NAFSA Statement: H-1B Visas

NAFSA: Association of International Educators issued the following statement on H-1B visas today:

Tomorrow, employers may begin filing applications for the 65,000 H-1B visas that are available for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins October 1. Those that are successful will be able to hire skilled foreigners—many of whom are graduating from U.S. universities with degrees in science, mathematics, and engineering—to help their companies remain cutting-edge and create jobs for Americans. If history is a guide, these visas will be snapped up within days, and many highly qualified individuals from other countries will be forced to take their skills, their drive, and their entrepreneurial spirit elsewhere.

As America and the world fall deeper into recession, it is important to break free of the rhetoric of the political debate and refocus on the fundamentals. One fundamental is that talent is always a scarce resource. There is not enough of it to go around, and every country needs more of it. Talent is also, in today’s world, highly mobile. Our economy is part of a global economy, and our job market is part of a global job market. In such a market, employers look for the talent they need wherever they can find it, and students and skilled workers look for the places to study and work that offer them the most opportunity.

To turn away individuals with skills that we need, who want to live and work in America, under the illusion that by doing so we are protecting our economy, is to deny ourselves a resource that we need to help pull us out of the recession and put our economy on a sound footing for the future. It will cost jobs, not save them.

This association is dedicated to promoting the mobility of students and scholars across borders. The advantages of attracting these individuals to our country are well known: they are a key part of the pipeline of skilled talent from outside our borders that fuels our economy; they help our universities prepare the next generation of American college graduates for the jobs of tomorrow; and they connect us to leadership and innovation around the world. Yet we cannot be successful in the competition for these students and scholars if they know that the only way they will be able to accept jobs after graduation—with employers who need them and want to hire them—is to win the H-1B lottery.

People the world over—people with big dreams and the entrepreneurial spirit to pursue them—want to come to the United States because they know it is here that they can realize their dreams. So it has been since the first Pilgrims sailed—and so it must continue to be. Skilled immigrants fuel innovation in America. The H-1B visa system is one path for them to get here; that path needs to be open. Yes, H-1B visas are sometimes abused, and where abuses exist, they must be stopped. No one supports measures to protect the program’s integrity more strongly than its proponents. But a cap on talent is self-defeating.

We call on the 111th Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform. Such reform should include the removal or adjustment of unrealistic caps on temporary and permanent employment-based visa categories, which include H-1B visas and green cards. If Congress chooses not to address immigration reform comprehensively, these measures must be enacted separately. Unclogging the path to permanent residency for skilled immigrants will relieve the pressure on H-1B visas. However, these visas will still be necessary for those for whom temporary status is appropriate. Either way, America wins.

Many thanks to Andy Amsler at NAFSA for this information which was also sent to all NAFSA members via NAFSA.news.

Spreading of Colonial Influence Abroad via the Peace Corps

I recently came across an interesting article from March 12th written by Spencer Janyck in the WhitmanCollegePioneer entitled “The Peace Corps Spreads Colonial Influence Abroad”. Spencer writes “The United States has a long and sorbid history of colonization and destruction of other people and other ways of life that we have deemed “inappropriate” and “savage”…I see the Peace Corps largely as modern-day missionaries, taking up the civilized man’s burden and traveling abroad to teach others precisely what’s wrong with their societies.”

Just under two weeks ago I posted part of a promotional video from March 1961 of President Kennedy outlining the Peace Corps Program. The first time I watched/listened to the video I was taken aback by something the commentator said within the first 25 seconds of the video. Specifically, part of the video that stated “interest in President Kennedy’s proposed Peace Corps continues to rise among American youth. Here are the forerunners of the Peace Corps, American exchange students now overseas in backwards and depressed areas of the world…” made we stop to think “backwards in the eyes of whom?”

I fully support the Peace Corps and have blogged about it a few times on this blog. I wanted to post about this interesting view about the Peace Corps to see what IHEC Blog readers think. Where do you stand on the Peace Corps?

Road Map for Graduate Study: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students

I thought some of the IHEC Blog readers who are considering graduate school may find this new book Road Map for Graduate Study: A Guide for Prospective Students by Donald Martin to be particularly helpful as you embark on your next educational journey. Martin, who has held Associate Dean positions at Teachers College at Columbia University and the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, gives readers an insider’s perspective on:

Getting started (doing research on graduate institutions)
Getting in (going through the application process)
Getting out (successfully completing your program of study)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) of inquirers, applicants, admitted and enrolled students
And features: Ten Tips on the Application Process; Seven Deadly Sins for Applicants; and, Seven Ways to get Positively Noticed as an Applicant.

You can learn more about the book and order a copy here.

