Links of Interest for Week of January 15th to 28th

I apologize for not pulling together my Links of Interest post last week Friday and for not getting this post up sooner this Friday. Here are two weeks worth of interesting links that I posted to and pulled from Twitter. I hope you find some of them of interest:

Open World Leadership Center (@OWprogram) Congressional Testimony

Recruiting International Students in India: A Good Practices Guidebook (via @IDPDRIE)

Recent AAC&U Publications: Immigration, Study Abroad, and Global Learning

81% of Indians who earned PhD in science/engineering in 2002 stayed in the US after five years- Wall Street Journal (via @DrEducationBlog)

The International Student Blog now available as an iPhone application

Robert Sterling Clark Foundation's new initiative on International Cultural Engagement

International Education & Re-entry academic course syllabi

Implementation and collaboration in the United States-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program (via @IDPDRIE)

Has Ireland dropped the ball on attracting international students?

International Students and U.S. Global Power in the Long 20th Century

Interesting article "Study Abroad -- Pricey and Priceless" on WSJ Market Watch

Joint Statement on the Expansion of Educational Exchanges between the United States and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia

Ewha seeks diversity in globalization

France wants international students for influence, not income (via @ChangeHigherEd)

Motivations and Experiences of UK Students Studying Abroad (PDF) (via @Beerkens)

Who Plans (Not) to Study Abroad? An Examination of U.S. Student Intent (via @IDPDRIE)

Controversial Visa Bans Lifted (on two scholars)

Study Abroad Experience Inspires a Recent Graduate to Help Local Youth Think Globally

Coping with Anti-Americanism: A Guide to Getting the Most out of Studying Abroad (via @IDPDRIE)

CAS Standards for International Student Programs

USCCD Launches Haiti Resource Page for Citizen Diplomats (via @CitizenDiplomat)

Vietnam is fastest-growing market of intl students coming to U.S.: new IIE report reveals their attitudes/perceptions (via @IIEglobal)

"Does Soft Power Matter? A Comparative Analysis of Student Exchange Programs 1980-2006" by Atkinson (2010)

‘Amerikaku’ Shows the Stories of Indonesian Students in the USA

International Education history buffs may want to sneak in a trip to the Special Collections of the Univ. of Arkansas

Studies, toolkits & reports that provide strategic context for conceiving an inst. mission for study abroad on @NAFSA

IREX Annual Reports dating back to 1969-70

NAFSA Resource Library Education Abroad Bibliographies

U.S. Public and Cultural Diplomacy Timeline (October 1999-December 2009) (via @PDCouncil)

The Art of Engagement: Trends in U.S. Cultural Exchange and International Programming (via @PDCouncil)

Study Abroad Perspectives on Institutional Operations

Photo credit: meddygarnet

Video of the Week – Introduction to the Open World Program

Heard of the Open World Program before? I’ve been aware of their existence for only a few months and I’ve been following them on Twitter and really like what they are about.

After watching the video I recommend checking out their website to learn more about them and if you are on Twitter follow them at http://twitter.com/OWProgram.

How can we Establish a National Longitudinal Survey on Study Abroad in the United States?

This question has been on my mind for several years and I thought I would post some of my random thoughts on this topic to IHEC Blog. My interest in a national longitdinal study abroad survey dates back to the Roundtable for International Education Researchers held by the American Council on Education (after the 2004 NAFSA conference in Baltimore) that I was invited to participate in. I was excited because I found myself on a list of invitees of some of the best higher education and international education scholars around and I was asked to present a brief overview to the group of scholars on what research is needed to promote better practice and to assist practitioners in the field.

One of the scholars invited to the Roundtable but was unable to attend was George Kuh from the School of Education at Indiana University. If you don't who George Kuh is you might know of his work on the NSSE: National Survey of Student Engagement (he founded NSSE). I was hoping to engage Mr. Kuh in a discussion on the feasibility of such a similar study on study abroad in the United States and to generate ideas to move forward on this. I, of course, was disapointed that I was not able to meet him.

So here we are six years later and the idea of a national longitudinal survey on study abroad continues to enter my mind from time to time. The topic comes up from time to time in discussions I have with colleagues at conferences but I don't hear more talk about this on a national level. We, of course, have the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange which I think is a great data collection effort but what I'm thinking about is different. This national longitudinal study on study abroad is only part of a much larger operation I dream about and what some of us have referred to as a Clearinghouse on Sudy Abroad and what inspired me to start collecting literature for my "Bury Book International Education Library & Archive".

Some of the questions that come to my mind as I type this include:

- How do we go about starting such a study?

