Friday, October 29, 2010

International Exchange Locator 2011 Edition: A Resource Directory for Educational and Cultural Exchange

A comprehensive directory of nongovernmental organizations, federal agencies, and Congressional committees engaged in international exchange.

If you have global ambitions, the International Exchange Locator is your ideal resource. Whether you’re looking to participate in an international exchange program (academic, professional, volunteer, or otherwise), searching for an internationally focused job, expanding your international organizational partnerships, or navigating the world of U.S. Congressional and federal exchange activity, the Locator’s got you covered. 

Resources listed in the Locator include:

•Profiles and contact information for hundreds of U.S.-based and international organizations engaged in international exchange programs and services;

•A broad-ranging list of exchange programs offered throughout 30+ U.S. federal agencies, departments, and bureaus;

•Contact information for 50+ Fulbright Binational Educational Foundations and Commissions around the world;

•Bureaucratic structure and contact information for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, other State Department branches, the U.S. Administration for International Development (USAID), and U.S. Department of Homeland Security offices involved in the administration of international exchange programs;

•Listing of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate committees with oversight over exchange programs, and a breakdown of the specific subcommittees with jurisdiction over exchange programs.

Order your copy of the Locator today at 

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Republican Senate Candidate Pat Toomey [PA] Proposes Budget Cuts to and Consolidation of Federal International Education Programs During Two National Television Interviews

Update November 3, 2010:  Pat Toomey has been elected as the next Senator from the great state of Pennsylvania.


I just learned (via Twitter) the Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey proposed budget cuts to Federal international education programs as a way to offset some of the cost of the tax cuts he proposes.


On Sunday, October 24th while speaking with Christopher Wallace of Fox News (video below ~ focus on cutting international education programs starts at the 7:17 minute mark), Mr. Toomey stated the following: "You know, we found 75 different programs between the Department of Education and the Department of State that all subsidize one form or another of overseas student travel and student education. That's the kind of waste and duplication that we can rein in."


Update April 14, 2011:  Fox video no longer available but transcript of the interview is available at http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday/transcript/pat-toomey-and-joe-manchin-039fox-news-sunday039


Update July 26, 2011:  Looks like the video is back.


The day after the Fox News interview, Mr. Toomey was interviewed by Larry Kudlow on CNBC (video below ~ focus on cutting international education programs starts at the 0:26 minute mark) and he [Mr. Toomey] again focused on cutting/consolidating the 75 different international education programs of the Departments of State and Education and stated: "Well, I’d bring an end to bailouts. I would rescind the unspent portion of the stimulus. I would prohibit earmarks…I’d also like to consolidate programs. You know, we discovered 75 different programs between the Departments of State and Education that all subsidize overseas travel for students, in one way or another. It’s ridiculous! We don’t need 75 such programs."



To be sure, Mr. Toomey's views on Federal international education programs is not new.  What is new is that a major candidate for the United States Senate has specifically mentioned cutting/consolidating international education programs during two separate interviews on major television outlets only days before the election.

Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market: An Annotated Bibliography

On Wednesday I followed the live Innovators in Internationalization chat hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education on the topic "How to Connect Study Abroad with Careers and Jobs" and it got me thinking that I really need to update an annotated bibliography I compiled on the subject entitled "Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market" which I have embedded below.  Please note that this bibliography is in need of a serious update and that is slowly in the works but I thought I would post what I have compiled to date. I also enjoyed following/participating in the live Twitter back channel conversations during the live Innovators in Internationalization chat ~ I think a #hashtag is necessary!
Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market-An Annotated Bibliography by Comp, 2008

If you have written an article or conducted research on this topic please leave a citation with abstract below in the comment area so it can be included in the next update or if you want to send me an electronic copy of your work I will be able to add the citation and abstract to the bibliography as well as include your work in my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive.  You can also access many more of my annotated bibliographies related to international education (primary focus on U.S. students going abroad) on my International Higher Education Consulting website.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New Book - Faculty-led 360: Guide to Successful Study Abroad

I'm posting to IHEC Blog today about a new book that I think many readers will find of interest.  Faculty-led 360: Guide to Successful Study Abroad  by Melanie McCallon and Bill Holmes is the newest publication by Agapy, LLC who also published Study Abroad 101 by Wendy Williamson.