Increase in English Instruction Decreases the Quality of Dutch Higher Education

I just read a very interesting article (in English) from March 20th on the NRC Handelsblad website about the concern among many Dutch intellectuals on the increased use of English in Dutch higher education. According the article, the idea to make English the official language of instruction in Dutch universities was first proposed by Jo Ritzen, Education Minister, back in 1990.

Following is a snippet from the article that I found interesting:

Internationalisation is the magic word everywhere. Education has become an export product and a university’s competitiveness is measured, particularly by the executive boards, by the number of foreign students it hosts. At many faculties, deans are charged with tasks like organising partnerships and student and faculty exchange programmes with universities around the world.

“It is part of globalisation,” says Gerry Wakker, deputy dean of education and internationalisation in Groningen. "More and more people are working abroad for a long or short time or they are studying there for a year. We prepare them for that by creating groups of students that are as mixed as possible."

I encourage IHEC Blog readers to check out this article here. What do you think about this trend in Dutch higher education?

NAFSA Task Force on Standards and Responsibilities (1980)

As I was searching my research notes I came across something that I thought IHEC Blog readers who enjoy a little history with their international education may find interesting. The following is a description of the NAFSA Task Force on Standards and Responsibilities from the early 1980’s:

“NAFSA convened the Task Force on Standards and Responsibilities in early 1980. This task force considered many alternatives. It acknowledged that self-regulation was more desirable than government regulation of standards of practice. It also considered and rejected a program of accreditation that would first formally endorse programs that met established standards and then police them through periodic evaluation and any necessary censure. What the task force finally chose was a complete program of self-regulation, which involved endorsement by the NAFSA board and support by other major educational associations and agencies. As part of the new program, NAFSA published “Principles for International Educational Exchange” in 1981 for endorsement by all NAFSA members. The Principles were also formally endorsed by the Commission on International Education of the American Council on Education, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and Land Grant Colleges. In 1983, NAFSA published the first edition of this self-study guide with dealt with the principles.”[1]


This is just one of the efforts in the field of study abroad to develop a set of standards of good practice. You can learn more about this in the chapter I'm writing with my colleague Martha Merritt on the assessment of and standards for study abroad in the forthcoming A History of US Study Abroad: 1965 to the Present edited by Stephen DePaul and William Hoffa which is scheduled for publication later this year.


You may also be interested in the History of Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad Bibliography I compiled last year for the 3rd edition of the Forum on Education Abroad Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad.

[1] Description obtained from NAFSA Self-Study Guide: The Assessment of Programs and Services for International Educational Exchange at Postsecondary Institutions (1994) written by Harriet L. Marsh.

Another Call for Exchanges with North Korea

In the March 20, 2009 issue of the Heritage Foundation Backgrounder, Bruce Klingner argues that North Korea may be the most intractable foreign policy challenge facing President Barack Obama. Klingner offers several policy suggestions for the U.S. to consider beyond the six-party talks including, but not limited to, expanding public diplomacy efforts including facilitating “formal student and cultural exchange programs.”

You can access this interesting issue of the Backgrounder here.

Please visit here for a recent and similar IHEC Blog post focusing on educational and cultural exchanges with North Korea.

Promoting Study Abroad in the STEM Fields

IIE recently released Issue 5 in their Study Abroad White Paper Series. This 5th White Paper entitled Promoting Study Abroad in Science and Technology Fields builds on their previous titles:

Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities
Expanding Education Abroad at U.S. Community Colleges
Exploring Host Country Capacity for Increasing U.S. Study Abroad
Current Trends in U.S. Study Abroad & the Impact of Strategic Diversity Initiatives

You can access all of IIE’s Study Abroad White Paper Series here.

Forum on Education Abroad Conference Presentation Materials Available Online

The Forum on Education Abroad has now posted all submitted session materials from their recent conference in Portland, Oregon. The Forum is still accepting session materials from presenters and will post them to their website as they receive them.

You can access the session materials here.

Loyola University Chicago is First U.S. Institution to Have Site Location in Vietnam

The Loyola University Chicago University Newsroom is reported on March 11th that it has become the first institution in the United States to establish a site location in Vietnam.

I received this news update through my Loyola University Chicago student e-mail account as I’m a doctoral student in the Cultural and Educational Policy Studies Program focusing on Comparative and International Education.

Here is a snippet of the press release:

“CHICAGO, March 11, 2009 - Loyola University Chicago has partnered with the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training to establish a University Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City. The partnership, which became official in February, makes Loyola the first University in the nation to have a site location in Vietnam.Through the office, Loyola will work in three critical areas of need: English as a Second Language (ESL) education for health-care professionals, leadership programs for Vietnamese professionals and administrators, and study-abroad programs for U.S. students. Details and timing of the ESL and leadership programs are still being worked out. However, the study abroad program will commence this summer.”

