What a week in Nashville!
EDUCAUSE Annual Conference was packed with ideas, connections, and inspiring conversations about the future of higher education.
“Learning is a foundational human value,” said John O’Brien during the opening keynote — a message that perfectly aligns with EUNIS’s mission to foster collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange across borders.
EUNIS representatives were honoured to join this global dialogue — connecting with long-standing partners, meeting new colleagues, and sharing European perspectives on digital transformation.
Throughout the week, EUNIS representatives actively contributed to multiple sessions:
Interoperability without borders
Evelien Renders (EUNIS President, SURF) and Isabel Gallin (EUNIS Vice President, KIT, Germany) led a powerful session on “Interoperability Without Borders: European Models for Scalable, Trusted Infrastructure.”
They explored how European universities are building trusted, scalable digital ecosystems — from open standards to real-world initiatives like EPICUR University Alliance, aUPaEU AGORA and projects.
See the slides from this inspiring session.
Immersive Learning and Future Education
Thierry Koscielniak (Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology – ENSAM, EUNIS Learning Technologies SIG co-leader, CSIESR, and President of France Immersive Learning) co-presented several dynamic sessions, including integrated Immersive and Interactive Virtual Environments and XR Project Management.
Recognition for EUNIS Leadership
Dr. Isabel Gallin has been recognised by EDUCAUSE as part of the 2026 Top 10 Panel, contributing to discussions shaping the future of higher education and technology.
A segment of her interview on Top 5: Knowledge Management for Safer AI was broadcast to all 7000+ attendees as part of the EDUCAUSE Top 10 Panel plenary session. It tied wonderfully to the opening keynote by Dr. Joy Buolamwini (Artificial Intelligence Expert) on “Unmasking AI”
Isabel Gallin represented EUNIS and participated in the opening Partner Summit session, where the workshop focused on strategies for incorporating AI into curriculum development and fostering collaborative curriculum partnerships across institutions and with solution providers.
The two European participants selected for the EDUCAUSE 2027 Top 10 Panel come from the EUNIS community: Prof. Dr. Beatrix Busse, Vice President for Learning and Teaching at the University of Cologne, and Philip Fischer, CIO at University College Dublin.
This acknowledgment highlights the active role of EUNIS leadership in advancing global conversations on digital transformation, interoperability, and strategic innovation in higher education.
Global Collaboration
What if digital transformation in higher education could be measured — and shared — across continents?
EDUCAUSE 2025 offered a wonderful opportunity to connect with partners and explore new avenues for collaboration. During side meetings with AXIES (Japan), CUCCIO (Canada), and EDUCAUSE (U.S.), EUNIS discussed a shared vision for global benchmarking — comparing how universities worldwide invest in digital capacity and transformation.
EUNIS representatives also explored future joint initiatives, including a collaborative publication on digitalisation essentials for educators with Kimberly Arnold (Director, Teaching and Learning Program, EDUCAUSE), and engaging exchanges on XR education with John Augeri (Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning at Ile-de-France Digital University).
A French delegation to EDUCAUSE — funded by CSIESR and the French Ministry of Higher Education — included Thierry Koscielniak and Frédéric Habert (University of Nantes, EUNIS Board member). They took part in study visits to Vanderbilt University (Nashville) and Arizona State University (Tempe), joined by a Japanese delegation from AXIES.
Their findings will be available soon. Check past reports.
Isabel Gallin also visited Vanderbilt University together with colleagues from Belgium to gain insight into their current campus and digital strategy approaches.
Closing Reflections
The week concluded with an inspiring keynote by Dr. Freeman Hrabowski (President Emeritus, University of Maryland, Baltimore), who reminded us of the human side of technological change. As AI transforms education, his message on hope, resilience, and empathy reinforced why working in this sector is such a privilege — shaping both people and the future leaders of tomorrow: Technology alone doesn’t transform education — people do.
Looking Ahead
EUNIS is deeply grateful to EDUCAUSE for the warm welcome and the opportunity to strengthen collaboration between European and U.S. higher education networks.
We look forward to building on these connections — shaping a more connected, responsible, and human-centered digital future for education. ✨