- How much would this all cost?

- Where would be the home base for such a study?

- Is such a study even needed for the field of study abroad in the U.S. and, if so, what data do we want to collect?

- How can I start/contribute to this effort with a full-time job and a dissertation to write?

I'm curious what other IHEC Blog readers think about this?

Photo credit: Jamiesrabbits

U.S. Senate voted to Reject Sen. Coburn's (R-Okla.) Amendment to H.J. Res 45

This IHEC Blog post is a follow-up to my Take Action post on Monday and is taken, in predominately, from the NAFSA Legislative Update that was just sent out to those who have registered for ACT and is posted with the permission Kari Lantos from NAFSA.

Last night, the Senate voted to reject Senator Coburn's (R-Okla.) amendment to H.J. Res 45 that would have rescinded $120 billion in federal funding for all agencies. Among other things, Sen. Coburn's amendment would have had a negative impact on funding for the Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program; the Defense Department's National Security Education Program; the Department of Education's Title VI and Fulbright Hays Programs; and the Office of International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation.

Speaking in opposition of the amendment to rescind federal funding, Senator Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, defended funding for international exchange programs. He said, "I would tell the Senator from Oklahoma that if you look over the last 10 years, there have been significant [funding] shortfalls in many of these [exchange] programs, and in personnel. The [funding] increases began first at the request of former President George W. Bush, and then followed by President Obama because they realized the need for us to have these programs for our own security." He went on to say, "Rather than cut funding, Senators on both sides of the aisle have consistently urged the Appropriations Committee to increase funding to expand our efforts to promote better understanding of the United States. If we had funded all the requests for increases, [the exchanges budget] would be considerably more than it was."

In order to complete action on the bill and move the debate Sen. Coburn's amendment forward, his overall amendment was divided into four divisions. The sections of the amendment focused on reducing funding for all federal agencies made up Division III of the amendment. All but one of the divisions was rejected by the Senate. The portion of the amendment that passed - Division I - requires the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to routinely evaluate programs to "identify programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals" and submit an annual report to Congress outlining those findings.

To see which Senators voted "yea" or "nay" to Division III of Senator Coburn's amendment to reduce overall federal funding, including funding for international education programs, click here.

Nominate and then Vote in the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs Competition

Last year bab.la and their blog Lexiophiles launched the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs competition. International Higher Education Consulting Blog was nominated in that competition and was voted the #10 International Education and Experience Blog for 2009.

It’s now time for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010, also known as IX10. Lexiophiles and bab.la are looking for the top 100 blogs about life abroad and the nomination period remains open until January 31st. The voting period will be open from February 1st to 14th and the results will be announced on February 18th. I will be sure to post a reminder to vote for your favorite international exchange and experience blog before the end of the competition.

If you have a favorite international exchange and experience blog (or two or three!) please take a moment to send an e-mail with the blog(s) URL to priscila@bab.la.

Those of you interested in international education blogs and new media might find International Education Blogs & News (IEB&N) to be of interest. I started IEB&N about a year ago as I came up with the idea on the flight home from the Forum on Education Abroad's 2009 annual conference in Portland.

NAFSA Action Alert: Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on Amendment to H.J.Res 45Take Action!

The following IHEC Blog post is from NAFSA’s Action Alert sent out via e-mail this morning and is posted in it’s entirety with the permission of Kari Lantos at NAFSA. If you support this initiative (and are a U.S. citizen) please take a minute to write to your Senators. It’s fast and easy and while you are taking action on this issue please consider taking action here on other issues related to international education.

Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on Amendment to H.J.Res 45Take Action!

Senator Coburn Amendment Would Consolidate Several International Education Programs

The Senate is currently considering a joint resolution (H.J.Res. 45) to increase the statutory limit on the public debt. Senator Coburn has offered an amendment to the bill that would require the consolidation of many government programs, including several international education programs. On Senator Coburn's list of duplicative international education programs that need to be consolidated are: the Department of Education's Title VI Programs and Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Program; the Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program; the Defense Department's National Security Education Program; and the Office International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation. This amendment is scheduled to be debated this week.

Clearly, the reduction or elimination of these programs would have a negative impact on many students and campuses in the U.S. Please call your Senator to ask that they vote NO to this amendment, which among other things, would have a negative impact on the global education of American students. Sample talking points can be found on the Take Action Center.

While we don't know what chance this amendment has for passing, we don't want to miss this great opportunity to educate your members of Congress about the importance of international education. Please call your Senators today!

