Published on Mar 2026
Share
Dr. Marmolejo, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with UniNewsletter today. As we ask of all of our distinguished leadership figures, please begin by outlining for our readers your career trajectory thus far, culminating in how you came to your current role as Higher Education President at Qatar Foundation.
It has been a long yet deeply fulfilling journey that began more than four decades ago in Mexico. As a recent graduate of my alma mater, the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP), I had the privilege of periodically hosting international delegations visiting our university. During this time, I became intrigued by the remarkable diversity of academic models around the world and the significant benefits of international collaboration.
Years later, while serving as Academic Vice President at Universidad de las Américas in Mexico City, I began developing connections with universities and international higher education organizations. These efforts eventually led to my acceptance in 1994 as the first Mexican selected as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. As a result, my family and I moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, where I “shadowed” David K. Scott, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This experience provided a critical learning opportunity, allowing me to better understand the complexities and distinct characteristics of the U.S. higher education system from an international comparative perspective.
Following the completion of my fellowship, I joined the University of Arizona as Director of a nascent U.S.–Mexico higher education collaboration network. This initiative ultimately led to the creation of the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC). Sixteen years later, when I left the University of Arizona, CONAHEC had grown to include the active participation of more than 150 colleges and universities, primarily from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Subsequently, I joined the World Bank’s Education team as Lead Higher Education Specialist and Global Coordinator of its higher education network. In this role, I contributed to higher education development projects in more than 80 countries, including a three-year tenure in New Delhi, India.
In summary, this journey has been rich in learning experiences and extraordinary opportunities to witness higher education in action across more than 100 countries. Today, at Qatar Foundation, I have the privilege of being part of a unique ecosystem that brings together eight prestigious universities, educating students from more than 120 countries within an environment of innovation and social transformation in Education City, Doha.
As you discussed, your career has spanned multilateral organizations, national systems and now one of the world’s most distinctive education ecosystems at Qatar Foundation. How has your understanding of what makes higher education “transformative” evolved across these distinct contexts?
Seeing universities and other higher education institutions in action across many countries, and engaging with students, faculty members and government officials, has given me a unique opportunity to experience firsthand shared aspirations pursued through diverse approaches. These experiences have reinforced my belief that truly transformative higher education systems are those that prioritize socially impactful work. Excellence defined solely by high-quality instruction is not sufficient—particularly when it fails to translate into positive community impact or overlooks the responsibility of higher education to cultivate not only professional competence, but also a strong sense of social responsibility in students.
This conviction is the primary reason why I did not hesitate when invited by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to join her visionary initiative at Qatar Foundation. Her mandate is clear and compelling: unlocking human potential is a fundamental right, and our collective responsibility is to enable it through transformative and impactful education—an idea as simple as it is powerful.
During our last leadership spotlight interview with Dr. Fanta Aw, Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA, we spoke about internationalizationspecifically how its meaning and parameters must necessarily evolve in today’s worlda topic you also recently spoke about. Could you share here what you believe global higher education institutions must do to redefine internationalization for the next decade?
For many decades, internationalization in higher education has been shaped by two prevailing approaches that are now increasingly being challenged.
The first concerns the theory of change underlying internationalization itself. The longstanding assumption has been that by exposing students to the international dimension of education, they will automatically become global citizens and, as a result, the world will improve. Little attention has been paid to the actual mechanisms required to achieve this goal, or to whether it is truly being realized. Indeed, when we observe the actions of many world leaders—some of whom were international higher education students in their youth—who now act in ways that contradict the principles of a more just and cooperative world, it becomes clear that this assumption has not consistently held true.
The second challenge relates to the operational focus of internationalization. For many years, efforts in this area have concentrated primarily on increasing the number of internationally mobile students. Even today, most international offices at colleges and universities devote the majority of their resources to student mobility. While the number of internationally mobile students is expected to exceed 8 million by 2030, they will still account for less than 3% of total global higher education enrollment. These two realities alone are sufficient to question whether our current operational model of internationalization remains valid—and, more importantly, whether it is genuinely impactful and transformative.
Consequently, we must revisit our fundamental assumptions and ensure that internationalization extends beyond mobility, benefits a much broader segment of the student population and is not limited to a narrow set of “usual suspect” disciplines. This requires mainstreaming the international dimension into the day-to-day curriculum of higher education programs and ensuring that it is not treated as a fashionable add-on, but rather as an essential component of students’ preparation for the unexpected challenges of the future.
Relatedly, Qatar Foundation has helped position Education City as a global hub rather than a satellite of Western institutions. What lessons does this model offer for regions seeking to build knowledge ecosystems without replicating traditional hierarchies?
The multiversity model established by Qatar Foundation more than 30 years ago brings together the work of over 50 educational, research and community-oriented entities, including seven international higher education institutions—primarily from the United States—and one homegrown university. While the establishment of international branch campuses has become more common in today’s global higher education landscape, this model was highly novel nearly three decades ago, positioning Qatar Foundation as a pioneer in this approach.
In the case of Qatar Foundation, partner universities were selected not only for the quality of their academic programs, but also for the relevance of those programs to Qatar’s national human capital development goals. Because each partner institution specializes in a distinct area of knowledge, the model minimizes the risk of internal competition. Instead, Qatar Foundation partner universities offer complementary programs that foster synergies—often more effectively than would be possible on their home campuses.
In Education City, universities that typically compete with one another in the United States collaborate instead. This collaboration is reflected in the opportunities available to students to take courses across institutions by simply crossing the street; in the ability of faculty members to collaborate closely with peers from other universities; in the creation of joint minors; and, more broadly, in the enabling conditions that make a truly integrated multiversity approach viable.
To close, you have led and advised institutions across vastly different cultural, political and educational contexts. What has leading across cultures taught you about humility, authority and listening in higher education leadership?
Unlike many other fields, those of us who work in education must remain constantly aware of our responsibility to support students’ holistic development—not only as capable future professionals, but, more importantly, as values-driven, engaged and socially responsible members of
their communities. This responsibility transcends cultural, political and educational contexts, and throughout my career I have been privileged to witness, across many countries, the inspiring work of educators and institutional leaders who are guided by the belief that their impact must extend well beyond traditional performance metrics and short-term outcomes.
Over the years, I have also come to appreciate that leading higher education institutions is an inherently complex endeavor. It requires transparent leadership, adaptability in the face of constant change, a strong culture of evidence and accountability and, above all, a deep sense of humility. I often reflect on the advice I received many years ago from a member of a university board where I served as Vice President. He reminded me that the best leaders are those who inspire and lead with both conviction and compassion—and who are also prepared to step aside when the moment calls for it, in service of the institution and its mission.
Ultimately, the true measure of leadership in higher education is not found in titles, rankings or metrics, but in the lasting and meaningful impact institutions have on individuals, communities and society at large. This conviction continues to guide my work and my commitment to education as a powerful catalyst for positive and sustainable change—one that unlocks human potential and prepares future generations not only to succeed in their professions, but to serve with purpose and responsibility.