100. The stories we’ve told

It all started in September 2020: the very first episode of the EAIE podcast series, titled ‘The Stories We Tell.’ We had no idea what our podcast adventure would look like and how long we would last. Yet, here we are: roughly 4,5 years later and still going strong! With a total of 142 individual guests from 36 different countries, the EAIE podcast has focused on all kinds of topics with one main thing in common: a link to international higher education. From marketing and recruitment to language learning and student mobility, we’ve covered a lot of ground, and in this special 100 episode of the EAIE podcast, we look back at the stories we’ve told. 

Podcast host Laura Rumbley is joined by Jody Hoekstra-Selten, Knowledge Development Officer at the EAIE and one of the faces behind the podcast. Together they share facts and figures of the podcast series over the years, the episodes that were most listened to, and those that are particularly special to them. We also provide a peak behind the scenes, meeting EAIE team members involved in the podcast and some of their personal favourite episodes. And if you’re curious to hear what the podcast has in store for 2025, be sure to take a listen. Join us in celebrating the 100th episode of the EAIE podcast by tuning in now!

About Laura Rumbley
Laura Rumbley is the Director for Knowledge Development and Research at the EAIE, and the host of the EAIE podcast series. With more than 25 years of experience in the field of international higher education, she has held a variety of different roles, including international student, practitioner, assistant professor, researcher, editor and consultant. Laura holds a PhD from the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College (USA), where her dissertation focused on internationalisation in the universities of Spain. From 2014 to 2024, Laura was a co-editor of the Journal of Studies in International Education (JSIE); she now serves on JSIE's editorial advisory board.

About Jody Hoekstra-Selten
Jody Hoekstra-Selten is the Knowledge Development Officer at the EAIE. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Western Literature and Culture and a Research Master’s degree in Literary Studies, both at Utrecht University (NL), she has been working within the field of (international) education policy since 2012. Starting out as Policy Advisor for Higher Education at the NRTO (the Dutch Council for Training and Education), she also spent eight years at the British Council in various roles, including Exams Operations Manager and Head of Education for the Netherlands. 

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, visit our podcast page to listen to and explore the entire catalogue of episodes.

Transcript

Laura Rumbley: On behalf of the European Association for International Education, welcome to episode #100 in the EAIE podcast!  

My name is Laura Rumbley and, in my capacity as Director for Knowledge Development and Research at the EAIE, it’s been my huge pleasure and privilege to serve as host of the podcast series since its launch in September of 2020 – which, I have to confess, does feel like quite a long time ago now, considering all we’ve lived through in the intervening period since that date! 

Reflecting on the journey we’ve been on since the inception of the series IS the main focus of this milestone episode today. We’re going to take a look back at the stories we’ve told over the last four and a half years, yes-- but we’re also going to look toward the future of the podcast. There’s great stuff ahead in 2025 and we’re so excited to continue the work of sharing with the EAIE community timely conversations with international higher education experts, stakeholders and professionals working on so many different and exciting aspects of our field!  

 So, where to begin in this 100th episode?

I think one of the most important things to note about the EAIE Podcast is that it does not produce itself! It takes a team of dedicated EAIE staff members to make each episode possible and perhaps THE most integral member of that team is Jody Hoekstra-Selten. She is the EAIE’s Knowledge Development Officer and serves in that role as the producer of the podcast series. 

Hi, Jody! Thanks for joining me on this side of the microphone today! 

Jody Hoekstra-Selten: Hi, Laura! It’s great to be here! 

LR: Shortly, Jody, I want to chat with you in greater detail about the work you do to make the podcast happen but, first and foremost, I think we need to give in to our “data geek” sides (and we are both very much data lovers, aren’t we??) and talk a little bit about the podcast by the numbers, don’t you think? We’ve really covered a lot of ground, haven’t we? 

JH: We really have, Laura. 

FACTS AND FIGURES 

You’ve already mentioned that this is our 100th episode, so as we look back at the 99 previous episodes that make up our library, it is really interesting to look back across that full library and see that some of the numbers are rather impressive.  

So, first off: 

Between September 1st 2020 and November 30 2024, we averaged a new podcast episode just about every 2 weeks. That has definitely kept us busy! 

