France invests in higher education

France has committed to investing 1 billion Euro in higher education. The investment will include increasing seats in popular academic programs and as many as 60,000 new spots in student residences. The move is designed to increase student success and graduation rates.

I traveled in France, Luxembourg, and Germany in the fall of 2005 to compare practices in supporting students in these three countries. What's interesting is that the model for residence halls at that time was primarily one of comfortable accommodation with little understanding that providing residence halls could impact retention. When I inquired about retention rates, those I met indicated that they did not know and, further, their institutions did not track these numbers. Some of the institutions provided very interesting cross-cultural programming that looked much like what was being done in the U.S.; in many ways it was better because it was often connected with academic programs.

The lesson is that sometimes organic approaches to student development emerge (in international settings) without the explicit attention to research and theorizing. I wonder if France will begin to put implicit good practice together with more explicit attention, thus yielding improved retention and learning outcomes in the coming years.

Studying in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Few students from the U.S. and Europe study in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The reasons are many and include everything from language to fear of security. In reality, higher education opportunity in MENA is widespread, growing, and offers one of the most important cross-cultural experiences a student could find anywhere. An article about higher education in Morocco recounts ways that faculty, staff, and students can begin to explore educational opportunity in the MENA region and provides evidence why it would be useful.

I can recall to this day all the comments I heard from colleagues when I moved to Qatar. "Will you be safe?" "How will you deal with the prohibitions of Islamic law and culture?" These and other questions reflected little more than stereotypes held by westerners about the people and culture of the MENA region. The bottom line was that I was probably safer in Qatar than I am in the U.S. and I learned what I could and couldn't do and respected the culture of the host country. It took some effort to adapt and, certainly, I often found myself out of my comfort zone. Could there have been a better learning opportunity - doubtful I could have found anything better and I hope others will consider it in the coming years.

Dining in America

Written to acknowledge the importance of adapting menus at U.S. universities to accommodate international tastes, Anayat Durrani provides examples of how campuses are diversifying their menus. The added benefits are that she encourages international students to be active in expressing their needs, all students have the opportunity to expand their palates, and "comfort" foods from international students' home countries can go a long way toward creating a sense of belonging. This is a simple idea that some educators may see as coddling but adopting international perspectives in the dining hall can even be part of an institution's internationalization strategies.

Talent Pipeline Management - business and education partnership

Adding to the continuing conversation related to how education can more strategically align with businesses and communities, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched the Talent Pipeline Management Academy. The TPM applies concepts derived from supply chain management to the process of talent development through education. The ultimate end of the supply chain in TPM is workers prepared for their workplaces as defined by employers.

Testing international students

Access, fraud, and fairness of comparison are all dynamics that compromise testing of international students. The National (U.S.) Association of College Admission Counseling is proposing that admissions officials should rely less on the tests and look at other criteria for admission. In the face of declining international enrollment, perhaps tests should be seen less as hurdles to clear than diagnostics to help place and support international (and all) students in their pursuit of learning.

STEM Grad programs dominated by international students

The presence of international students isn't only useful but essential in many STEM graduate programs in the U.S.A. With 81% international enrollment in electrical and petroleum engineering and 79% in computer science, many programs could not exist if it were not for international students. The report, compiling data from 1995 to 2015, also concluded that international student enrollment has no impact on the number of domestic students in these programs. The issue is that domestic numbers have increased but at a much slower pace than for international students.

Higher education in Hungary under attack

Internationalization of higher education is inevitable if an institution or nation wishes to remain at the center of the advancement of knowledge. Yet, various versions of conservative and nationalistic backlash against internationalization have resulted in higher education being attacked by government officials. Hungary is one European country to follow carefully due to its earlier successes with student mobility and other forms of internationalization. Most of the advances are now being undermined. One can only hope that other countries do not go as far to punish and marginalize higher education for helping to bring citizens into the reality of a connected and cross-border world.