Lawrence Schovanec will continue with another two-year term on the board as the U.S. Regional Vice President for 2026-28.
Lawrence Schovanec, president of Texas Tech University, has been re-elected to the Board of Directors for the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) and will serve another two-year term as the U.S. Regional Vice President. In this role, he represents all IOHE member universities and associate universities in the United States.
Schovanec, who has served as president at Texas Tech since 2016, just completed his first two-year term in the role. His new term will run through 2028.
“It is an honor to continue serving the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education and to represent our nation’s member institutions,” Schovanec said. “Higher education has a unique opportunity to strengthen international partnerships that expand research, innovation and student success, and I look forward to continuing that important work while advancing Texas Tech’s global engagement.”
During Schovanec’s first term on the board, he has delivered several presentations with national and international organizations advancing the internationalization of higher education. These organizations include NAFSA (the Association of International Educators), the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), the Conference of the Americas on International Education (CAEI) and the DIES Program-Internationalization of Higher Education.
He is part of continuing engagement with university presidents across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Columbia and Costa Rica. Schovanec also has led a book chapter with other Texas Tech administrators in “Reimagining Higher Education: From Pedagogical Traditions to Analytics-Driven Innovation.”
“President Schovanec’s re-election as U.S. Regional Vice President to the IOHE Board of Directors reflects Texas Tech’s growing influence as a leader in international higher education and as a trusted partner across Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Americas and the Caribbean,” said Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, C.R. Hutcheson Professor in Human Development & Family Sciences. “This continued leadership role strengthens Texas Tech’s visibility and impact within one of the American continent’s leading higher education networks, reinforcing our commitment to academic excellence and cross-border collaboration.”
Founded in 1980, the IOHE is the leader in internationalization of higher education in the Americas and the Caribbean. It has more than 400 members spanning nine regions and 28 countries from Canada to South America. The mission of the IOHE is to strengthen institutions of higher education through educational cooperation with members and strategic partners. It provides opportunities for member institutions by implementing internationalization strategies through the management of a wide variety of events, missions and professional development programs.
Trejos-Castillo also was re-elected to her position as U.S. Regional Executive Secretary for IOHE, which also will run through 2028.
“I am proud of the growing influence Texas Tech continues to build through trusted, expanding partnerships with higher education institutions throughout the Americas,” Trejos-Castillo said. “I look forward to continuing our work to strengthen educational connections and opportunities across the region.”
For more information on the IOHE, visit its website.