And we had a total of 142 individual guests from 36 different countries. 

LR: What does the country or geographic spread look like in terms of where these many different guests joined us from? 

JH: On the plus side, it’s really great to see that we had guests from all world regions: 

• Europe 
• The Americas 
• Asia 
• Africa 
• Oceania 

Overall, about 50% of our guests came from Northern and Western Europe, though. And while that heavier representation from that part of Europe is consistent with other EAIE activities, you know, Laura, that it’s something we’re very sensitive to and we have regularly considered in our planning processes how we can get wide geographic diversity into the guest pool. It’s not always been easy but it is something we’ve been striving for. 

LR: Yes, indeed. In our planning and scouting work for guests, that’s a regular discussion point for us, isn’t it? 

JH: Very much so. 

Meanwhile, it’s also interesting to note that our guest pool has skewed female: 64% of our guests have identified as women, which is likely a reflection of the strong presence of women in our field, but it’s also something we’re attentive to when we think about the balance of perspectives we’re looking for in the series. And I’m sure we’ll keep this in mind with our future planning, as well! 

LR: Absolutely. So, that gives us an indication of some of the guest demographics. What can we share with listeners about the topics we’ve covered in our 99 episodes to date?

JH: So, as some listeners might know, the EAIE works from a taxonomy that we developed a couple of years ago to help us clarify the scope of topics we cover in all of our content, which includes everything from our conference sessions to the trainings the EAIE offers, to our blogs and podcast, etc. This taxonomy is organised around 9 main content categories, with some 60 subtopics within those overarching categories. 

I can report that our 99 episodes have touched on all 9 of the main topic categories from the taxonomy. The top 3 of these 9 categories reflected in the podcasts to-date relate to  

• leadership, strategy and policy (33%) 
• social responsibility (17%) and  
• student and staff mobility (12%).  

But, the series overall has also definitely addressed 6 other main the categories of the taxonomy, which are 

1. Partnerships 
2. Teaching, learning and curriculum 
3. Student and alumni services 
4. European-funded programmes – particularly the European Universities Initiative 
5. Research on internationalisation, and 
6. Marketing and admissions

In tackling these various categories of interest, I think what’s been particularly fun and interesting is the way we’ve been able to connect with many of the very well-known sister associations and other key stakeholder organisations in our field, but also other highly relevant institutions and initiatives that I think are less well-known to our community. Maybe we’ll talk about that in a little bit when we chat about some of our favorite episodes, right?

LR: For sure!

TOP PERFORMING EPISODES 

LR: OK, now for a bit of a fun “reveal” question? What does our data crunching tell us about the top 3 performing podcasts in the series?

JH: A fun question indeed!

OK, #3 in the top 3 list is our very first podcast, from September 2020, which was titled “the stories we tell” and featured Aminata Cairo. 

LR: Ah! That was a really special episode for me, of course, because it was the first one and it marked the launch of the series, which was exciting in and of itself!  

But, more important was the guest and her very compelling insights into questions of equity and social justice. Some of our listeners might know that Aminata Cairo delivered a powerful closing plenary talk the year before the podcast lanuch, at the EAIE’s 2019 Conference and Exhibition in Helsinki, and we thought her focus on the power of storytelling, and the stories we tell ourselves (which can either empower us or greatly undermine us) was a really meaningful way to jumpstart our own storytelling work through the podcast series. 

JH:  I think one of the especially nice bits of that conversation came when you asked her about her level of optimism or pessimism at that moment in mid-2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement was in full flow, and the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging, and she answered in this way 

LR: It’s funny, when I hear her now, I can’t tell if there is a little wiggle to the audio or if she actually says the word “possimistic”, which sounds like a really cool mix of the words optimistic and pessimistic! But, really what stands out to me from that clip and the whole interview is her deep wisdom about the human condition in all its weakness and strength. I found her to be such an inspiration in her work and her outlook on the work we can all be doing to make the world a better place. 

JH: For sure! 

LR: OK, so that’s #3 in our top performing podcasts so far. Which one comes in at #2? 

JH: The second most high-performing episode was published in January 2023 and featured Simon Marginson, on the subject of “redefining internationalisation”. 

LR: That was one of the early episodes you worked on after joining the EAIE, right? 