Video of the Week - Testimonial from Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program Alumna

Testimonial from Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program alumna Musleehat Hamadu from Howard University about her experience in Ghana and advice for future applicants for the Gilman Scholarship.



You can watch more videos about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program on their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/gilmanscholarship

Cruise Ship Arrives at Haitian Private Resort Labadee a week after Earthquake

Yesterday I came upon an article in the Guardian entitled “Cruise ships still find a Haitian berth” which describes the 4,370 passenger ship Independence of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean International, docking at the private resort of Labadee in Haiti. Labadee is approximately 60 miles from the devastated city of Port-au-Prince.

Royal Caribbean International plans to provide $1 million towards the humanitarian relief efforts in Port-au-Prince. Part of Royal Caribbean International’s statement on the situation in Haiti states the following “in addition to continuing our visitation to Haiti, and the revenue it brings to the country, 100% of the company’s net revenue from the destination will be contributed to the relief effort. Guests will also have the ability to make donations to the Food for the Poor’s Haiti Relief Fund through their onboard accounts fleetwide.

You can link to the Guardian article here and you can link to the Royal Caribbean International webpage describing their efforts in support of Haiti here.

I’m curious what IHEC Blog readers think about this?

Photo credit (top photo): LWY

Photo credit (middle photo): United Nations Development Programme

Photo credit (bottom photo): Nick Hobgood

Winner Named in Student Diplomat Video Contest

Study Abroad Experience Inspires a Recent Graduate to Help Local Youth Think Globally



WASHINGTON, January 20, 2010 – NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Abroad View Foundation are pleased to announce Nicole Barrasse, a recent graduate of Keystone College in Pennsylvania, as the winner of the 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest. During the fall semester, NAFSA and Abroad View watched as students from across the country showed us how their educational experiences abroad shaped them as global citizens, served as bridges to cross-cultural understanding, promoted peace, or positively impacted the local communities in which they studied. After reviewing dozens of entries and narrowing those down to five finalists, we asked the public to vote. More than 1,300 votes were cast and combined with the votes from an expert panel of judges to select the 2009 Student Diplomat.

Nicole’s video tells an inspiring story of cultural understanding and global connections as she gives us a glimpse into her study abroad experience in the small agricultural village of Ladakh, India. Nicole stayed with a host family in the village and spent her days farming and learning the local language and culture. The cultural understanding that Nicole developed through this experience not only allowed her to learn about the Ladakhi people, but also to communicate to them how much she appreciated their culture and way of life.

Nicole came away from this experience not only knowing much more about sustainable farming and the Ladakhi culture, but also understanding what it means to be a citizen of the world. “Ladakh has not only taught me life lessons, but also what it truly means to be connected to the world around you,” she says in her video.

Nicole is now home in Pennsylvania and plans to start a local effort to inspire youth in her community to think more globally.

The Student Diplomat Video Contest was open to undergraduate students who studied abroad during the fall semester or had recently returned from a study abroad experience. Entrants were asked to focus their short videos on how their study abroad experience helped to advance global understanding. In addition to being named the 2009 Student Diplomat, Nicole will be awarded a cash prize of $300.

To read more about the 2009 Student Diplomat visit www.nafsa.org/studentdiplomat

Resources of Interest Found in the “Bury Book International Education Library & Archive”

For several years now I have been collecting literature and resources on international education for my various research, bibliography, writing and now blogging activities. I currently have over 4,000 electronic articles, books, reports, meeting minutes, notes related to international education in my collection and it’s growing daily. Additionally, I have a pretty decent hard copy collection of international education related literature in my home office (if I don’t say so myself!).

Last week I posted to IHEC Blog on “A Thought on the Problems I see with Researching Outcomes from Study Abroad” and I received some really good feedback via e-mail and my colleague Bryan McAllister-Grande, from Brandeis University and the NAFSA TLS Research & Scholarship network leader, forwarded that post to the Research & Scholarship network members and a brief discussion has started which is great! Many people were interested in the Stimpfl & Engberg articles and I offered to make a copies to send out. While I was searching for the two articles in my library (still looking but hope to find them soon) I came across many of the interesting and old (original hard copy) publications I have in my collection and I thought I would simply list a few of them here:[1]

“The Foreign Graduate Student: Priorities for Research and Action” (1971) by the College Entrance Examination Board, New York

“Educational Exchanges: Aspects of the American Experience, Report of a Conference Sponsored by the Committee on International Exchange of Persons of the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils” (1956) by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council
“A Guide to Institutional Self-Study and Evaluation of Educational Programs Abroad” (1965) by the Council on Student Travel
“Minutes of the September 16, 1980 Meeting of Research Committee of the IEELG” – IEELG was the International Educational Exchange Liaison Group of which NAFSA was a founding member and it appears to have been a policy/advocacy group

