Reimagining Global DEI through Adaptive Leadership: A Framework for Advancing Racial Equity in International Higher Education Partnerships

Abstract As internationalization in higher education expands through transnational research, global curricula, humanitarian training programs, and faculty mobility, discourses on diversity often remain Western-centered and detached from lived realities of structural inequity. This paper argues that adaptive leadership, grounded in mobilizing communities to confront systemic challenges in complex and uncertain environments, provides a useful pathway for rebuilding global DEI with racial equity at the center (Heifetz et al., 2009). Drawing from practice-based insight in global health, humanitarian workforce systems, HBCU models of global engagement, and higher education HR structures, the paper interrogates how colonial legacies, racial hierarchies, anti-DEI political climates, and generational tensions shape inclusion within international academic partnerships. Through a qualitative synthesis of organizational documents, DEI models, and practitioner reflections, this essay introduces a three-part adaptive framework that includes diagnosing inequities rooted in colonial educational systems, mobilizing communities through storytelling and intergenerational dialogue, and institutionalizing racial equity through equity audits, shared authorship, and the recognition of non-Western intellectual traditions. The paper underscores the urgency of this work, particularly as anti-DEI policies in the United States influence international collaborations and raise questions about the values that guide academic partnerships. The goal is to move beyond symbolic inclusion and support institutions in reimagining global DEI through justice-based, reciprocal, and equity-centered practices.