You can access the entire press release here.

CIEE Ping Foundation Fellowships in Support of Study Abroad Doctoral Research

For the second consecutive year, CIEE: The Council on International Educational Exchange is offering the Ping Doctoral Research Fellowships. Snippets from CIEE’s website follow:

“Ping Doctoral Research Fellowships provide support for doctoral research focused on U.S. undergraduate study abroad. Funded through a small endowment, the Doctoral Research Fellowships are named after Dr. Charles Ping, a gifted teacher and scholar, a tireless advocate for the internationalization of U.S. higher education, President Emeritus of Ohio University, and a long-time former Chairman of the CIEE Board of Directors.

Nominations with all the documentation described (three complete sets) must reach the CIEE office no later than April 30th.

Please direct any questions to Dr. Michael Vande Berg at mvandeberg@ciee.org.”

You can learn more about the Ping Doctoral Research Fellowships here.

Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities

The Institute of International Education (IIE) released Study Abroad White Paper, Issue 4 today entitled Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities. You can access this report as well as the previous Study Abroad White Papers in the series here.

One afternoon in late September, 1945 during a routine session of the U.S. Senate...

... then freshman Senator J. William Fulbright stated:

“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to introduce a bill for reference to the Committee on Military Affairs, authorizing the use of credits established abroad for the promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in fields of education, culture, and science.”

It was that speech on the Senate floor that established The Fulbright Act of 1946 (A Bill to amend the Surplus Property Act of 1944 to designate the Department of State as the disposal agency for surplus property outside the United States, its Territories and possessions, and for other purposes).

A brief history of the Fulbright program can be found here.

During my research efforts I learned of significant contributions by two University of Chicago faculty to the early years of the Fulbright Program.

First, Walter Johnson was chairman of the Department of History at the University of Chicago and served on the Board of Foreign Scholarships from 1947 to 1954 and as chairman of the Board of Foreign Scholarships from 1950 to 1953. Today, the Board of Foreign Scholarships is known as the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Second, John Hope Franklin served in the Department of History at the University of Chicago from 1964 to 1982 and as chairman of the Department from 1967 to 1970. He was appointed to the Board of Foreign Scholarships from 1962 to 1969 and served as chairman from 1966 to 1969.

What's great is that we have held past Fulbright interviews at the University of Chicago in the John Hope Franklin Room in the Social Sciences Building (which is a great interview room by the way) and now that I know of his contributions to the Fulbright Program I hope to schedule many more interviews in that room in the future. I will of course begin each interview with a brief history on John Hope Franklin and his connection to the Fulbright program.

Video of President Kennedy Outlining Peace Corps Program in March 1961

Many IHEC Blog readers know of my interest in the history of international exchanges and public diplomacy efforts. I came across the following YouTube video which is a partial newsreel of President Kennedy introducing the Peace Corps. I hope you find this video snippet interesting.




Please see my previous posts on the Peace Corps here.

Renewing America’s Global Leadership-A Policy Statement by NAFSA

NAFSA: Association of International Educators issued a policy statement today pledging support for President Obama and his administration in their efforts to restore America’s leadership around the world. Here is a snippet from the statement that I found particularly interesting:

“International education creates that most unique of possibilities, in which individuals of differing backgrounds, faiths, and life experiences can come face to face and discover ties of friendship and understanding. It is these person-to-person relationships that sustain diplomatic and political relationships, which is why generations of American foreign-policy leaders have pointed to educational exchanges as one of our most successful foreign policy tools, the most proven and effective way for the United States to build a foundation for dialogue and partnership with the rest of the world.”

You can access NAFSA’s entire statement (as well as a pdf version) here.

Middle East Partnership Initiative

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new scholarship program under the Middle East Partnership Initiative. This new scholarship is a four-year program that will provide ten scholarships for disadvantaged Palestinian students to attend Palestinian Universities with an additional twenty five “opportunity grants” for disadvantaged Palestinian students to attend institutions of higher education in the United States or in the Middle East.