“Manual for Study Abroad Evaluations” (1995) by the Commission on Higher Education Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

“Study Abroad Programs: An Evaluation Guide” (1979) prepared by ANTFOSA, The Task Force on Study Abroad of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA)

“Guidelines on Developing Campus Services for Students Going Abroad” (1973) edited by Sandra W. Soule for the Student Advisory Committee of the Council on International Educational Exchange

“Recording the Performance of U.S. Undergraduates at British Institutions: Guidelines Toward Standardized Reporting for Study Abroad” (1988) edited by David Rex and Thomas Roberts for the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA)

“Study Abroad: Handbook for Advisers and Administrators, Guideline Series: 10” (1979) by the Field Service Program of the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs

“SECUSSA Sourcebook: A Guide for Advisors of U.S. Students Planning an Overseas Experience” (1975) by the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs

“Criteria for Good Study-Abroad Programs and In Budgets There is Power: Fiscal Concepts for International Education Administrators, NAFSA Working Paper #34” (1992) by Paula Spier for NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Finally, last week I received two boxes of NAFSA Region V conference/planning documents from late 1970's through the 1980's from a senior colleague in the international education field. What great archival donation! This person and I are now coordinating his donation of similar documents from his tenure on the NAFSA SECUSSA (Section on US Students Abroad) national team. This was the third such donation I have received in the last two years. If you would like to donate international education related items from your personal library I would love to hear from you! You can contact me at international.ed.consulting@gmail.com

What’s with the name “Bury Book International Education Library & Archive”? I’ve touched on this before on IHEC Blog’s Facebook page and hope to write more about this on IHEC Blog in the future.
Photo Credit: Marxchivist

Note on the photo: in the photo you will see Harper Memorial Library (the book cover ~ bottom center). What’s nice about this is that my office is located in the tower you see in the photo!
[1] Publications are not referenced in any formal style such as Chicago or APA but rather in David Comp blogging style. Publications are not listed in any particular order other than how they were placed on the stack.

The International Educator Circle Group

For this 500^th IHEC Blog post I would like to highlight an important new group in the field of international education called the International Educator Circle. I learned about this new group yesterday via a post to SECUSS-L by Tom Millington (founder of International Educator Circle). I originally planned to summarize what this new group was about but thought it would be best to simply copy and paste Tom’s original message below as I think it’s best to convey what this group is about in his own words:

Dear colleagues:

I am pleased to inform you of the formation of the *International Educator Circle*, a group whose purpose is to build and maintain connections between the field of international education and those of us who have been adversely affected by the recession. While the principal objective of this group is to provide a network of support, it will also provide opportunities for currently unemployed international educators to do the following:

*strategize on ways to remain relevant in the field

*develop approaches to participate in NAFSA and the Forum on Education Abroad conferences and maintain membership in these organizations

*explore ways to transition out of the field and communicate with potential partners

*advocate for more dialogue with NAFSA and the Forum on Education Abroad

The *International Educator Circle* can be found on Linkedin here and on Facebook here.

Please forward this message [link to this IHEC Blog post] to colleagues who have been laid off and are looking for ways to remain connected to the field. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at millingtont@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Tom Millington

[1] Posted to IHEC Blog with Tom’s permission with minor edits to transition from listserv to blog post.

Links of Interest for Week of January 8th to 14th

Related to the earthquake disaster in Haiti

The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy has developed & compiled an extensive list of resources & created a webpage for Haiti

Haiti Earthquake - Resources for International Educators (via @NAFSA)

Other links of interest

"U.S. and Cuba should work together to help Haiti"

Trends for Indian Education Sector in 2010 (via @DrEducationBlog)

North Korea proposes talks on resuming tourism projects (via @AlainaApples)

Harvard opens Chinese campus (via @ftbuseducation)

Visit www.bc.edu/cihe to find 2010 conferences focusing on issues in international higher education (via @BC_CIHE)

Dubai to revoke branch campus university licenses if not matching standards of home campuses (via @globalhighered)

NAFSA.news: China Seeks Return of Top Scholars, Scientists (via @NAFSA)

“Where Minds Meet: The "Professionalization" of Cross-Straight Academic Exchange” GIGA Working Paper

A 17 page bibliography entitled "United States of America: diplomatic relations" (2009)

Universities in Japan aiming to increase international student enrollment by offering courses in English (via @IIEglobal)

