Higher Education institutions at the interface between internationalization, interculturality and diversity management

Today, higher education institutions are confronted with ever-changing challenges brought about by dramatic changes in demographics, the ongoing massification of higher education and globalization trends that force them to also critically assess their strategies for attracting future students. One strategic approach that has long been regarded as a winning formula was the change of the domestic language of instruction into English which, as a consequence, serves as a basis for the recruitment of internationally mobile students. This contribution attempts to identify the junction between critical elements such as internationalization efforts, intercultural competencies and diversity-related factors that seem all relevant for higher education institutions (HEI) but are frequently treated as synonymous without clear terminological and conceptual boundaries. What is more, activities in these fields are often undertaken in a sketchy and stand-alone fashion without a cohesive frame or overall strategy. On this note, this paper seeks to put forward a conceptual model that draws on all relevant variables to provide a meta-level picture of the phenomenon of internationalization of higher education. In a second step, it is sought to discuss internationalization strategies and their implications in relation to intervening factors that may impact, enable or impede specific strategic approaches. For this purpose, a closer look will be taken at the sector of second-tier higher education institutions and their underlying rationales for going international.