Faculty-led 360: Guide to Successful Study Abroad will be a useful guide to any faculty member leading students abroad.  Following is the table of contents: 



Chapter 1: Why Should I Do This?
Chapter 2: From Concept to Reality
Chapter 3: Faculty Responsibilities
Chapter 4: Student-Faculty Relationship
Chapter 5: Student Learning Abroad
Chapter 6: The Study Abroad Office
Chapter 7: Crisis Management

Learn more about Faculty-led 360 to see if it is right for you and your faculty at http://www.facultyled.com/faculty-led-360-excerpt2.


You should also check out the other Agapy LLC projects including facultyled.com (Faculty Study Abroad and International Education) and AbroadScout.com (Study Abroad Blog and Programs Directory with Student Reviews).  Additionally, you can follow along on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AbroadScout

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

An Online Public Hearing on the Future of Utah Higher Education

The Online Public Hearing on the Future of Utah Higher Education at http://www.higheredutah2020.org/ is a very interesting and innovative project.  According to the Commissioner of Higher Education in Utah [appointed by the Board of Regents as the Chief Executive Officer of the Utah System of Higher Education] on the website:

“The Governor has asked the Utah State Board of Regents and my office to develop a master plan for higher education to meet the goal of having our workforce ready for the new economy.”

I have no stake in Utah higher education but I couldn’t resist searching the site and documents for mention of international education and I found absolutely nothing. 

From what I can tell, Utah has not issued an International Education Resolution.  According to a data table on the NAFSA website (here), during the 2006/2007 academic year, 2,845 students in Utah studied abroad out of a total higher education enrollment of 202,151 equating to 1.41% study abroad participation rate for that period.  Data over on the Open Doors website shows that the total number of study abroad students from Utah dropped from 2,845 in 2006/2007 to 2,597 in 2007/2008 equating to a -8.7% change in study abroad participation between those two years.  We are just a few weeks away from knowing what the study abroad numbers for 2008/2009 will reveal.

Did I miss something or is Utah missing the boat?  

Monday, October 25, 2010

The Middle, episode: “Foreign Exchange” (s02e05)

The following guest post on IHEC Blog is by Sarah McNitt from the Office of International Education at Miami University Ohio.  In this post, Sarah reviews the most recent episode of the ABC television [U.S.] comedy The Middle entitled “Foreign Exchange". The Following video is a snippet from the episode:



Mother Frankie Heck is frustrated by her family’s constant fighting over chores and family duties.  She is told by a neighbor at church that hosting a foreign exchange student is a rewarding experience and that “being immersed with someone from another culture gives them this global experience and makes them more tolerant and mature”.  This (especially the parts about being tolerant and mature) appeals to Frankie, who hopes that hosting an exchange student will “fix” her family or at least inspire them to be on their best behavior during the time their guest is there.  Takayuki, their Japanese exchange student arrives and the family introduces him into their everyday routine: eating fast food and watching reality television.  The different members of the family take different approaches to Takayuki during his visit:

·     - Axl, the oldest son, takes Takayuki to high school with him and tries to use Takayuki to meet girls

·     - Brick, the youngest son, studies up on Japan and repeats the trivia facts he’s gleaned back to Takayuki, who is not impressed.  Brick also tries and fails to bond with Takayuki over anime and manga.  Brick says of the exchange student: “He’s like a cat.  You show him affection and he doesn’t return it.”

·     - Sue, the middle child, learns from Brick that karaoke is the “national pastime” in Japan and sings karaoke to an unresponsive Takayuki for three hours.