In India, a Student-Recruiting Industry Ups the Ante for U.S. Colleges (via @WESFans)

IHEC Blog was nominated by a reader for the 2010 bloggies http://2010.bloggies.com/

"Grooming youths to be global citizens"

"More communication, cultural exchanges in 2010" (Israel)

Photo credit: Shahram Sharif

Video of the Week - American Red Cross Update on the Situation in Haiti 24 Hours After Quake

Donate to the American Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/

Extensive Webpage Resource Devoted to Haiti

The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy has developed and compiled an extensive list of resources and created a webpage devoted to Haiti, opportunities to get involved and news/resources for individuals to educate themselves on the issue. You can access this resource at http://www.uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org/misc/haiti/

This map shows the predicted shake intensity from the Haitian quake of 2010. Prediction made by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Photo credit: simminch

International Students and Faculty in Haiti – Is Your Institution Prepared for a Crisis?

While reading today’s “Quick Takes” section on insidehighered.com I came across the following item entitled “U.S. Colleges Track Students, Faculty in Haiti” which mentions that the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Lynn University, Blue Ridge Community College, Taylor University and Maryville University all have students and/or faculty in Haiti. You can read this “Quick Take” here which provides links to some institutional news releases on the situation for their students and faculty. The institutions listed above are, of course, all from the United States and it is highly likely that students and faculty from non-U.S. institutions were also in Haiti when the earthquake struck.

The earthquake in Haiti is a reminder of just how fragile life is and that health and safety issues can arise without warning. Make health and safety planning a part of your best practices when working with your students and faculty who are headed abroad for study, research and work purposes.

An excellent resources in this area is the Safety Abroad First Educational Travel Information (SAFETI) Clearinghouse. You can access the SAFETI Clearinghouse, which was created and developed by the Center for Global Education which is now at Loyola Marymount University, at http://globaled.us/safeti/. The SAFETI Clearinghouse is jsut one resources that international educators can use in their health and safety preparations and I will post more to IHEC Blog on valuable health and safety resources and best practices in the future.

CNN.com has put together an excellent resource on how you can help the Haitian people during this crisis and you can access it at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/.

Photo credit: UNDP Global

How you can help Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake

It should not be news to anyone that Haiti is in crisis. As with all humanitarian crises the best that one can do is to make a financial contribution. I searched the internet to find a listing of organizations that are helping with the relief effort in Haiti and I think CNN.com has created an excellent resource for you to donate. You can link to the CNN.com webpage dedicated to the Haiti crisis at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

Photo credit: r-z

International Education Blogs & News Looking for Blog Submissions

International Education Blogs & News (IEB&N) is seeking blog URL submissions from international education professionals and organizations who are blogging about issues related international and intercultural education to be added to the site.

IEB&N is also seeking blog URL submissions from students, faculty and other academics (Fulbright grantees for example) who are blogging from abroad about their experiences. IEB&N is seeking blog URLs from anyone in the world who is studying and/or researching in a foreign country. Interesting blogs, for example, could be from German academics in Japan, Japanese academics in the U.S. or U.S. academics in Germany.

Please visit IEB&N here to see which blogs are already feeding great content to the site!

Please e-mail blog URLs to David Comp, International Higher Education Consulting, at international.ed.consulting@gmail.com

Please note that David Comp reserves the full right not to include any blog submitted for consideration to IEB&N as well as the full right to remove any blog currently feeding content to IEB&N at any time.

The Global University: A Conference at UW-Madison

On February 5-6, 2010, Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin in Madison will host an international conference titled "The Global University: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives".

According to the website, this is “a two-day conference to be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on February 5 and 6, 2010. Following up on earlier meetings in China and the United Kingdom, this will be the third international conference of the "Ideas and Universities" project of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN).

The "Ideas and Universities" project brings together leading higher-education scholars from China, Australia, Canada, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss (a) the roles that universities have played—and continue to play—in the global knowledge economy, and (b) the evolving identity of university teacher-researchers and their changing roles in institutions of higher learning."

Best of all is that this conference is free (including some meals) but space is limited and you must pre-register. You can learn more about this conference here.

Photo credit: simonkoleznik

A Thought on the Problems I see with Researching Outcomes from Study Abroad

Many IHEC Blog readers and colleagues know that I am very interested in the scholarly side of the field of international education with particular research interests focusing on U.S. students studying abroad. While my research interests have been changing over the last several years I’m still very interested in the micro level outcomes that study abroad programs have on students. The following two articles published in International Education Forum (former journal of AIEA) in 1997 not only sparked my interest in the scholarly side of the field but put forth a framework that as guided my thinking since.