The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article on this new scholarship of the Middle East Partnership Initiative on their News Blog. There was a strong reaction to this new scholarship and it seems the Chronicle capped the predominately negative comments at 325. I haven’t read most of the comments but most seem to criticize the Obama administration and Hilary Clinton for starting the Middle East Partnership Initiative in these challenging economic times. To be sure, criticism and concern directed towards President Obama and Secretary Clinton for funding this new scholarship given the current health of the U.S. economy may be warranted. My concern, however, is that many of the comments are directed at President Obama and Secretary Clinton for establishing the Middle East Partnership Initiative.
According to the Middle East Partnership Initiative website:

“The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), was established by then-Secretary Powell on December 12, 2002, to create educational opportunity at a grassroots level, promote economic opportunity and help foster private sector development, and to strengthen civil society and the rule of law throughout the region… Since 2002, MEPI has devoted more than $530 million to over 550 projects in 17 countries and territories through its offices in Washington, Tunis, and Abu Dhabi. MEPI investments are in addition to billions of dollars in bilateral assistance the U.S. provides annually to the Middle East.”

I can respect one’s opinion on funding this new scholarship or on the Middle East Partnership Initiative itself regardless of the position they take on the topic as long as their argument is formed by more than an article in a news paper. A simple internet search brings you to the State Department website where one can learn that the Middle East Partnership Initiative was established over six years ago during the Bush Administration.

You can link to the Middle East Partnership Initiative here.

All Finnish University Students to Study Abroad

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland announced today that Finnish Education Minister Henna Virkkunen wants all universites to include international study or training as part of their degree offerings. Virkkunen’s plan is an effort to combat the decrease in Finnish students participation in international exchange programs. You can read more here.

Study Abroad Alumni International

I thought I would point IHEC Blog readers in the direction of a new and exciting organization in the field of study abroad called Study Abroad Alumni International Inc. (SAAI). “Building a Community of Global Citizens” is the trademark of SAAI. Following is a description of SAAI’s purpose from their website:

“An international membership organization consisting of alumni of some type of study abroad experience and others who actively support the study abroad experience. SAAI is dedicated to fostering international friendship & understanding, creating a more peaceful world, and building a community of global citizens by serving the worldwide study abroad community, highlighting study abroad alumni success stories, promoting study abroad opportunities, and providing scholarships and other kinds of support for study abroad participants.”

From what I can tell on the SAAI website, they are still working towards 501 (c)3 status and they are currently accepting donations to fund their efforts. SAAI has established an impressive group of individuals for their inaugural advisory board. I’m encourage what I’ve read so far and I encourage IHEC Blog readers to visit the SAAI website here.

The Coimbra Group and European Higher Education after Bologna 2010

A new position paper by the Coimbra Group Executive Board entitled The Coimbra Group and European Higher Education after Bologna 2010 embraces the Bologna Process but have identified several issues that they deem to be critical which need to be addressed in the coming years. You can access the Coimbra Group position paper to learn more about their recommendations here.

A description of the Coimbra Group from their website follows:

“Founded in 1985 and formally constituted by Charter in 1987, the Coimbra Group is an association of long-established European multidisciplinary universities of high international standard. The Coimbra Group is committed to creating special academic and cultural ties in order to promote, for the benefit of its members, internationalisation, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and research, and service to society. It is also the purpose of the Group to influence European educational policy and to develop best practice through mutual exchange of experience.”[1]

You can see Coimbra Group members here.

[1] Coimbra Group description obtained here: http://www.coimbra-group.eu/01_about_us.php

Reverse Brain Drain

I just read an article in The Washington Post from this past Sunday about an increasing number of international students returning to their home countries rather than deal with all of the H-1B and Permanent Resident immigration hassles necessary to work here in the United States. The article highlights the economic and technological impact this trend will have on the United States and here are just a few:

“Almost 25 percent of all international patent applications filed from the United States in 2006 named foreign national as investors”

“Immigrants founded a quarter of all U.S. engineering and technology companies started between 1995 and 2005, including half of those in Silicon Valley”

“In 2005 alone, immigrants' businesses generated $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers”

I agree that this trend will have an economic and technological impact on the United States and it is something that the Obama Administration needs to take a serious look at. This reverse brain drain, however, has significant implications for public diplomacy and one that the United States can capitalize on. These international students/workers who are returning home having witnessed a long Presidential campaign and democratic election with a peaceful transfer of power on January 20th. Additionally, these individuals have a greater understanding of U.S. culture and business practices that they, as leaders, will bring back to their home countries.

You can access this article here.

DePaul Faculty to Discuss New Book on Successful Adult Learning in Developing World

IHEC Blog readers who are in the Chicagoland area and who are available at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2009 may want to head down to the DePaul University Club (DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago) to listen to DePaul professors discuss their new book Handbook of Blended Shore Education (Springer, 2009). Here is a link to the press release on the talk as well as a link to the Springer website where you can learn more about and purchase the book.

Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Orphanage Ban Thanhathai in Ratchaburi, Thailand.

