At the start of this year, 2021, ACA prioritised learning more about and supporting inclusion in international higher education in the context of Europe. We decided to publish our insights along the way with the help of experts in the area of inclusion through a new ACA Think Piece series, Inclusion in International Higher Education: European Perspectives & Insights. 

After the summer break, we are returning with Gohar Hovhannisyan’s article on building trust between institutional coordinators and university staff with underrepresented student groups and their representatives. With COVID-19 still looming over international higher education, pending issues are felt the strongest by underrepresented groups as it is much harder for them to make any tentative planning and find usually not widely available support.

With inclusion and diversity being increasingly addressed in policy documents and national strategies, there is still much progress to be done in practice. This is especially relevant for raising interest among underrepresented groups where university staff are often left frustrated and disappointed after not being able to successfully reach out to them. Reflecting on the project done in Armenia, Gohar lays out some practical steps which could overcome existing barriers.

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