Stimpfl, Joseph R., and David Engberg. “What to Know Before You Go: Creating a Comparison for Research on Study Abroad Programs,” International Education Forum, 17 no. 1 (1997): 7-21.

Stimpfl, Joseph R. and David Engberg. "Comparing Apples to Apples: An Integrated Approach to Study Abroad Program Assessment," International Education Forum, 17 no. 2 (1997): 97-109.

In my opinion, it is a flawed research design to compare study abroad programs without calling attention to the difference between the programs. Study abroad programs share some characteristics but there are huge differences between programs. Can we really compare the student experiences on a six to twelve month homestay immersion program in China with courses taught in Chinese by local faculty/instructors to the student experiences of a three to six month program in Spain with courses taught in English by home institution faculty in our research/assessment activities?

There is not a clear set of categories that allow us to relate study abroad programs. Other research and work has been done in this area, most notably the work Lilli Engle and John Engle on study abroad levels and classification of program types, but nothing is currently being utilized in the field and research.

A question that comes to my mind when I read research studies on study abroad is:

- How do the factors that affect change relate across study abroad programs?

What are your thoughts on this?

Photo credit: Dano

Links of Interest for Week of January 1st to 7th

Lots of good international education and citizen diplomacy posts making their rounds on Twitter this first week of 2010. I look forward to continued posting to IHEC Blog in 2010 and wish everyone a productive new year!

Check out the EducationUSA Connections journal

New issue of International Higher Education (via @BC_CIHE)

The History of Faculty-led Study Abroad (via @wswilliamson)

My interview with DrEducation: Indian Education Blog

People to People is now sponsoring US Youth Soccer and bringing additional cultural opportunities to players (via @USYouthSoccer)

The most important way that Intl Ed can use Facebook on Manitou Heights

On Public Diplomacy: "One effective way to promote peace is to dispel misunderstanding, fear, and ignorance" (via @mountainrunner)

Open World's 2008 Annual Report (via @OWprogram)

Who are citizen diplomats? (via @ctzendiplomacy)

India issues travel advisory for Australia (via @globalhighered)

A World Awaits You - Volunteering Abroad with a Disability

Developing Social & Cultural Capital through Semesters Abroad (via @IDPDRIE)

Ministry to Revise Study Abroad Guidelines (Vietnam)

Photo Credit: axiepics

Video of the Week - Europe Hates Us

For this fifth installment of IHEC Blog’s “Video of the Week” I wanted to search for videos of American students partying abroad. There were many, many videos to select from. To be sure, studying abroad is fun! I went with the video “Europe Hates Us” which is a video compilation of a U.S. student’s time studying in Amsterdam.



Just something to think about as we work towards sending one million U.S. students abroad! Again, for the record, I fully support sending one million U.S. students abroad. I do worry, however, about the affect so many U.S. students abroad may have on U.S. public/citizen diplomacy efforts. Anyone have an idea on how to calculate the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of this?

Most Visited IHEC Blog Posts of 2009

For this IHEC Blog post I simply wanted to see what were the top ten most visited posts during 2009 and I thought I would share here. One thing for certain is that IHEC Blog readers enjoy their movies and television programs! Simply click on the title of the post below if you find the topic to be of interest and feel free to leave a comment.

1. List of Movies/Television Programs where the Characters go Abroad

2. YouTube Interview with researcher & co-author of “Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship Between Living Abroad and Creativity”

3. Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S.

4. The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410)

5. Social Learning Sites and Online Communities for Language Learners

6. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence

7. National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)

8. Is it Safe to Study Abroad in the United States?

9. Three Recent Reports with Data on Student Mobility

10. Quotes by U.S. Presidents on the Importance of International Exchanges and the Fulbright Program

Looking forward to producing another “Top Ten” list again next year summarizing posts in 2010.

The Results are in: The Biggest International Education News of the last Decade was…

...September 11th (increasing international focus of U.S. students, immigration, image of U.S.)

Back on December 16, 2009 I posted my first poll to IHEC Blog asking “What was the Biggest International Education News of the Decade?” The poll closed at 11:59 p.m. (CST) on December 31, 2009. In the end 65 votes were registered and I received a substantial number of messages via e-mail that were quite engaging and thought provoking. Here are the final results:

- Establishment of International Education Week - 5 votes (7%)

- September 11th (increasing international focus of U.S. students, immigration, image of U.S.) – 39 votes (60%)

- SEVIS – 13 votes (20%)

- Lincoln Commission/ Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act – 8 votes (12%)

Perhaps these weren’t the best news items to list or additional ones could have been added such as the Amanda Knox case and conviction or the increased focus in the U.S. (and globally) on internationalizing the campus. Are there others? If IHEC Blog is still around in December 2019 and my memory holds I will post a similar post for this new decade…

I want to thank everyone for taking a moment to vote in the poll and to those who contacted me via e-mail as I truly appreciate all of your comments.