JH: Yes it was. I really appreciated the opportunity we had to bring a leading international higher education scholar onto the programme and it clearly resonated with listeners!  

One of our own staff members selected it as one of her top 5 favorite episodes and told us that she really appreciated the way that Simon brought this thoughtful academic perspective to a consideration of a longstanding and widely referenced definition of internationalisation, and offered ideas for how the definition could and should be retooled in a way that ensures greater inclusiveness and positive changes in the field.  

Helping to extend the debate and conversation about such a fundamental question – the definition of internationalisation itself – is incredibly important and exciting. 

LR: I very much agree! Were there some aspects of that interview or key ideas from it that really caught your attention? 

JH: There really is a great deal to unpack in Simon’s interview but one of the parts of the conversation that I quite appreciated was where he began to answer your question about how we can begin to develop a new definition of internationalisation that (as he sees it) would be a better fit for today’s world. Let’s listen to a bit of that...

LR: Those short couple of minutes from that interview really showcase the way that Simon “sets the scene” in his commentary and reflections throughout that episode on this quite complex question of how we define this core phenomenon in our field. There are so many ways to think about that issue and he’s great at highlighting how social, political, historical and other factors all can and should come into play in this discussion. 

So that now, brings us to the #1 top-performing podcast in our existing library, which is... 

JH: That honor falls to the May 2021 episode with Maria Kelo titled “the big new world of micro-credentials"! 

LR: I love that this episode has done so well with our audience! I think it really speaks to the interest of our community in conversations that feature very concrete information about important new trends and innovations in our field that have the potential to really enhance or change the way we approach different aspects of our work. 

At the time of this interview with Maria Kelo, she was Director of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, known by its acronym ENQA, which put her in a fantastic position to help us understand what microcredentials are and why they matter (or have the potential to matter) so much as they become more embedded in our educational systems.   

We have a couple of clips from her episode that we thought were particularly interesting, right?  

JH: We do! Here's one that caught my attention, which relates directly to the connection between micro-credentials and international education...  

11:45 – ‘I think micro credentials will allow for a lot more of what we call virtual mobility. So, they allow more and more students than before to be exposed to an international experience and maybe they can help us to achieve those ambitious objectives for student mobility and international exposure that we have set for ourselves in Europe. And taking this a step further, I think explicit institutional policies were put up to allow and perhaps even encourage students to take some of their electives as micro-credentials from other institutions, that I think would be a very exciting development. It would really allow students to widen their options and be exposed to potentially very different teaching styles and learning cultures. I mean, as you say, the sky is the limit, but the globe is the limit at that point and that, I think, is a fantastic idea.'

LR: I also really liked what she had to say about the empowering potential of micro-credentials for learners, as we hear in this clip: 

 ‘The centrality of the learner has become very important in the European policy on higher education, so that  the learner is at the centre of the learning, but also the owner of the credentials themselves. Defining a clear framework for micro-credentials is different from simply collecting credits and diverse ranges of badges and attendance certificates here and there. It’s meant to give a more formal status to the learning that has taken place and thereby also make the recognition easier. And that, of course, will add value to the learner. And I would imagine, also motivate them more to get engaged in lifelong learning.’ 

LR: I think that was a very encouraging angle that she provided there and maybe helped clarify a bit the value of microcredetials generally.

JH: I agree. I also liked her response to your question about what the future might hold for micro-credentials, which she explains in this clip:  

 ‘According to my crystal ball, they will become a solid part of our higher education landscape and with a recognized position and not least, because the EU is very strongly pushing that. But they will not anytime soon by themselves start to replace traditional degree education, that I cannot really imagine, even through stacking. I think the kind of usual normal programme will still remain the majority approach to higher education. And, of course, we live in a very diverse Europe, so we will surely observe very different levels of uptaking of micro-credentials between countries and also the purposes and policies related to them will consequently be quite different and depend on national priorities.’ 

LR: Some very balanced insight there from Maria, for sure. I’m so glad she was willing and able to share her expertise with us on that very hot topic of micro-credentials. 

JH: Yep, that was great! 

PERSONAL FAVORITES 

LR: Well, with the help of some quantitative research we know which episodes have so far held top appeal for listeners out there. And, of course, I think it’s fair to say we’re big fans of the series as a whole, right? But, we can’t help but have some personal favorites can we?  

