Spring 2025 Webinar

The Study Abroad and International Students (SAIS) SIG is pleased to invite the SAIS members and friends to a Spring webinar. 

During this webinar, the SAIS SIG Research Grant Awardee, Ariunaa Enkhtur, PhD will present findings from her research on Mongolian returnees' contributions to research universities in Mongolia. 

Webinar Date and Time

Wednesday, May 14 @ 7:00am US Eastern time zone

// 12:00pm London // 7:00pm Ulaanbaatar // 8pm Tokyo time zone

• Presenter: Ariunaa Enkhtur, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute for International Initiatives, the University of Osaka 

  • Co-researchers of the study: 

    • Oyundelger Enkhtur, PhD, National University of Mongolia

    • Sainbayar Gundsambuu, PhD, The University of Osaka

    • Narantogtokh Davaajav, PhD, Kyoto Institute of Technology

• Discussant: Anne Campbell, PhD, Writer and Consultant, International Higher Education

• Chair: Max Crumley-Effinger, PhD, Assistant Director,  International Student Affairs, Emerson College; Chair of CIES SAIS SIG 2024-2025

Presentation abstract: 

This presentation examines how foreign-educated Mongolian graduates contribute to improving universities in Mongolia, focusing on their agency and the structural contexts they navigate. Based on interviews with 30 returnees from a range of international graduate programs and academic fields, the study shows how these graduates use both local and international connections to address institutional challenges. The findings highlight how returnees exercise agency through strategic positioning and collective efforts, often working through informal networks and NGOs. The research underscores the importance of supportive institutional structures to enable returnees to apply their skills and knowledge effectively, offering insights for higher education development in other emerging contexts. 

  Click to access a recording of the webinar.