Australia documents higher education's impact on student character

A new report of the impact of Australia's higher education sector published in Oxford Economic Papers indicates that university education makes students more agreeable, conscientious, and extroverted. Commentary on the study of 575 youth over an eight year period indicated that the non-cognitive changes observed in the sample match what employers and other stakeholders hope to see in youth. "University education may impact character skills development by providing students with exposure to new peer groups and extracurricular activities including sports, politics, and art. Because students from disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to be more affected by a change in peer groups through day-to-day interaction with academically inclined peers and academic groups, there may be a greater effect of university education on students from disadvantaged backgrounds."

While some of the language in the summary perpetuates stereotypes about students who have not had the advantage to be included in high quality pre-college education, the results are still worth considering. It's interesting that Australia is move up in the ranks of nations hosting larger numbers of international students and they are doing it by advocating more holistic and engaged learning. Watch out U.S., U.K., and Canada - the Aussies are coming!

Chinese student visas may be restricted by Trump

In yet another stunning example of misguided and arbitrary decision-making, U.S. President Donald Trump has asked administration officials to impose restrictions on study visas for students from China. The rationale is part of Trump's broader pursuit of tariffs and other restrictions that he believes are justified in the face of unfair competition from China.

As we now know, Trump is not idol in his thoughts and frequently pushes his ideas through, even when informed officials oppose his ideas. In the case of China, political points will be won with Trump's base but potentially devastating outcomes await when China gets fed up with being attacked by Trump and his supporters and begins to retaliate by imposing its own trade restrictions.

One of the problems with the Twitter President is that Trump doesn't care, and in fact celebrates, that his speculation and transparent vetting of policy has an impact on its own. International student enrollment is already declining to competitors like Canada and Australia and the uncertainty created by Trump is likely to discourage Chinese students from even attempting to study in the U.S. The economic impact could be over 12 billion U.S. dollars and 10% of the doctoral degrees granted by U.S. universities. Executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, Stuart Anderson, warns, "If it ends up that Chinese students long term decide the U.S. is not a reliable place to come study and work, then that'll shut off a major avenue of talent both at universities and in the U.S. tech sector."

China's brain drain nearing end

China's support for higher education is beginning to pay off by retaining more of the students it funds to pursue academic degrees abroad. The President of the National Natural Science Foundation of China noted that as recently as ten years ago, every 7 Chinese students who studied outside the country only 1 returned to the country to work. Now the figure is 6 out of 7 students will return.

Although a risk when developing higher education and research capacity, sending students to study outside their home country can pay off. The reasons Chinese students may now be more interested in returning to China include more international scholars working in China's higher education sector, improving quality among Chinese universities, and a growing young adult population.

Japanese students and study abroad

Japan is encouraging more of its students to study abroad in order to counter the cultural isolation that can sometimes characterize Japanese citizens. Two recent surveys shed light on the motivations behind studying abroad and where young people in Japan prefer to study.

In addition to exposure to other cultures, recruitment officers indicated that 55% of Japanese students want to study in English, 53% want to improve their interpersonal communication, and 46% seek to challenge themselves. In a parallel study that surveyed Japanese students and their parents, 36% of students and 69% of guardians/parents said that the most favored country in which to study abroad was the U.S. while 20% of students and 37% of guardians/parents preferred Canada.

Japan's goal is for 120,000 of Japanese youth to study abroad by 2020. The latest figures and the expansion of English-based instruction in Canada, Australia, and the U.K. indicate that Japan will likely achieve its goal but competition with the U.S. is increasing.

Liberal education in China and beyond

During a lecture tour to promote his book, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters, Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University, entertained questions after a lecture to students at Peking University. The questions they raised included;

• Does liberal education really help students learn to think for themselves or just turn them into liberals?
• Is liberal education only about creating a pathway to elitism?
• Does liberal education create a bubble perspective that is ultimately disconnected from the reality of life?

President Roth's responses wove the educational perspectives of John Dewey and Jane Addams together into a pragmatic education philosophy. Emphasizing Addams' "emphasis upon humane responsiveness and social engagement" and Dewey's "practical idealism," he advocated that quality liberal learning must relate to society and strive to inform students in ways for them to be contributors to the well-being of society. These philosophical perspectives provide the foundation for the experience-based and engaged learning advocated by student affairs educators as well.

Reflecting back on the lecture, President Roth opined, "I left the lecture hall heartened that students in Beijing, like many across the United States, hope that that higher education will be pragmatic without being conformist, and that the college years will inspire them to think for themselves in ways that will be significant to others."

NASPA's internationalization awards

The International Education Knowledge Community of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) solicits nominations for programs that advance internationalization. The 2018 awards recognize student affairs educators' efforts to support both international and domestic students through in and out of class experiences.

Is Qatar's Education City real and sustainable?

Neha Vora of Lafayette College conducted a 12-month ethnographic study of Education City and offers comment about her forthcoming book in Academic Minute. It will be very interesting to see what her eventual published study says. This initial report, while brief, captures the essence of two important questions; 1) is Education City a legitimate effort to provide full-scale U.S. style education, and 2) is it sustainable?

Having worked for Qatar Foundation and helped in the early stages (2007-14) of establishing cross-branch student development and support services at Education City, I can attest to the authenticity of the initiative. Qatar Foundation has repeatedly demonstrated, and has invested deeply, in making sure that the academic programs there are legitimate and comparable to the U.S. counterparts. Whether students experience the full breadth of learning of a high quality U.S. institution both in and outside of class is subject to the organization model and the willingness for institutions to collaborate. Again referencing my own experience, we certainly tried to create the wholistic experience during the time I was in Qatar. It was not always easy due to the decentralized organization model established by Qatar Foundation but some real cross-branch student experiences were ultimately supported.

Professor Vora raises concern that some local Qatari citizens see the project as expensive and potentially contributing to the erosion of traditional Arab/Islamic values. Of course Education City is challenging local previously held beliefs, as do most great higher education institutions wherever they are found. Indeed, conservatives in the U.S. are at this moment criticizing U.S. higher education for the same thing.

I'm not sure where Professor Vora is headed but I hope she asks the question of how a significant educational venture that challenges students and other stakeholders threads the needle of opportunity, challenging enough to make a difference but not so challenging that it ultimately marginalizes the effort or makes the project unsustainable over the long haul.