JH: No, It’s true! I think each episode has so much to offer, but there are a few that I’ve found particularly memorable or impactful in different ways, and I love comparing notes with others! 

LR: Me, too! So let’s turn to a super unscientific sharing of some of those personal favorite episodes! 

JH: OK, let’s hear first from one of our colleagues on the EAIE’s Knowledge Development Team. 

Insert pre-recorded NB clip 

NB: Hi, I’m Nicolas Bohorquez, the E-A-I-E’s Community Coordinator. Some of my favorite podcast episodes include: 

Learning from Failure, Leveraging Community  

I really liked this podcast – which featured 5 guests in total! -- because it offers content that inspires and motivates. Failure, in the context of international higher education or any other field, is something we can all relate to, personally and professionally. One of the guests said something that really resonated with me: failure isn’t the end; it’s an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. I couldn’t agree more! In fact, contributing to a "culture of failure" is such a positive and empowering thing! 

Some key insights I found valuable from this episode’s guests based on their professional journeys include: 

1. The fact that it’s useful to step out of your comfort zone and not see fear as failure, but rather part of progress... 
2. That it’s valuable to analyse failure, to understand its causes and recognize how perceptions of failure change over time... 
3. And, that it’s useful to try and handle setbacks by focusing on progress over perfection, accepting failure as natural, and finding humor in it to avoid self-criticism. 

I also really liked the episode with Tim Gore and Sakine (Vaikart) Weikert on The Possibilities of Knowledge Diplomacy 

This conversation was not only interesting, but I really appreciated being exposed to new concepts and new information! 

The guests shared great insights on the role of education, research, and science in international relations. They explored the concept of 'knowledge diplomacy,' the challenges posed by geopolitical tensions, and how scientific collaboration can help maintain open exchanges even when political dialogue breaks down. I liked Sakine’s emphasis on the need for 'derisking or decoupling' to mitigate security risks in international cooperation, as well as Tim’s observation about the fragility of knowledge in a world facing global fragmentation and a crisis of trust in institutions 

Another of my favorite episodes was the one on Supporting Student Belonging with Tang Heng & Jimena Alvarez: 

I really enjoyed this podcast because I could relate to the insights shared by them. As an international student in the Netherlands, I faced many of the challenges they talked about. I completely agree with their views on the importance of having a ‘sense of belonging’ and the different factors that can influence it. I also connected with Tang's approach to improving support practices. During my time in the Netherlands, I joined the university staff, coaching students not only with their academic journey but also with other aspects of studying abroad—based on my own experiences. Tang and Jimena’s ideas about how important it is for schools to create a safe and welcoming environment where students can thrive are essential for professionals in the field to know and value.

LR: Nico touches on some great episodes there. I’m a particular fan of the Knowledge Diplomacy episode he mentioned, and I love how he felt that personal connection with the Student Belonging episode. 

JH: I’m glad he mentioned the Learning from Failure episode, too. Topically, it’s really meaningful, and from a production perspective it was just great to be able to get 5 guests involved in the conversation!

LR: That was really cool!  

Another of our colleagues had a list of personal favorites to share, right?

JH: That’s right. Here it comes now...

Insert pre-recorded YA clip 

YA: Hi, I’m Yolanda Armindya, the E-A-I-E’s Knowledge Development Assistant. I have some of my favorite podcast episodes include: 

The Jim Hetherton interview on Goal-setting for the new year   

Most people I know make new year’s resolutions every year but find it very hard to maintain these for long. Jim helped me to simplify huge goals into tangible steps and targets which have helped me to keep these, even now a full year after the episode aired!  

The Reflections on Leadership episode with Danica Purg was another podcast I liked. 

This interview helped me to better understand the role of leaders in general. 

I love how she shared her experiences as a leader that worked with people from different backgrounds, and how perseverance is needed on the journey. I also really appreciated Danica’s message, based on her wide-ranging experience, that....women leaders can do great things!  

Last but not least, I am fond of the interview with Alejandra Vicencio & Frank Ziegele on the topic of That first job in international education – which actually helped prepared me for the start of my work at the EAIE in the summer of 2022! 