Call for Interest: Research & Scholarship Sub-Committee Members

The following call for interest for sub-committee members of the Research & Scholarship network (Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship knowledge community of NAFSA: Association of International Educators) is being posted on IHEC Blog with the permission of Bryan McAllister-Grande who is the Network leader of the Research & Scholarship network as well as the Assistant Director of the Office of Global Affairs at Brandeis University. IHEC Blog readers may want to visit and subscribe to the Research & Scholarship network (as well as many of the other NAFSA networks ~ especially the Intercultural Communication & Training and Internationalizing the Curriculum & Campus networks) as I think you find the content and posts/discussions to be stimulating and of interest. You can access the various NAFSA knowledge communities and networks here and learn how to join the networks here. NAFSA membership is not required to acces or to join the networks.

Bryan’s post follows:

“As the new network leader, I'm excited to be working more closely with you over the next couple of years. The TLS team has recently held a series of meetings to determine some renewed goals for the KC/networks. In the process, the R&S Network is looking to add volunteer leaders to its sub-committee. Please see below for full details on how to express interest in being a member of the sub-committee.


The network will continue to be a locus for all things related to international education research, including discussion of "doing" research among graduate students, scholars, and practitioners. In addition, we will have a particular emphasis on comprehensive internationalization, to align with higher education trends and NAFSA's strategic plan. Below is the revised mission statement:


*Revised R&S Network Mission Statement*

As international education moves from the periphery to the center of higher education, there is an increasing need for scholarship and evaluation. The Research & Scholarship Network is a group of cross-NAFSA members working globally on research in internationalization and relatedcomponents of international education. Our work includes:

- Disseminating and promoting research and practice resources on internationalization and its various components, including at annual and regional conferences

- Engaging in discussions with leading scholars and practitioners on major topics in international higher education

- Serving as a locus for different groups to join together: scholars of international education, faculty in all disciplines, graduate students, campus leaders, and all NAFSA members in various Knowledge Communities

- Linking U.S.-based research to that of global NAFSA and non-NAFSA members


*Call for volunteer leaders: R&S Sub-committee*

Volunteer terms range in length from 1-2 years, and tasks include:

- making suggestions for reviewing existing and new practice resources, documents, events, discussions, and announcements on the R&S network.

- providing assistance in drafting text of new and revised resources, including intros and descriptions.

- recruiting R&S network members to participate in online discussions.

- promoting the network at NAFSA events and other relevant professional meetings and encourage participation.

- making suggestions for "pushing out" existing and new research to the broader field in creative ways, including through short documents publications, and online discussions.

- Working together on a brief report that will work towards broad recommendations on NAFSA's agenda for research on comprehensive internationalization, including identifying gaps/trends, needs, and member interests. In addition, creating initial tools/resources for research on comprehensive internationalization.


If you are interested in being considered for one of the Subcommittee positions, please email me as well as submit information about your background and skills to NAFSA’s “Expertise Profile”.


We are especially encouraging those outside the U.S. to apply, and to foster a truly cross-KC approach to research and scholarship. We're also interested in those who are connected to "fields" outside traditional international education degrees. Much of the work can be done virtually and by phone, although some meetings at NAFSA conferences are involved.


Sincerely,

Bryan McAllister-Grande
Network leader, Research & Scholarship (Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship, NAFSA)
Assistant Director, Office of Global Affairs at Brandeis University

Greening the Field of International Education

The Green Passport Program (GP) is a relatively new initiative in the field of international education that aims to “motivate, engage and support study abroad administrators and students interested in adding a more socially and environmentally conscious dimension to their education abroad experiences.” You can learn more about The Green Passport Program here.

IHEC Blog readers may also find the article “Sustaining Study Abroad” from today’s insidehighered.com to be quite interesting as well.

Secretary Clinton's Reset Button Gift to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

I’ve been a fan of the AFS Intercultural Eyes blog for some time now and found Bettina Hansel’s[1] March 10th post on the cultural miscommunication between U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to be quite interesting. You can access Bettina’s post here.

[1] Bettina Hansel is AFS’s Director of Intercultural Education and Research and she created and maintains the AFS Intercultural Eyes blog.

Working World-Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development

This past week I came across two excellent resources that IHEC Blog readers should know, visit and consider purchasing. The first is Working World blog which is maintained by Sherry L. Mueller and Mark Overmann. Working World blog is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to enter (and those who want to advance their career in) the field of international education, exchange and development. Working World blog not only provides well written and insightful posts on career development and planning but it also offers excellent and timely pieces on the field itself which engages readers on a second level (meaning you don’t need to be on the market for a new job to benefit from the content on Working World blog). Please check out Working World blog here and come back on a consistent basis to read and comment.