Photo credit: NJScott

Cross-Cultural Twitter Interview with Cindy King

Tomorrow (Wednesday, January 6, 2010) at 10:00 a.m. (CST) I will be interviewed by Cindy King via Twitter. This will actually be a two part interview with Cindy. The first part of the interview consists of a Blog interview which you can access on Cindy’s website at http://cindyking.biz/resources/cross-cultural-twitter-interviews/. The second part of the interview consists of a Twitter interview consisting of ten cross-cultural & international questions. Those of you on Twitter can follow Cindy at @CindyKing and me at @DavidComp and the interview via the #ckinterview hashtag.

I really like Cindy’s cross-cultural interviews and recommend them to IHEC Blog readers. Needless to say that I was very happy that Cindy asked to interview me!

Cast Your Vote in the 2009 Student Diplomat Video Contest Today!

Voting in the first-ever Student Diplomat Video Contest (hosted by NAFSA and Abroad View magazine) opened on January 4th and closes on January 15th. When you have a few free minutes watch the five finalist videos and select your favorite.

Participants were asked to consider “how their study abroad experience has shaped them as global citizens, served as a bridge to cross-cultural understanding, promoted peace, or positively impacted the local community in which they studied.”[1] You can access the competition site and vote here.

The winner selected by voters and an “expert” (my emphasis) panel of judges will be announced on Monday, January 18 and will receive a $300 cash prize and the title “2009 Student Diplomat.”

Good luck to all finalists!

[1] http://blog.nafsa.org/

Two Brief Notes of Sadness on Matters Related to International Education

On this first work day of the new year my inbox has filled with Google Alerts linking to articles on two important issues related to international education. In case you are busy and haven’t been able to follow the news:

1. Sad news out of Australia is that a twenty-one year old student from India was stabbed and killed in a park over the weekend while walking to work in Melbourne. You can read more about the incident and the ripple effects here. Violence against Indian students in Australia was a very hot topic in 2009 in both India and Australia. On July 15th I asked on IHEC Blog “has the recent violence against Indian students in Australia had an effect on Indian American students’ decision to study abroad in Australia?” which you can read here.

2. The aftermath of the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a Delta Airlines flight to Detroit has set in motion new and intense screening procedures at airports worldwide for citizens from 14 nations. Citizens from the four “state sponsors of terrorism” and nine “countries of interest” will now be required to “undergo full-body pat downs and will face extra scrutiny of their carry-on bags before they can board planes to the United States. In some countries that have more advanced screening equipment, travelers will also be required to pass through so-called whole-body scanners that can look beneath clothing for hidden explosives or weapons, or may be checked with a device that can find tiny traces of explosives.”[1] You can read more about these new security measures here.

These two issues will no doubt effect international education exchange in Australia, India and the United States.

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/us/04webtsa.html

The Top International Education Focused States in the United States

For this first IHEC Blog post of 2010 I thought I would share some metrics. I hope to be able to provide other interesting IHEC Blog metrics in the days and weeks ahead. I’m very pleased with the response I have received about IHEC Blog and the feedback and consulting inquiries make this unpaid venture worthwhile.

2009 was a good year at IHEC Blog and I saw dramatic increases in many areas that Google Analytics collects data on. Specifically, 2009 saw increases of 1,121% in the total number of visits, 1,052% in the total number of unique visitors and 1,212% in the total number of page views over 2008. Perhaps these aren’t the most important metrics to focus on but they are of interest to me.

One metric I’ve been paying special attention to over the last few months is the number of visits IHEC Blog receives from the various states across the United States. 65.15% of the total visits to IHEC Blog in 2009 came from the United States (the leading country for visits). Now that we are in a new year I thought I would pull from Google Analytics the following list of states (and Washington, D.C.) ranked by the number of visits to IHEC Blog. However, I’m listing the states in order of percentage of visits rather than the number of visits. Does this list truly represent the top international education focused states in the United States? I can tell from Google Analytics that people arrive to IHEC Blog based on a variety of international education related search terms. Has a rigorous scientific research method been applied to reach these findings? Certainly not! I just think they are interesting and thought I would share.

