In late August 2017, the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, welcomed the 30th International Conference by the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER). This year, the forum’s special topic was ‘Universities as Political Institutions – HEIs in the Middle of Academic, Economic, and Social Pressures.’ IOE experts Farida Zagirova and Alexey Egorov were presenting at the CHER Annual Conference 2017 about the changing job profiles of university middle managers and the role of HEIs in bolstering community development.