Editorial: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Trust in Higher Education

Abstract

This September 2025 special issue of Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL) brings together a collection of thought-provoking papers on the theme of trust. These contributions originated from the Higher Education Close-Up (HECU) 11 conference, a peer-reviewed biennial international gathering. HECU 11 was hosted by Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa, from July 3-5, 2024. The conference's ethos is to look up close at issues that are important to all who work and study in higher education, and this special issue does exactly that.