As somebody familiar with the field of education and had had experience as an intern at a national agency before joining the association, I was curious to know more about the knowledge and skill set needed for a career in international education. 

This podcast offered a helpful picture of how to think about developing a professional journey in the sector, and I'm so thankful for it.

JH: I love how these episodes provided really concrete professional and personal inspiration for Yolanda!  

LR: Me, too! And I share her feeling that Jim Hetherton’s advice has staying power—I feel the same way! 

OK, Jody—You must have some favorites! Which episodes have stood out especially for you? 

JH: Well, like our colleague, Nico, one of my top picks is the October 2024 episode on Learning from failure that involved: Britta Piel, Richard Delahaye, Ceren Genc, Sabine Sainte-Rose, Kimmo Kuortti. 

To me, this episode really shows what the EAIE is all about: sharing lessons learned, finding like-minded people. It’s great we could focus on a topic like this, instead of the usual good practices and tips/recommendations overviews. And -- as we mentioned before -- we managed to successfully squeeze 5 guests into one podcast episode! 

Another of my favorites is from October 2022 with Stephanie Griffiths, which we titled Mental health - our shared responsibility.  

This was the very first EAIE podcast episode I was a part of from start to finish, so it’s a bit special to me in that sense. I remember inviting Stevie as a guest, scheduling the call, creating the questions, editing the interview. Stevie was a wonderful and friendly guest to work with, and the topic was a very interesting, and relevant, one to listen to.   

The next one I want to mention is from December 2022. This was the interview with  Kirstin Edgar and Lucila Morales de Mittag, which had the intriguing title of Stray cats and organic influencers. 

 This episode was a great example of bringing two people from the field together to talk about a topic they're individually working on at their institutions. We joined forces with them again during our Community Summit in 2023 to allow Summit participants to chat with them directly, which I thought was a great example of collaboration and extending the life of a really innovative topic. Really a testament to what the EAIE can do.   

There are two more I can highlight as high points in the series for me: 

Our April 2023 episode with: Adrienne Fusek & Adinda van Gaalen on International education, climate change and cognitive dissonance.  

I loved how this was based on a research piece that Adrienne and Adinda had co-authored, and we were able to use the podcast episode to make this topic more accessible to a wider audience. Also, this is just a very interesting and important topic, climate change, and relevant to anyone working within IHE as well as to the EAIE as an association.  

Finally, there’s the September 2023 episode we titled Unissued Diplomas: the price of war in Ukraine, which featured an interview with a founder of the Unissued Diplomas initiative, Daryna Zavhorodnia. 

The EAIE has built up a wonderful relationship with many HEIs and IHE people in and from Ukraine since the war started. This conversation really touched me on a personal level, just like the Unissued Diplomas project itself, and I’m really happy we also have space in the podcast series to put the spotlight on these types of (extremely powerful and timely) initiatives. 

LR: Those are really great choices, Jody, for all the reasons you’ve indicated. And with 99 to reflect on, there is a lot of choice, which makes it hard to single out favorites, isn’t it? 

JH: It really is! So, which ones stand out for you? 

LR: It definitely was not easy for me to make a short list, but the following are some of the standouts for me: 

Like Nico, I appreciated the August 2024 with Tim Gore and Sakine Weikert on The possibilities of knowledge diplomacy, but I also see something of a related episode in the interview we did just the next month, in  September 2024, with Sonya Reines (Wry ness) - Djivanides (Chi VAH ni des) & Ulrich Schneckener: on The fundamentals of peacebuilding.

These two episodes remind me that my initial career plan as a young person was to focus on international relations. Even to this day, things like diplomacy and peacebuilding fascinate me, and it became even more exciting to me years ago to discover that there is a real synergy between international education and these more “classic” international relations areas—you know, international education as public diplomacy and internationalising education as a fundamental building block for cultivating peaceful societies. Something about the risks and the high stakes involved in diplomacy and in peacebuilding are so interesting to me, and I found these conversations with these guests about the work going on in these areas to be so rich and current and “meaty” in different ways.

Next on my list is the Sept 2023 episode with Ligia Deca, who was the winner that year of the EAIE’s award for Outstanding vision and leadership.