·    -  Mike, the father, lectures Takayuki about the basics of US government and takes him fishing.  Takayuki does not appear to be impressed.

·    -  Frankie wants the family to be on their best behavior and make a good impression and ends up paying two of the children not to fight in front of Takayuki.  Frankie wants the family to be “ambassadors” who will make a good impression on their exchange student, who will tell people back home about how much he likes Indiana, “and pretty soon, America’s popular again.”

All in all, Takayuki is mostly expressionless and unresponsive to the Hecks.  While some of the Hecks’ approaches to their exchange student could be interpreted as exploitative or ignorant, Takayuki also seems to have little interest in learning about the Hecks or America or sharing his home culture with them.

Frankie meets her neighbor’s outgoing and enthusiastic exchange student Esteban, and hears about the fun another family has been having with their Japanese student.  She comes to agree with the rest of the family that their exchange student is a “dud”.  “I wanted a cultural exchange,” she complains, “And instead I get another sullen teen.  I mean, what’s with his parents sending him over here?  I would never saddle some poor Japanese family with Axl.”

Minutes later, however, she reverses this stance and decides that it’s the Hecks, as hosts, who are the “duds”.  Her neighbor reveals that Esteban was quite shy when he arrived and that his host family brought him out of his shell by sharing the “hot spots” of Orson, taking him on trips and introducing him to exciting American foods like kettle corn.  “They didn’t fly halfway around the world just to sit in front of a TV,” points out the neighbor. 

Frankie confronts her family.  “All we’ve done is work, eat dinner and sit and watch ‘The Bachelor’.  No wonder he’s sullen.  We haven’t done anything fun with him.”  “In our defense,” counters her husband, “We don’t do anything fun with our own kids.”

So the Hecks pile into the car to take Takayuki to see “Americana” at a place where he can visit an old-timey pioneer village.  When their car breaks down, however, the family breaks down and they “stop being polite and start getting real” (as The Real World would say).  It comes to light that the kids are still fighting, that Frankie has been paying them to behave, and that they are not the perfect family that Frankie has been trying to portray them as.  “This is an American family,” she says, “We yell and fight, we eat bad food, we watch too much TV and we bribe our kids.”

At this point, Takayuki, who has said very little throughout the episode, reveals that he can fix the family car.  He takes it upon himself to fix several other things around the house and may actually have enjoyed his time in Indiana.  At the end of the episode, we see Takayuki return to his family in Japan, where it is revealed that he may have had more in common with the Heck family than he let on[1], as he sits on his family’s couch in only his underwear (like Axl does), whines like the average teenager (Axl and Sue) and even whispers things to himself under his breath (Brick’s signature quirk).  It appears that Frankie was right when she suggested that his family was “saddling” the Hecks with another sullen teenager, and it also suggests that teenagers are the same, all around the world. 

A few additional notes:

·     - Brick is under the impression that, because they are popular in Japan and have crossed-over to the US, all Japanese will like manga, anime and karaoke.  These are the kinds of cultural assumptions that are common in real life and in these movies/TV shows about intercultural interaction.  Takayuki does not like any of these things (but on the other hand, he doesn’t seem to like much of anything).
·        
-     - “I don’t know if you’re a hugger, but you’re getting one!”  Multiple times in the episode, Frankie expresses this sentiment.  Hugging seems like such a quintessentially American greeting/show of affection, which some people come to love about America and some people (including Americans) are distinctly uncomfortable with.
·         
      - The exchange seems to have lasted about two weeks.  I don’t know of any exchange programs that work on such a short basis, but short exchanges like these seem quite common in US movies and TV, where these exchange students will either appear in one episode or be permanent recurring characters.  On the other end of the spectrum, you have That 70’s Show’s foreign exchange student Fes, who appears to never leave.  What kind of visa is that kid on, anyway?

Have you seen the episode?  If not, You can watch the entire episode here. What are your thoughts?



