Logan Pender

Logan Tayler Pender is a University Fellow and doctoral student in Higher Education at the University of Arizona. Originally from Rock Hill, South Carolina, he believes higher education can transform lives while shaping how we understand and engage with one another. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University before serving as a predoctoral fellow and completing an Ed.M. in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Logan is a former Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar and Gilman Alumni Ambassador, Asia Foundation LeadNext Fellow, and a current Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum’s Phoenix Hub.

His research examines internationalization, education abroad, and Education Smart Diplomacy, how higher education can function as soft power through trust, cultural exchange, and reciprocal global engagement. Grounded in Education as Care, he explores how universities can build more ethical relationships across borders and contribute to the communities they serve. He ultimately hopes to become a university president, reimagining regional comprehensive universities as engines of opportunity, innovation, civic engagement, and community transformation.