I really appreciated the conversation with Ligia, who was at that time Romania’s Minister of Education, for a couple of reasons.  

First, it was the first time we’d had a “minister” (current or former!) of any type in the series, which was very exciting. (We’ve since had Elisabeth Moreno, who was our opening plenary speaking at our conference in Toulouse in 2024, who is a former Minister in France for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities—so maybe we’ll have even more in the future!). 

The second reason I so appreciated the conversation with Ligia Deca had to with her personal and professional profile. A relatively young woman, serving in a position of great responsibility, so a role model for many younger women in particular in our field. Also, she comes right out of the international higher education community:  

• In her student years, she served as president of the European Students’ Union 
• Later, she was head of the Bologna Secretariat, supporting the Bologna Follow-Up Group within the European Higher Education Area framework 
• And she completed a dissertation at the University of Luxembourg on internationalization in Romanian higher education 

To me, it’s exciting to see someone like her taking those experiences from within our community into the highest echelons of government in her country. Also, I just found her to be so very intelligent and candid in her chat with me. She’s both brilliant and very accessible! 

There’s another pair of episodes I’d like to flag: 

• The July 2021 conversation with Matjaž (MAH tee ahj) Pečovnik (Peh CHOV nik), which we titled Let’s talk European university sports AND  
• the October 2024 interview with Shanna Saubert & Dorothée Brac de la Perrière on International education and the Olympic spirit 

These represent of one of things I like best about the podcast series, which is way it allows us to open the door on conversations with people working in areas that are not right in the middle of the work many of us are doing in international higher education, but certainly operate alongside the work we do, in really interesting ways. For me, international athletic activity and competition at the university level is one of these very cool examples of that kind of thing. From Matjaž (MAH tee ahj), I loved learning about the scope of the European University Sports Association that he heads – working with 500 universities across 46 countries, in 23 different sports, involving more than 5000 participants (at least as of 2021). That’s a lot of international engagement going on through this mechanism of university sports! 

Similarly, the conversation just this past autumn with Shanna Saubert & Dorothée Brac de la Perrière on International education and the Olympic spirit hit that same note as well: the Olympics are a fascinating international learning experience for everyone involved with them, not just the athletes, and student athletes really do have particular needs to support their international education and career interests. I learned new things and definitely got inspired by these conversations to think about the wider context for international engagement in our societies and through our personal interests. 

My final favorite episode pick is a deeply personal one. In late 2020, as we seemed to be starting the process of clawing our way out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I specifically reached to friend and colleague, Robert Coelen to sit with me for the December 2020 episode we titled Reflections on Resilience.  

At that time, Robert was Professor of Internationalisation of Higher Education at NHL Stenden University in the Netherlands and Director of the Centre for Internationalisation of Education at the University of Groningen. But in the spring of 2020, he had fallen gravely ill from a COVID-19 infection, was in a coma for 23 days, and by the time I spoke with him in December of 2020, he had lived through a remarkable battle to recover his health. So, we had a very special conversation about resilience – a word that was being batted about very regularly in those difficult days, and I thought he was so generous to share his story and relate what he took away from that experience to the wider work of international higher education.  

Now, I mentioned that I feel a strong personal link to this episode because my own father also fell into a coma in the spring of 2020 while battling COVID. He, however, and did not survive that experienc. So, to speak with someone who did survive, and who was so grateful for the life he had reclaimed and so enthusiastic about the positive force of international education in the world, was both deeply comforting and incredibly inspirational.  

JH: That personal connection you felt with that last episode reminds me of the power of the podcast medium to really personalize issues and experience. That’s so powerful. 

LR: It really is! 

MEET THE PODCAST TEAM 

LR: Well, I think it’s clear we have quite an impressive body of recordings in our podcast library at this point – if we do say so ourselves! --  and I think as we pause to consider that, it’s also a great opportunity to give a shout out to the team of individuals who keeps this initiative moving!  

Let’s start with you, Jody! If you would, talk us through your role as producer from start to finish. What would you say you like most about this work, and what do you find most challenging? 

JH: [describes steps] One of the main things I love about my role as producer is that I can really see our podcasts grow from a simple idea to a published episode. We try to find fascinating topics or interesting guests wherever we can, and it's constantly in the back of my mind while doing my other tasks. When we have an idea, we need to think of suitable guests and invite them. This process can sometimes be really quick and easy, but it can also take a long time, or not work out at all.  

