The evidence of the increasing connection between higher education institutions around the globe is well documented, but what is less understood is how this connectivity is enacted or manifested on specific nodes of the global higher education network. The objective of this research is to examine the planning process of a multi-institutional graduate degree program in engineering between a research institution in the US and in Singapore, a new model of collaboration in international higher education. This qualitative case study explores the nature of connection between two partner institutions, adding a unique perspective to the literature on global networks of higher education.

Examining the rationales, barriers and potentialities that emerge in the planning process of this multi-institutional degree finds both sides of the academic partnership exercising agency in the push-pull stream of global flows. Contrary to what neoliberal or center to periphery narratives of globalization might lead us to expect, strong national and local governments, culture, and social relationships all play determining roles in the negotiations and resulting form of collaboration between these higher education institutions. The global network of higher education has afforded a partnership that on one-side, allows a powerful state-driven agenda to flourish, while at the same time, on the other side, fills financial and policy gaps in an overburdened, bureaucratized, locally governed education system. The resultant collaboration moves beyond the historical interpretations of international partnerships. This study illuminates the value of examining particular places, incorporating diverse local experience into the narrative of global networks.