Career counseling disconnect

The disconnect between international students' ideas of how to get a job after graduate school is described in this piece. U.S. institutions need to realize that they have done little to understand and accommodate the circumstances of study, expectations of family, and even the way work is viewed in other country contexts when international students seek career advice and assistance.

What employers seek in new hires

While some in higher education are ambivalent about adopting a career preparation charge from prospective employers, the reality is that students are very interested in positioning themselves for employment. The research is very consistent on what employers want and the latest Committee for Economic Development report of Essential Competencies on the Job continues the string of reports that call for problem solving, ability to work with others of diverse backgrounds, and critical thinking as the top attributes they seek. The next question is where might students cultivate these competencies? Seamless education environments that reinforce these skills both in and outside of class will be most successful.

Political ramifications in distant places

Two articles note that political difference can be a target in higher education environments anyplace. Israel is considering legislation that will bar entry to those who have advocated boycotting Israel, indicating that it seeks to block their opportunity to act within its borders. Hong Kong Lingnan University students protested actions that they view as evidence of growing political influence and potential limitations on academic freedom.

Professor's concerns about educational benefit for international students

Hats off to Adele Barker, a professor at University of Arizona, whose essay for Inside Higher Education revealed her ambivalence about whether the international students she teaches are ready for or experience higher education as we would hope. Her point is that the bargain goes both ways - students from other countries should come fully prepared to engage in English and to meet the high expectations of the research universities they attend. U.S.A. institutions need to look at their reasons for admitting international students and need to make the resource available for them to succeed. Ultimately, at issue is maintaining standards of quality and making sure that students so full of hope and aspiration truly receive the gold-standard education they seek.

Recruiting international students

As the number of international students choosing U.S.A. universities slides, institutions are beginning to pay more attention to the unique ways they need to recruit students. Inside Higher Education offered on perspective advocating designated materials focused on the unique interests of international students, including the adjustment process and feel of the campus, and on use of global English with direct and uncomplicated communication. Advice for international students who want to study as transfer students from community colleges in the U.S.A or from their home universities can find helpful advice through the U.S. News and World Report.

Both of the linked articles note that the perception of career choice may be different, with international students being more motivated by their interests in preparing for the jobs they hope to obtain after university. 

Internationalization for everyone?

This article on Internationalization for Everyone summarizing emerging ideas in South America poses that internationalization should go beyond mobility, research collaboration and initiatives that reach only small portions of faculty and students. No mention is made of students' out of class experience. This is why student affairs educators need to be part of internationalization planning.

Pushing to increase the number and diversity of U.S. students abroad

The Institute of International Education's Generation Study Abroad Summit is where you would expect advocacy for U.S. students to study abroad. Nevertheless, participants at the conference explored how to increase the numbers beyond the current 9.4% of undergraduates estimated to have at least some kind of abroad experience, with a focus on greater breadth among those who do. The pitch to students who are studying abroad in lower numbers (1st-generation, community college, military veterans, and students with disabilities) is possibly that study abroad significantly improves your employability after graduation. In her keynote, Angel Cabrera, President of George Mason University, said, "You cannot have a successful career unless you develop the skills to interact with and work productively with people who are different from you. It's absolutely essential."

Internationalists excel in research/publications

Although an article comparing research and publication records of internationalists and locals in Europe indicates that no cause-effect can be determined, internationalists (those who engage across national borders) are almost twice as productive. The limitation of the study is that more productive scholars may have more access to international networks to support their work. Nevertheless, that there is a pattern of higher productivity when scholars reach across borders is an important finding in itself. As academics in other areas of the world consider whether or not the findings are applicable to them, the fact that Europe's Erasmus framework was created to establish greater access and mobility should be understood as the policy basis for such advances.