As soon as the guests are confirmed and we have settled on an interview date, we need to come up with our interview questions. This is always a team effort between you and I, Laura, to make sure you as our host agree with the direction of the conversation. Whenever it's possible, we try to schedule preparation calls with our podcast guests. This is mainly to make them feel comfortable, to get to know you a bit better as the podcast host, and to go through the questions with them.  

Then the final interview takes place, and I get to review the recording of the conversation. I need to look at what edits might be needed, where do we have some great quotes from our guests that we could use for promotional purposes, and is the sound quality acceptable. Last but not least, I create the session notes for each episode, which include short bios for our guests and an introduction to the topic, as well as a short list of recommended reading on the topic of the podcast episode.  

I think one of the main challenges is at the same time also an opportunity, and that is that we work with guests from all over the world. While this means we get to invite some inspiring and fascinating people, it also means we don't get to invite people to our own studio and we depend on our guests having the right equipment to record a podcast episode. This has a big effect on the sound quality of our episodes, which is one of the most important aspects for listeners, so something we try to pay a lot of attention to. 

However, as the producer of the series I obviously could never do my job without the wonderful and dedicated colleagues around me. 

JH: We work closely with our Marketing and Communications Team, who provide crucial support on the finishing touches that bring all of the work together into a final finished product, and help us spread the word about each episode as it goes out into the world. We’ve got some quick inputs from each of them describing who they are and what they do. 

Maeghan: Hello, I’m Maeghan Dunn, the EAIE’s graphic designer. I’m originally from Canada and I’ve been with the EAIE for almost 4 years! 

Together with the Senior Graphic designer Nhu Nguyen (who is originally from Vietnam and has been with the EAIE for around 15 years), we are responsible for the creation of the podcast artwork, and the mixing and editing of the podcast audio.

The podcast artwork sort of brand was developed by Nhu way back in 2020 and has, I think, really become a recognizable element in the EAIE’s library of content. We generally develop the graphic based on the titles provided by Laura and Jody, and after listening to the episode we can figure out if we want to go literal, metaphorical, or even existential with our choice. It’s sometimes quite the challenge to come up with a striking graphic, and so we occasionally go through a few iterations before deciding on the final product. It is a fun aspect of the process though, regardless if it’s challenging or not! 

The editing and mixdown are perhaps the most challenging part of the process, as it involves a first run-through of the audio to remove sections that are either mistakes, or parts of the conversation that seem redundant or unnecessary. Then a second run-through to fine-tune the audio and remove some anomalies such as mic pops and background noise. Finally, the music and intro and outro are added to put it all together. We aim to keep the audio consistent and clear, however because our guests come from all over Europe and the world we are at the mercy of their recording setups and so occasionally we have to make do with interviews on cell phones or without headphones, or slow internet. It’s the nature of the medium! That said, I personally really enjoy the editing process and find the end result very satisfying!
 

Eva: Hi, I’m Eva Weber. I’m the EAIE’s Marketing & Communications Assistant. I’m originally from the US (though I have Dutch roots as well) and I’ve been with the team for 3 years.  

My main responsibility is copyediting the show notes for each episode and writing the social copy. I make sure they’re clear, engaging, and really capture the heart of what the episode is all about. I also help with promoting the podcast, getting the word out, connecting with our audience and making sure the series reaches as many people as possible. My goal is to make people think, “Wow, I need to listen to this episode right now!” 

What I like most about my work is the variety of fascinating topics, working with a passionate team and seeing our efforts resonate with listeners. 

Condensing an episode into concise, compelling notes is always a puzzle. But overall, it’s an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m proud to be part of this series. 

Egill: Hi, I’m Egill Karlsson. I’m the EAIE’s Social Media Coordinator. I’m originally from Iceland and I’ve been with the EAIE for two and a half years.  

My main responsibility for the EAIE Podcast is to promote each episode via our social media channels. This work involves giving our audiences a taste of the episode's most exciting bits and introducing the guests on the show. We have slightly different audiences whether it's on Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram or X, so you have to cater the tone and voice a bit to each channel 

What I like most about my work on the series is definitely how versatile the topics are. It's really never the same between episodes, and it's always fun to find a great soundbite or quote from these incredibly knowledgeable guests. 

