The Senior International Officer and Legal Counsel

Collaboration for Internationalisation Risk Management

A thorough understanding of the legal context for the global engagement of higher education institutions (HEIs) requires close collaboration between the senior international officer (SIO) and legal counsel. This article explores the dynamic of relationship-building between these individuals who draw on their distinct expertise to forge and sustain legally accountable activities with partners abroad. The discussion begins with an overview, from the US perspective, of the nature of legal work in HEIs and how the institution's global engagement shapes that work; it then moves on to examine the applicability of enterprise risk management approaches to internationalisation. We identify important foundational legal concerns that cut across various kinds of activity and focus on the legal dimensions of formalising partnership agreements, mounting off-shore operations and responding to changes in immigration law.