. The question is whether your institution will be in consideration.
Our suggestion: use the momentum of the World Cup to spur internationalization innovation at your institution. We, of course, have lots of ideas on that front. Chief among them: understand how your internationalization strategy and structure are actually serving you, and how they are not. As we ride through a moment of change, secure your foundation now. The ball is at your feet.
Read on for how we think you can move forward…
What Your Peers Are Finding Out
Those who follow us know we’ve partnered with AIEA on a first-of-its-kind internationalization benchmarking study – and we’re actively accepting new institutional participants, even as the research is underway. If you didn't catch our recent conversation with AIEA CEO Clare Overmann about this nationwide study, grab a coffee and have a listen. Then, share it with your peers.
As you know, you can’t optimize what you don’t measure. This initiative surfaces never-before-collected data on international education structures across US institution types, with a target cohort of 100 institutions. The goal: smarter internationalization investments, grounded in real comparative data about your peers.
Open to AIEA member institutions in the US, the study will evaluate four essential internationalization structures:
-
-
International student enrollment
-
Study abroad
-
Global partnerships
-
Overarching internationalization strategy
-
These four aspects of internationalization are measurable and comparable across institutions. This is what benchmarking studies are all about.
Participating institutions will receive two reports:
- Confidential institutional report summarizing your current internationalization data
- Benchmarking, aggregated, and anonymized insights comparing your institution to peers
Notably, only study participants will have access to full study results and the data that will guide future internationalization investment decisions.
An Easy Ask in a Hard Moment
It’s a study long overdue. Internationalization matters too much to your institution, your students, and to the health of US higher education to navigate without a map.
The cost, for what this study offers, is quite affordable. And now, we’d argue, thanks to the World Cup excitement, may be the best time to seek the funding from your provost and business office.
Learn more and join the study.