What I find most challenging is sifting through the material and coming up with an engaging way to pull people in, as there's so many different angles to what our social media followers might find the most interesting!  

LOOKING AHEAD 

LR: We have such a great team working on the podcast series, don’t we? 

JH: Absolutely! Skilled, high-energy, creative, committed. This is no doubt what has made it possible for us to sustain our rhythm of good quality production over the last four and a half years and puts us in such good shape for the next hundred episodes, right? 

LR: It does indeed explain how we’ve been able to do what we have so far and positions us nicely for the future. So, let’s talk about that, Madame Producer! What in store for the podcast as we move into 2025?  

JH: Well, first and foremost, we’re going to move to a monthly podcast instead of bi-weekly installments. We’d like to give every episode just a bit more time and attention in terms of planning, production and promotion, so that slightly less hectic release schedule is designed to make that happen.  

LR: I’m really looking forward to seeing how that goes, particularly in terms of how we might make each podcast a bit more multi-dimensional, with some different voices and perspectives included in each episode, and perhaps some variation in episode length and format. 

JH: Right! We’ve also got some new theme music, which repeat listeners may have noticed during this episode, just to shake things up and refresh the listening experience!

LR: Very nice! A small detail in the grand scheme of things, but I do think it's a nice moment for that kind of change! 

JH: Indeed! But, what’s not changing is our focus on timely, meaningful, interesting conversations, relevant to international higher education professionals in Europe and beyond. And we already have some great episodes lined up for the coming months! 

In February, we’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the German Academic Exchange Service (the DAAD) in conversation with Kai Sicks, the DAAD’s Secretary General. Here’s a taste of what’s on his mind... [insert clip] 

LR: Yes, that’s a very nice conversation with Kai that covers the past, present and future aspirations of that storied international education organisation!   

JH: In addition to that “celebratory” type of reflection about the DAAD’s anniversary we’ll also address more serious conversations during the year, including the one that we’ll be featuring on how to deal with the most serious of study abroad crisis: the death of a student. Here’s a taste of a conversation that we’ll be airing on this subject, in conversation with Tineke van der Gaast, who works at a higher education institution in the Netherlands, and Lourdes Zilberberg, a colleague at a university in Brazil. [insert clip] 

LR: Though it’s difficult to imagine and talk about such tragedies, hopefully our bringing this conversation forward will be useful for professionals working in student mobility who do need to think about even this most extreme kind of crisis and how to address it. 

JH: Right. And we’ll of course be producing episodes that try to put a finger on the pulse of developments in different areas of international higher education, particularly with reference to Europe. An example of this will be evident in one of our upcoming episodes on language education in Europe today. This one will feature insights from Susanna Slivensky of the European Centre for Modern Languages and Gerit Jaritz, a Swiss international higher education professional and foreign language lecturer. This gives you a flavor of what their episode will touch on [insert clip] 

LR: OK! We have a lot to look forward to, don’t we? 

JH: We really do! 

CONCLUSION 

LR: Well, Jody, it’s been wonderful to be in conversation with you today as we’ve looked back at the stories we’ve told through the EAIE Podcast in this, our 100th episode! Thank you for the countless hours you’ve spent making this series possible! I look forward to many more such collaborations with you, alongside the rest of the EAIE team, and with the fascinating array of individuals who so graciously share their time with us as guests. 

JH: Thank you, Laura. We make a great team and I’m so looking to the next 100 episodes! 

LR: Here here! 

And to our listeners, thank you for joining us today, and hopefully for many of our past episodes. You can check out our full catalogue by visiting the eaie website at www.eaie.org/knowledge/podcast. Or subscribe to the series via Apple Podcast or Spotify. You can also write to us with feedback or ideas for new episodes knowledge@eaie.org. And of course we hope you’ll like and share us in your professional networks. 

Our 101st episode, featuring a conversation with Kai Sicks, Secretary General of the German Academic Exchange Service (of course known as the DAAD) will be coming your way in February. We hope you’ll tune in then. For now, all good wishes to you, from the E-A-I-E!