[1] I think (I hope) we’re supposed to assume that he was like them all along, and not that he took away the worst/strangest parts of the Hecks’
personalities and adapted them to his life in Japan.

Related IHEC Blog posts:




Friday, October 22, 2010

Study Abroad Gets an Image Makeover – A Chronicle of Higher Education Innovators in Internationalization Online Chat

Building on an October 17th Chronicle of Higher Education article entitled “Study Abroad's New Focus Is Job Skills”, Cheryl Matherly from the University of Tulsa and Martin Tillman, a higher education consultant, will participate in and lead an online discussion (part of the Chronicle’s Innovators in Internationalization chats)  on helping students translate their international educational work experiences into productive conversations with employers. 

If you are free this coming Wednesday, October 27th at 12:00pm (EST) learn more and consider joining the discussion at http://chronicle.com/article/Live-Chat-Innovators-
in/125007/.

Some time ago I compiled an annotated bibliography entitled Education Abroad and Its Value in the Job Market” (due for an update) which you can access on my International Higher Education Consulting site at http://davidcomp.wordpress.com/research-projects/ (scroll down a bit to the “Annotated Bibliographies” section).

Photo credit:  deanmeyersnet

Thursday, October 21, 2010

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Seventh Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)Continuing with my history theme...This IHEC Blog post, however, really has nothing to do with international education other I will be following this style guide for my dissertation which will be on an international education topic.  This IHEC Blog post has more to do with The University of Chicago where I work and the historical influence this institution has had in academia.  It is truly an amazing place to work and it makes you be at the top of your game everyday.  

For this post, I'm writing some information about a style guide that I have to follow for formatting my dissertation.  I had always heard about Turabian Style but never knew anything about it or its history so I thought I would copy and paste some interesting (at least to me) information and history from Wikipedia (with links to The University of Chicago Press) about Kate L. Tirabian and her style guide. "A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations" by Kate L. Turabian is a style guide for writing and formatting research papers. Except for a few minor differences, Turabian style is the same as The Chicago Manual of Style. However, while The Chicago Manual of Style focuses on providing guidelines for publishing in general, Turabian's Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations focuses on providing guidelines for student papers, theses and dissertations. The most recent version of Turabian (7th ed.) enables use of footnotes and/or endnotes in combination with parenthetical referencing. Turabian was the graduate school dissertation secretary at The University of Chicago from 1930 to 1958. The school required her approval for every master's thesis and doctoral dissertation.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Task Force on Standardized Reporting on U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad Students at British Universities

The following is a brief historical note from the Bury Book International Education Library & Archive:

This Task Force, appointed in 1984, consisted of members from the Admission Section (ADSEC) and the Section on U.S. Students Abroad (SECUSSA) of NAFSA and members from the British Universities Transatlantic Exchange Committee (BUTEC).  Despite previous collaboration between NAFSA and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) on the ANTFOSA Evaluation Guide in 1977, AACRAO was not a part of this project.  The Committee on Study Abroad by United States Students (SAUSS) of AACRAO did, however, endorse the Guidelines Toward Standardized Reporting for Study Abroad established by this inter-organizational Task Force.  (Rex & Roberts, 1988)

Rex, D., & Roberts, T. (Eds.).  (1988).  Recording the Performance of U.S. Undergraduates at British Institutions: Guidelines Toward Standardized Reporting for Study AbroadWashington, D.C.:  National Association for Foreign Student Affairs.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Consultative Service on United States Undergraduate Study Abroad

Frequent IHEC Blog readers know that I am very interested in the history of international education and in particular here in the United States.  The following is a snippet from my research notes on the history of outcomes assessment, program evaluation and standards of good practice in study abroad that I thought I would share here on IHEC Blog:


The Consultative Service on United States Undergraduate Study Abroad was a coordinating venture of the Association of American Colleges, the Council on Student Travel, the Experiment in International Living, and the Institute of International Education.  It was formed in the spring of 1963 with a grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.   Its objectives were:  (1) to secure full and precise information on international education, (2) to coordinate the rapidly proliferating ventures of United States educational institutions for undergraduate study abroad, (3) to ease communication and cooperation between institutions, and (4) to establish the basis for determining standards which will evaluate undergraduate study abroad programs.