The second resource is tied to the first resource as Sherry and Mark have written an excellent book entitled Working World-Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development (2008) published by Georgetown University Press.

I have copied and pasted an excerpt from the description[1] of Working World below:

“Are you looking for a career with professional rewards and personal satisfaction? Perhaps you'd like to find meaningful employment in the field of international relations? Working World is the perfect resource for making sound career choices, and is particularly valuable for those interested in exploring a career in international education, exchange, and development.

Sherry Mueller, head of a large nonprofit organization with an international focus, and Mark Overmann, a young professional on his way up, serve as spirited guidance counselors and offer valuable insight on launching a career, not just landing a job. The two authors—representing contrasting personalities, levels of experience, and different generations—engage in an entertaining dialogue designed to highlight alternative approaches to the same destination: making a difference in the world.

With a rich mix of anecdotes and advice, the two authors present their individual perspectives on career development: identifying your cause, the art of networking, the value of mentors, and careers as "continuous journeys." Mueller and Overmann push job seekers to challenge assumptions about what it means to pursue a career in international relations and to recognize that the path to career success is rarely straight.

To help the job seeker chart the best course, Working World provides specific resources including annotated lists of selected organizations, websites, and further reading. Profiles of twelve professionals, from promising young associates to presidents and CEOs, illustrate the book's main topics. Each professional provides insight into his or her career choices, distills lessons learned, and offers practical advice about building a career in international affairs. All of these resources were chosen specifically to help job seekers map the next steps toward the internship, job, or other opportunity that will give shape to the career they envision.”

I encourage IHEC Blog readers to consider adding Working World to their personal library. You can read more about this very reasonably priced book as well as view sample content here.

Working World is also on Facebook here.

See a related IHEC Blog post about the Forum Pathways to the Profession Survey 2008: Report and Results here.

[1] Description obtained from Georgetown University Press page on Working World found here: http://tinyurl.com/WorkingWorldFacebook

Enhancements to International Education Blogs & News

Many people have discovered commented on my new blogging project International Education Blogs & News which I started a little under a month ago. Since the initial launch I’ve been making small enhancements to the site and I would like to highlight two here:

The first major enhancement to this site is a change in the name of the blog to International Education Blogs & News (IEB&N for short) as I felt this was more representative of what the blog provided to the field of international education. The second enhancement to the site are the Google news feeds on the left sidebar that cover the following topics:

Study Abroad
International Education
Educational Exchange
Peace Corps

Once on the International Education Blogs & News website you simply click the topic of interest and you'll be able to link to articles on the web found by Google on that topic. I will be adding more topics to this "Google News Roll" in the coming days and weeks but wanted to set up these initial news feeds as a pilot. Please provide comments on these enhancements to International Education Blogs & News and if you have or know of a blog that should be included please post a comment.

The 4 F's: Overcoming Barriers to Study Abroad by Ganz

As many IHEC Blog readers know, one of my main research interests is on the diversification of the study abroad student profile in the United States and I’ve been writing and presenting on this issue for many years.

For this post I’m highlighting one of the many ideas/works on diversifying the study abroad student profile by Dr. Margery Ganz who is a Professor of History and Director of Study Abroad at Spelman College. I’m intrigued with what Ganz refers to as the 4 F’s (Family, Faculty, Finances, and Fear) to overcoming barriers to study abroad. You can read this brief but interesting article here: http://info.iiepassport.org/iie4f.html

Here are links to previous IHEC Blog posts on the diversification of the study abroad student profile
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/12/analysis-of-research-and-literature-on.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-univ-of-maryland-diversity-study.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-we-know-about-diversity-in.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/04/african-americans-to-study-abroad-in.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2007/02/initiatives-in-2006-to-increase-student.html

In the coming weeks I'll post my thoughts on why diversifying the study abroad student profile is important to the public diplomacy efforts of the United States.

The IFSA Foundation Suspends Public Grant Activity

The following message was posted to SECUSS-L last Friday, March 6, 2009:

---start message---

Colleagues in Study Abroad:

On November 30, 2008 the IFSA Foundation posted a notice on SECUSS-L announcing that there would not be a grant cycle in 2009 and that our next cycle would have a deadline in January 2010.

Recently the Foundation Board of Directors conducted a thorough review of the foundations activities and finances and reluctantly decided to suspend any further public grant activity including the January 2010 date. This decision will not affect multi-year grants approved through 2008. Funds for these grants will disbursed in late fall of 2009.

We regret to announce that we will no longer be accepting proposals from colleges and universities and other not for profits seeking funds from the IFSA Foundation.

