Balancing Act: Navigating the Scholar-Practitioner Role

In international education, many professionals find themselves wearing many hats. They teach curriculum, lead programs, manage partnerships, conduct research, and in some cases, pursue advanced degrees—all while keeping up with the day-to-day demands of their roles. Often described as “scholar-practitioners,” their work connects research and practice.

For many, that identity is not about choosing one path over the other, but about finding ways to integrate both. “I see myself as a practitioner foremost, but inseparably also as a scholar,” says Katherine Punteney, professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and author of NAFSA’s forthcoming revised edition of The International Education Handbook. “Scholarship has been the foundation for my practice. It has deepened my practice and now it guides my teaching as I work to support the next generation of scholar-practitioners.”

Her experience reflects what many professionals are seeing across the field: rather than separating scholarship and practice, many international educators are designing careers that allow the two to inform each other over time.

A Multifaceted Role

What that balance looks like can vary widely depending on role, institution, and career stage. For Punteney, the balance has shifted over time—from practitioner to faculty member—while maintaining a strong connection between theory and real-world application.

“Instead of delivering international education advising and programs, I teach others how to design and deliver international education,” she explains. “I focus on teaching students the practitioner skills they will need for jobs as international education professionals, framed and supported with an understanding of the theory, trends, critiques, and questions illuminated in the scholarship of our field.”

“I see myself as a practitioner foremost, but inseparably also as a scholar. Scholarship has been the foundation for my practice.” —Katherine Punteney

Other international educators see themselves more rooted in practice, with scholarship playing a supporting role. Brian Seilstad, director of internationalization and partnerships at Al Akhawayn University, describes his current work as primarily practitioner-focused, but still connected to research.

“I see myself more as a practitioner, but I do participate in research activities,” he says. “I don’t have an active research agenda right now, but I often get invited to participate at conferences where I present my perspective and draw on research-adjacent activities.”

Across both perspectives, the scholar-practitioner identity is less about a fixed definition and more about a range. As Seilstad puts it, “most people I know are [somehow] on this continuum.”

Balancing Competing Priorities

No matter where someone falls on that continuum, juggling competing priorities is one of the most common challenges. Teaching, meetings, and administrative responsibilities often take priority over longer-term research.

“There is no time specifically designated for [research],” Punteney says. “It is easy for the immediate demands of teaching, meetings, and committee work to take over and for research time to get pushed aside.”

Instead of waiting for chunks of uninterrupted time, she has found success in building smaller, more consistent routines. “Waiting to have large blocks of focused time hasn’t worked for me,” she explains. “I’ve had better luck scheduling meetings with myself for an hour or two and just making a little progress every day.”

“Balance, for me, is not static. Instead, it shifts depending on immediate demands and longer-term priorities. Ultimately, I view that balance as something that unfolds over the course of a career.”—Parinaz Zartoshty

She also emphasizes the value of accountability, noting that “scheduling those writing blocks with someone else and each [of us] working silently on our own projects creates a structure with accountability.”

Parinaz Zartoshty, associate vice provost and executive director of the Bechtel International Center at Stanford University, takes a similarly purposeful approach. “I intentionally schedule dedicated blocks of time for research and scholarly writing,” she says. “Treating this time as a firm commitment reinforces the importance of scholarship within my leadership role.” 

Even with that structure, balance requires constant calibration is rarely static. “Balance, for me, is not static. Instead, it shifts depending on immediate demands and longer-term priorities,” she shares. “Ultimately, I view that balance as something that unfolds over the course of a career.”

Integrating Scholarship into Practice

For many scholar-practitioners, the key is not just finding time for research, but finding ways to connect it to their day-to-day work. Instead of treating scholarship as something separate, they look for overlap between their responsibilities and research interests.

Punteney describes shifting her approach early on to make that integration more intentional. “I soon realized that it was more strategic to work on projects that had overlap with other things I was doing,” she says. “If you have a program you need to revise and evaluation data to look over for feedback, could you approach it as a research study rather than just a task to complete?”

“I just try to say ‘yes’ to any opportunities that I [allow me] to integrate the two.” —Brian Seilstad

Zartoshty sees this connection as central to the scholar-practitioner role. “While my day-to-day role is grounded in practice, my scholarly work continuously informs and strengthens that practice,” she relays. “At the same time, the real-world questions and challenges I encounter often drive my research.”

For Seilstad, integration sometimes begins in a simpler way: with openness to opportunity. “I just try to say ‘yes’ to any opportunities that I [allow me] to integrate the two,” he says.

Scholarship isn’t dependent on writing lengthy, heavily cited academic papers; it also includes a willingness to share work and results with others in the field so they can learn or replicate what has proved useful.

Finding Your Approach

Designing a sustainable scholar-practitioner path also means determining what kind of scholarship fits your interests and strengths as well as trying several approaches to see what works. 

“There are different kinds of scholarship, and you may find that you gravitate [toward] some over others,” Punteney advises. “Statistical analysis may be what excites you or gathering people’s stories. You may prefer to be more theoretical, philosophical, descriptive, or may want to advocate. Trying a few different things will help you find the kind of scholarship where you thrive.”

“The most meaningful research questions often emerge from recurring challenges or patterns observed in daily work. What problem keeps resurfacing? What do we not fully understand?” —Parinaz Zartoshty

For her, that process led to a clear direction. “I discovered that I love writing that synthesizes a wide body of literature, makes it accessible, and applies it to practice,” she says. 

Zartoshty encourages practitioners to start with the questions emerging from their own work. “The most meaningful research questions often emerge from recurring challenges or patterns observed in daily work,” she says. “What problem keeps resurfacing? What do we not fully understand?”

Designing for the Long Term

Ultimately, balance for international education scholar-practitioners is less about dividing time evenly and more about building a career that feels aligned over time. That often requires flexibility, being deliberate about priorities, and, in many cases, institutional support.

“Maintaining this flexible mindset allows me to stay adaptable, agile, and responsive,” Zartoshty shares. At the same time, she emphasizes that support from institutions matters. “Without that support, even the most motivated individuals will struggle to maintain both rigor and relevance.”

“Scholarship helped me to become a deeper and more nuanced thinker.” —Katherine Punteney

For Seilstad, the value of scholarship is clear even within a practitioner-focused role. “The research side is almost always going to be a plus to the practitioner work,” he says.

And for Punteney, the impact of that integration is ultimately about perspective. “Scholarship helped me to become a deeper and more nuanced thinker,” she relays.

In a field defined by constant change, designing a career as a scholar-practitioner is less about achieving perfect balance and more about being intentional. By connecting research to practice, making space for both over time, and adjusting as priorities shift, professionals can build careers that feel both sustainable and meaningful. •