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International Academics as Agents of Transformation: Lived and Managed Internationalization in a Finnish University
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Abstract: This article explores internationalization processes as an ongoing transformation of higher education institutions by examining a case of internationalization efforts at Tampere University (TAU) in Finland. Against the prevailing policy discourse of international “talent” which tends to instrumentalize international academics, we explore how the experiences of international academics provide a window into complicated dynamics of lived and managed internationalization, including how international academics are themselves agents of transformation. This case study combines a survey and interviews with self‐identified international staff at TAU, as well as our own critical reflections as a team of international and Finnish academics who conducted the research and used the findings to advocate for changes. Our analysis emphasizes a relational understanding of international academics and highlights intersecting challenges around language, uncertain career prospects, and distance from university decision‐making forums. Taken together, the findings illuminate the contradictory positioning of international academics and show the complicated convergences and divergences between managerial attempts to increase the university’s global competitiveness and the diverse needs, positionalities, and agencies of international academics.
Keywords: change agent; Finland; international academics; university internationalization
Published:
Issue:
Vol 14 (2026): Diversity and Change Agents in Higher Education (In Progress)
© Vesna Holubek, Derek Ruez, Mila Bujić, Marisa Honkanen, Zsuzsa Millei. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction of the work without further permission provided the original author(s) and source are credited.