The Foundation was established as a self liquidating foundation and since its founding in 2004 it has awarded over $5,000,000.in grants to approximately 90 colleges, universities and other not for profit institutions.

The IFSA Foundation is the only foundation dedicated exclusively to supporting semester and full year undergraduate study abroad. For information on the history, mission and grant awards please visit our website- www.theifsafoundation.org.

Board of Directors, The IFSA Foundation:
Tom Roberts
David Gray
M.Jean White
---end message---


While this is sad news for the field of study abroad we should all be thankful for the work of the board of directors and The IFSA Foundation itself for the contributions they have made to the field of study abroad.

Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy - Update

I received an update on the Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy from Derek Forsythe of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy.

Those of you who support this effort will want to sign the online petition to President Obama here. Additionally, the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy media kit has some great resources such as a pdf of the letter to President Obama, the Report of the Leadership Forum on Citizen diplomacy on Strengthening U.S. International Relationships, and a Call to Action: An Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy to name a few.

You can link to my previous post on the Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy here.

TestAS (Test für Ausländische Studierende or Test for Academic Studies)

The March 6th News from DAAD New York announced that they commissioned the creation of an exam to assist German institutions of higher education in determining the “learning attitude” of a foreign applicant. TestAS was first issued in May 2007 but it is now a requirement of many German institutions of higher education. You can learn more about the TestAS here.

US-UK Fulbright Commission Celebrates 60th Anniversary

The UK in the USA website of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (official website of the British Embassy in the United States) reports in their Newsroom that Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald hosted a reception on March 4th in celebration of the US-UK Fulbright Commission’s 60th anniversary. During the reception, the US-UK Fulbright Commission announced their plan to increase the number of new awards by the year 2010 by 30%. This is excellent news for future Fulbright applicants as the United Kingdom is the most competitive country in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition. You can read more about the reception and this new development here.

Chicago Sister Cities Acting Call

The following post is taken in part from Radio Chicagoland News & PR blog.

Chicago 2016 is looking for girls, ages 6 – 14, to participate in a film about Chicago’s Sister Cities. The girl’s family must be from the region of among Chicago’s 27 sister cities, and she should be able to say “Hello Sister” in the language of the region(with a parent’s or grandparent’s help is sufficient, but native fluency is preferred.)

We are also looking for boys in the same age range, but they do not need to have foreign language capabilities.

About Chicago Sister Cities: Established in 1960, Chicago Sister Cities International serves as Chicago’s best ambassador to the world, embracing a citizen diplomacy model and using people-to-people relations to promote mutual understanding and international exchange. From hosting foreign dignitaries, to uniting the diverse ethnic communities of Chicago, to serving as the first point-of-contact for visiting business leaders, cultural icons and educational institutions, Chicago Sister Cities plays a critical role in bringing the world to Chicago and Chicago to the world.

Chicago’s Sister Cities:

Accra, Ghana
Amman, Jordan
Athens, Greece
Belgrade, Serbia
Birmingham, UK
Busan, Korea
Casablanca, Morocco
Delhi, India
Durban, South Africa
Galway, Ireland
Gothenburg, Sweden
Hamburg, Germany
Kyiv, Ukraine
Lahore, Pakistan
Lucerne, Switzerland
Mexico City, Mexico
Milan, Italy
Moscow, Russia
Osaka, Japan
Paris, France
Petach Tikva, Israel
Prague, Czech Republic
Shanghai, China
Shenyang, China
Toronto, Canada
Vilnius, Lithuania
Warsaw, Poland

For more specifics on the filming and contact information please visit Radio Chicagoland News & PR blog here.



Those of you interested in Sister Cities International may want to visit their blog Type, Talk & Transform World Peace at http://typeandtalkworldpeace.blogspot.com/

IIE’s Get a Passport: Study Abroad Campaign

The Institute of International Education (IIE) just launched their Get a Passport: Study Abroad campaign.

IIE introduces the Get a Passport: Study Abroad campaign with the following:

"With 70% of Americans lacking a passport and less than 1% of American college students studying abroad each year,[1] some of your students may never have thought about getting a passport and studying abroad.

Too many students are failing to acquire the understanding of foreign cultures and languages, cross-cultural communication skills and leadership qualities that result from studying abroad. By encouraging students to see that a passport is a document as necessary as a college ID, campuses can help students to become globally competent professionals, with the skills they will need to succeed in the international marketplace."

The first campuses to sign on as partner campuses are:

Boston University

Champlain College

Grand Valley State University

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Ohio State University

Scottsdale Community College

University of Missouri

You can learn more about the Get a Passport: Study Abroad campaign here.

