Funding for U.S.A. students to study or research beyond borders

Two institutions, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Colby College, are now providing funding so that financial ability does not restrict students' opportunity to have an international experience. The experience at WPI includes the possibility of working on a global project with other students at over 40 centers around the world. In this case, the focus on inquiry learning related to topics deemed critical to the local environment has great potential to take students deeper into the locations where they study.

Patriotic internationalism

In an Inside Higher Education essay Patti McGill Peterson who guided ACE's Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement from 2011-16 offers sobering advice to those who advocate for internationalization in higher education. She links internationalization to the opportunity of redefining patriotism in the 21st century by saying, "Rather than national pride and loyalty leading to xenophobia, we have an opportunity and an obligation to widen the discussion and to present patriotism in a very different light as part of our advocacy for internationalization. We will need to show that patriots of the best stripe see global connection and cooperation as essential to our national welfare."

AIEA standards for Senior International Officers

The Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) now provides standards of practice for those who serve in Senior International Officer positions throughout higher education. Providing standards is one of the most important signs that a work area has "professionalized" with a body of knowledge and expected best practices for it to be effective.

It is gratifying that the first two of the twenty-one standards are; 1) comprehensive internationalization that impacts the three principal aims of the academy (teaching, research, and service) and 2) recognizes the centrality of the curriculum and co-corriculum in preparing students for participation in an increasingly interconnected, divers, and rapidly changing world.

Congratulations to AIEA for moving forward to advocate for approaches and practices that will help higher education be more effective in preparing their graduates for the world of the future.

International enrollments in the U.S.A. - Is the sky falling?

An update from the American Council on Education's Higher Education Today ends with, "working to ensure that international students feel safe, welcome and supported on our campuses is most certainly good policy and practice." It's so good to see ACE putting the emphasis where it needs to be - making sure that international students have an exceptional experience studying in the U.S.A.

The update questions if the current political and policy environment under the Trump administration is deterring students from considering U.S.A. institutions, which has been raised in numerous other articles such as the Chronicle of Higher Education. The report indicates that it's still too early to tell but hopes are that the decline in international students will only be small and in line with the fact that students around the world now have many more choices available to them, mostly in their home countries.

In the face of the possibilities of decline in international numbers, the "You are welcome here" campaigns continue to launch to counter the negative perceptions that may be emerging among international applicants.

Educational diplomacy - winning in Saudi-led blockade of Qatar

The role of educational capacity building, specifically through higher education, can have implications beyond just better educated citizens prepared for work and community development. Amid the ongoing updates about the Saudi Arabia-led blockade of Qatar, the power of educational diplomacy has emerged as a key factor.

For now, two months into the blockade, Qatar is doing pretty well. Specifically, the higher education sector is pursuing matters in a calm ‘business as usual’ way. Additional reports indicate that food shortages that initially occurred due to panic have been addressed by other countries providing all that Qatar needs. Qatar has also moved to greater self-sufficiency by doing things like creating a dairy industry out of nowhere in a matter of weeks.

How does educational diplomacy work? In two examples Qatar’s investment in its university partnerships are paying off very well. The first is in relation to developing a free media industry that cannot be easily questioned (which Saudi, UAE, and others questioned in relation to Al Jazeera). Northwestern University’s new building in Qatar’s Education City just opened and is an amazing example of Qatar’s dedication to fostering robust and free media and in ways that are really unmatched elsewhere in the world.

While I’ve not seen official statements from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, a Professor of International Relations & Gulf Studies, Gerd Nonneman (@GerdDoha) offers regular comment about the situation in Qatar. His Twitter account indicates that his Tweets do no represent views of employers which is what one might expect. However, his academic freedom at GSFS-Q and in Qatar itself, allows him to comment and he has offered numerous points that discredit the Saudi coalition blockade and reiterate the balanced role Qatar plays, and has been playing, in the Arabian Gulf region.

Regardless of the initial statements made by U.S.A. President Trump when he was being manipulated by Saudi Arabia, he equivocated on his original statements and Secretary of State Tillerson has made it clear throughout the blockade that Qatar was a good partner to the U.S. StateDepartment and that it was in the best interest of the U.S. to continue to work toward resolution and rebalancing the relationships among the warring GCC countries.

Educational diplomacy is very powerful. It develops trustable relationships and ones where transparency and authentic problem solving can take place. Those who believe that military armament and intervention is more effective need only look at the long game. In the case of Qatar, smaller and less visible than Saudi Arabia on the world stage just two months ago, seems to be winning through its alternative educational diplomacy, begun over twenty years ago and now paying off in very significant ways.

China imposes cultural expectations in higher education

As China's higher education institutions continue to rise in international rankings and the number of international students attending university in China now ranks #4 in the world, the government reiterates that party cultural/political expectations are still required. The view that Chinese higher education must adhere to cultural/political expectations has been reiterated in previous actions but the recent statement that "higher education must make foreign students aware of 'Chinese law and regulations, school regulations, national spirit and school spirit, traditional Chinese culture and customs and other elements in its education content'" makes it clear - anyone who studies in China must conform to the cultural expectations of the country. In addition, traditions other than those celebrated as part of Chinese culture are prohibited.

The interesting question is in what ways would dissent from Congress of Party Leaders edicts be a threat to China? The answer is - in many ways. Restrictions on cultural and political activity are a way of controlling the liberalizing effect of higher education that has been evident in many countries throughout the world. Indeed, the fear of this liberalizing effect among political conservatives in the U.S. reflects the same skepticism. The threat, perceived and probably real, is that independence of thought, critical thinking, and willingness to act on one's convictions is often an outcome of attending university. These traits are highly sought for their impact in advancing science, innovation, and creativity but they are inconvenient for governments that seek to maintain control of their citizens.

Advising international students on higher education choice

A new study of international students who attended high school in the U.S.A. revealed that counselors need help. The needs range from speaking with international students with poor English skills to how to deal with 3rd party agents, a practice used by 75% international students (90% in private schools) when they apply to U.S. colleges/universities.

At the core of the question of advising international students on where to study is fit. A recent U.S. News Report article indicates that the primary fit areas are; the academic programs available, the extra/cocurricular environment, affordability, and the degree to which students can count on reaching their career objectives.

As an editorial comment, what are high schools doing whose international students speak such poor English that counselors can't work with them? Not a good statement...