1. Illinois 13.12%
2. New York 8.68%
3. California 8.47%
4. District of Columbia 5.61%
5. Massachusetts 4.68%
6. Texas 4.34%
7. Virginia 4.26%
8. Minnesota 4.14%
9. Pennsylvania 3.93%
10. Wisconsin 3.50%
11. Florida 3.00%
12. Colorado 2.87%
13. Ohio 2.56%
14. New Jersey 2.39%
15. Iowa 2.22%
16. Michigan 2.03%
17. Maryland 2.02%
18. Georgia 1.99%
19. North Carolina 1.88%
20. Washington 1.53%
21. Oregon 1.38%
22. Indiana 1.35%
23. Connecticut 1.32%
24. Arizona 1.31%
25. Missouri 1.20%
26. Kansas 1.14%
27. Tennessee 0.73%
28. South Carolina 0.67%
29. Louisiana 0.52%
30. Maine 0.51%
31. Arkansas 0.50%
32. Vermont 0.49%
33. Alabama 0.49%
34. Utah 0.46%
35. Kentucky 0.45%
36. Rhode Island 0.43%
37. Nebraska 0.41%
38. New Hampshire 0.40%
39. Hawaii 0.35%
40. Oklahoma 0.34%
41. Nevada 0.34%
42. Mississippi 0.25%
43. New Mexico 0.21%
44. West Virginia 0.19%
45. Idaho 0.19%
46. Delaware 0.18%
47. South Dakota 0.15%
48. North Dakota 0.10%
59. Alaska 0.10%
50. Montana 0.07%
51. Wyoming 0.05%


What are your thoughts on this?

Notes:

1. To be sure, there are many limitations to these findings. According to the 2000 U.S. Census (http://bit.ly/68MLgh), for example, the top states ranked by population (in 2000) are California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois and these five states are all ranked in the top 11 states for visits to IHEC Blog. State population is just one of many variables to be considered when interpreting these "results."

2. I believe I successfully filtered out all of my visits to IHEC Blog as I tend to check out every post to make sure everything looks correct. However, I’m not 100% positive that I was able to correctly filter out my visits so I calculated the total number of visits from Illinois minus the 282 IHEC Blog posts for 2009 (estimated number of visits I made to the blog). Based on this calculation, Illinois still is the leading state and leads New York by 245 visits.

Links of Interest for Weeks of December 18th – 31st

Last week I was unable to post my customary “Links of Interest” post to IHEC Blog due to me and my youngest child being sick and the fact that it was Christmas. For this post of 2010 I pulled some links from Twitter (most of the links below are items I posted to Twitter) from the past two weeks. I hope you find some of the links to be of interest and/or helpful to your research or work.

My lazy American students

Facebook usage statistics by country - Dec 31st 2009 (via @EdUSAtips)

Have you checked out WES on Facebook yet? (via @WESFans)

“U.S. Public Diplomacy: Background and Current Issues”. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress (prepared for Members and Committees of Congress) by Nakamura & Weed (December 18, 2009)

"A Real World Education: Travelling Abroad with the Kids for a Year"

"Russia’s Muslims No Longer Need to Study Abroad, Medvedev Aide Says"

You can access the document library of the National Council for International Visitors

Institute of International Education’s Research Papers

@FirstTeacher (on Twitter) is doing some research on U.S. faculty who teach abroad. How does it change faculty views on teaching? If you are a U.S. faculty member who has taught overseas she wants to talk to you! If you are on Twitter please send her a direct message at @FirstTeacher or I can put you in touch with her.

Exchanges budget breakdown for FY 2010 (via the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange “Policy Monitor”)

Seattle-based study-abroad program shuts down

USC offers America 101 for foreign students

There are now 136 international education related channel subscriptions on IHEC Blog's YouTube channel

“Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won (Part II)" guest post by Yale Richmond on WhirldView

IHEC Blog is listed as 100 Best Education Blogs by Certification Map



Photo credit: yeowatzup

Video of the Week – Secretary Clinton’s Remarks at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for SA-5

For this video of the week I selected Secretary of State Hilary Clinton speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony for SA-5 [State Annex 5] which is the new home of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. During her remarks, Secretary Clinton touched on international educational exchanges by saying "I’m very pleased that there seems to be a terrific sense of teamwork. We’re moving forward with our tried and true exchange programs and cultural initiatives, and we’re building new vehicles for public diplomacy. So it is – it’s exciting and it’s really gratifying for me, by the end of this year, to see all the progress that we are making together."



You can also read Secretary Clinton’s remarks here.