[1] Please see my previous IHEC Blog post entitled “Open Doors Data on Study Abroad” where I discuss the importance of reporting accurate national participation rates on U.S. students studying abroad as I argue reporting a 1% or 2% national study abroad participation rate is misleading. You can access this post here.

USCIS Meets Another Milestone in Eliminating FBI Name Check Backlogs

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced yesterday in their Press Room that they met another “milestone” (as of February 28, 2009) by completing FBI name checks pending more than six months with the FBI’s National Name Check Program (NNCP). You can read more about this and past milestones met by USCIS as well as two future goals to enhance this process in the future at this link.

Another U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services milestone reported on the USCIS Press Room is the first child to become a U.S. citizen overseas during a USCIS Naturalization ceremony held in Japan. You can learn more about this important event and why it happened here.

A Call for Educational Exchange with North Korea

During my research efforts on public diplomacy I came across an interesting article entitled “The North Korean Paradox and the Subversive Truth” by Andrei Lankov in Asian Outlook published by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Lankov notes that in order for regime transformation to occur in North Korea we must make use of methods other than coercion that include, among others, cultural and educational exchange.

You can access this article and download in pdf format here.

Changing Cuba Policy-In the United States National Interest

Those of you who are interested in restoring travel and educational exchange with Cuba will find Changing Cuba Policy in the United States National Interest-Staff Trip Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate to be of interest. In this report, Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, calls for “easing restrictions on travel for family visits, people-to-people educational activities, academic educational activities (including for secondary schools), and participation in amateur or semi-professional sports competitions.”[1]


Previous IHEC Blog posts related to changing U.S. policy towards international educational exchanges with Cuba can be found here:
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2009/01/cuba-academic-alliance-refocuses-effort.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/12/memo-to-president-elect-obama-to.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/11/emergency-coalition-to-defend.html
http://ihec-djc.blogspot.com/2008/02/group-of-international-organizations.html


[1] See page 16 of Changing Cuba Policy in the United States National Interest-Staff Trip Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate here: http://lugar.senate.gov/sfrc/pdf/Cuba.pdf

Transatlantic Degree Programs (TDP) Manual – Call for Papers

The following call for papers was posted to SECUSS-L today by Daniel Obst of the Institute of International Education and Matthias Kuder of Freie Universität Berlin.

This call for papers published by the Freie Universität Berlin and the Institute of International Education invites administrators and faculty from higher education institutions in Europe and the U.S. who have experience with developing and maintaining joint and double degree programs to submit articles to the Transatlantic Degree Programs (TDP) Manual. The Manual is intended to serve as a key resource to institutions who wish to build or expand transatlantic joint or double degree programs. Individual articles will provide practical recommendations on removing barriers and overcoming challenges in the development of these types of programs and highlight key issues related to establishing, managing and sustaining collaborative degree programs with a particular focus on the transatlantic context.

Articles should ideally focus on one of the topics listed below and present possible solutions and good practice examples to key challenges in joint and double degree programming.

- Ensuring sustainability and securing funding
- Securing institutional support
- Resolving language issues and removing language barriers
- Identifying appropriate student selection processes
- Managing student and faculty mobility
- Recruiting students, recruiting quality students, and attracting U.S. students to participate
- Designing a joint curriculum
- Agreeing on credit transfer recognition
- Finding solutions to meeting diverging degree requirements/meeting general education requirements
- Evaluating programs and receiving accreditation
- Ensuring a balance in the exchange of students
- Ensuring good and open communication with program partners

We also encourage articles that specifically address challenges at different academic levels (collaborative degrees at the undergraduate level, master's level, and Ph.D. level) Most articles will be between 2 and 5 pages (between 1200 and 2000 words). Papers should be submitted in English.

The submission deadline has been extended to March 29, 2009. Please let us know if you plan to submit an article. To download the Call for Papers, which includes a list of suggested topics, visit www.tdp-project.de or http://www.iienetwork.org/?p=TDP. If you are interested in submitting an article for the TDP Manual, please address all inquiries to:

Daniel Obst
Institute of International Education
Email: dobst@iie.org
Tel: +1.212.984.5370

and
Matthias Kuder
Freie Universität Berlin
Email: matthias.kuder@fu-berlin.de
Tel: +49-(0)30-838-73942

Americans Encouraged to Travel to Countries Previously Off Limit

I just read a great article by Mark Dillen entitled "People-to-People People" on the Foreign Policy Association, Public Diplomacy: The World Affairs Blog Network that I thought I would share with IHEC Blog readers. In his article, Dillen argues for Americans to resume travels to countries previously off limits. You can access this article here.