Gerardo L. Blanco

Gerardo L. Blanco is an Associate Professor at Boston College's Lynch School of Education and Academic Director of the Center for International Higher Education (CIHE). His research explores intersections of quality assurance, internationalization, and social justice in higher education, with a focus on accreditation, rankings, and institutional identity construction.

• Education: Ed.D. in Education (University of Massachusetts Amherst), M.Ed. (University of Maine), B.A. (Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, Mexico)

Blanco's work challenges neoliberal and colonial assumptions in global higher education metrics. He examines how institutions communicate quality through digital platforms and advocates for localized, inclusive frameworks over Northern-dominated paradigms. His scholarship spans critical analyses of accreditation practices, internationalization strategies, and equity implications of US policy on refugee and international students.

Recent publications highlight trends in global quality assurance, decolonial readings of rankings, and critical visual methodologies. His research scrutinizes the paradoxes of internationalization, including power asymmetries in mobility programs and the commodification of educational experiences.

• Key Awards:
  • Best Research Article (CIES, 2017)
  • Fulbright Specialist Appointment (2020)
  • Best Dissertation Honorable Mention (CIES, 2014)
  • New Scholars Fellowship (CIES, 2012)

Blanco leads editorial roles in top journals and collaborates on grants addressing internationalization challenges, including post-COVID mobility and global student housing equity. His work emphasizes cosmopolitanism, intergroup dialogue, and institutional transformation for social justice.