Institute of International Education:  Undergraduate Study Abroad, Report of the Consulate Service on U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad (New York:  The Institute, 1964).

Speakman, C.E.  (1966).  International Exchange in EducationNew York:  Center for Applied Research in Education.  pp. 71-72

Monday, October 18, 2010

David Comp on his International Higher Education Consulting new media presence

The following is a video of me discussing my International Higher Education Consulting new media presence that I had recorded for Weidong Zhang's (@ahjim on Twitter) presentation for the ESL/International Students Advising group at the recent NACADA annual conference.  The video was shot in one take with no script so I hope it met the needs of the session.  Now that the conference is done I thought I would embed it here on IHEC Blog in case others may find it of interest.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

The problem of scarce clean water

Nearly 1 billion people lack access to clean water, which causes a litany of struggles, diseases and even death.

40 Billion Hours: African women walk over 40 billion hours each year carrying cisterns weighing up to 18 kilograms to gather water, which is usually still not safe to drink. More Info »
38,000 Children a Week: Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions.

Wars Over Water: Many scholars attribute the conflict in Darfur at least in part to lack of access to water. A report commissioned by the UN found that in the 21st century, water scarcity will become one of the leading causes of conflict in Africa.

A Human Right: In July, to address the water crisis, the United Nations declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right over. But we are far from implementing solutions to secure basic access to safe drinking water.

Water over-consumption in industrialized countries:

While the developing world faces a water crisis, those in industrialized countries consume far more than their fair share.

Food Footprint: It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger. That means it would take over 19.9 billion liters of water to make just one hamburger for every person in Europe.

Technology Footprint: The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that's 40 million liters to charge those alone.

Fashion Footprint: That cotton t-shirt you're wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters.

Bottled Water Footprint: The US, Mexico and China lead the world in bottled water consumption, with people in the US drinking an average of 200 bottles of water per person each year. Over 17 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture those water bottles, 86 percent of which will never be recycled.

Water and the environment:

The disregard for water resources in industrialized countries impacts more than humans – it causes environmental devastation.

Waste Overflow: Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water sources. This not only negatively impacts the environment but also harms the health of surrounding communities.

Polluted Oceans: Death and disease caused by polluted coastal waters costs the global economy $12.8 billion a year.

Uninhabitable Rivers: Today, 40% of America's rivers and 46% of America's lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

Water solutions:

The good news is that there are great organizations working on solutions and new tools that empower people to do their part to address the water crisis.

Building Wells: Organizations like Water.org and charity: water are leading the charge in bringing fresh water to communities in the developing world.

Technology for Good: Do you want to measure how much water it took to make your favorite foods? There's an app for that.

Conservation Starts at Home: The average person uses 465 liters of water per day. Find out how much you use and challenge your readers to do that same.

Keeping Rivers Clean: We can all take small steps to help keep pollution out of our rivers and streams, like correctly disposing of household wastes.

Drop the Bottle: Communities around the world are taking steps to reduce water bottle waste by eliminating bottled water. 

Citation:  Copy and paste from e-mail received from Maria & the Blog Action Day team over at change.org

Photo credit:  qwrrty

Thursday, October 14, 2010

International Education and Blog Action Day 2010 and Water

IHEC Blog will participate in Blog Action Day 2010 (as I did last year).  As of this post, 3,925 blogs from 129 countries are registered to participate in this global event which takes place tomorrow October 15, 2010 (same date every year).  


The focus of Blog Action Day 2010 is Water.  If you or your organization publishes a blog will you be participating tomorrow?  It would be great for all of the international education related blogs out in the blogosphere to participate and post (or do multiple posts) something tomorrow about Water.


You can learn more about Blog Action Day 2010 at http://blogactionday.change.org/.  We as international educators should also make our voices heard on this issue.  Also, be sure to register your blog on the Blog Action Day 2010 website if you are participating!


Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

There are now 214 books + IHEC Blog Kindle Edition [U.S.] in IHEC Blog's Bookstore

Over time I have been slowly growing IHEC Blog's International Education Bookstore on Amazon.com.  There are now 214 publications related to international education in the bookstore as well as the Kindle Edition [U.S.] of IHEC Blog (all proceeds to be donated to UNICEF) available for purchase.  

As always, if you have a new book related to international education that you would like for me to review here on IHEC Blog and/or would like for it to be added to the bookstore please feel free to contract me at international.ed.consulting@gmail.com.  IHEC Blog's International Education Bookstore is not to be confused with my Bury Book International Education Library and Archive.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What Would Make a Great Smartphone App for Study Abroad?

I was thinking the other day about smart phone applications and the international educational experience.  Specifically, I wonder what features would be essential for a "study abroad" smart phone app?  There are certainly enough individual apps (most free) that make travel, living and studying easier.  What, in your opinion, would make a great study abroad app?


Some time ago, Abroad 101 put together a Top 10 iPhone Apps for the Student Abroad list and Study Abroad Blog - GIC Argentina put together a 15 iPad Apps for the Study Abroad Student list Additionally, the internationalstudent.com blog is available as an iPhone app and that is how I access this blog (get it here).


Photo credit:  http://davidcomp.wordpress.com/

Monday, October 11, 2010

U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy - Will You Be There?

Over the weekend I registered for the upcoming U.S. Summit Global Citizen Diplomacy.  The early bird registration deadline for the Summit is October 15th.  


The Summit is scheduled to be held November 16-19, 2010 in Washington, D.C.  The goal of the Summit and ten year Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy is to double the number of American volunteers of all ages involved in international activities at home of abroad, from an estimated 60 million today to 120 million by 2020.  Summit Co-Chairs are David H. Roe, Ph.D., Chair of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and Judith McHale, U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs.




A partial list of speakers follows:


PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA (Invited); AMR BADR Managing Director, Egypt & Middle East, Abercrombie & Kent; KATHRYN C. BROWN Sr.VP, Public Policy Development & Corporate Responsibility, Verizon; VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH BIDEN (Invited); JON CLIFTON Deputy Director, Gallup of the Gallup World Poll; THE HONORABLE HILLARY R. CLINTON U.S. Secretary of State (TBC); MARTIN DAVIDSON CMG Chief Executive, British Council, Joined by leaders from China, France, Japan, Poland and Turkey; NANCY DORN Vice President, Corporate Government Relations, General Electric; MARY JEAN EISENHOWER President & CEO, People to People International; MARY FLORES Former First Lady, Honduras; HARRIET M. FULBRIGHT President, J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center; THE HONORABLE JAMES LEACH Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities; STAN LITOW President & VP Corporate Citizenship, IBM Foundation; JUDITH MCHALE U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs; THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA Vice Chairman, Hill & Knowlton; CAROLINE ROAN VP Corporate Philanthropy, Pfizer Inc. President, Pfizer Foundation; INGRED SAUNDERS JONES Senior VP, Global Community Connections, The Coca-Cola Company | Chairperson, The Coca-Cola Foundation; BARBARA STARR Pentagon Correspondent, CNN | Emmy Award Winning Producer; ANN STOCK Assistant Secretary of State, Educational & Cultural Affairs; THE HONORABLE THOMAS VILSACK U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (TBC); AARON S. WILLIAMS Director, Peace Corps; and, DOUGLAS B. WILSON Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.


You can learn more about the Summit on the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy website for the If you can't attend you can follow along on Twitter via the #citizendiplomacy hashtag or via a Twitter feed for the Summit here on IHEC Blog.