Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The 2012 AIEA Annual Conference focuses on "Building A Secure World Through International Education"


Catering to senior international officers from around the world, the 2012 Annual Conference of the Association of International Education Administrators (A.I.E.A.) focuses on “Building a Secure World through International Education.”

Taking place February 19-22 at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, D.C., the conference features speakers Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core; Botswana-based Justice Unity Dow, lawyer, activist and writer; and Abiodun Williams, Vice President of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention at the United States Institute for Peace.

On February 18, AIEA collaborates with the American Council on Education (A.C.E.) for an all-day meeting on “The Collaborative Advantage: Exploring the Next Horizon in Global Engagement.”

Pre-conference workshops, including collaborations with the American Council on Education (A.C.E.), the American Association of Colleges and Universities (A.A.C.&U.), the European Association for International Education (E.A.I.E.), and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (N.A.C.U.B.O.) take place February 19 and 20, with themes including “Strategic Leadership for Campus Internationalization”; “Surviving (and Thriving) in Interesting Times: Career Planning and Management for International Education Leaders Today”; “S.I.O. 101”; “Bologna & Global Impacts – What S.I.O.s Need to Know”; “Global Learning and Internationalizing the Curriculum”; and “Successful Strategic and Operational Approaches to Campus Internationalization.”

More than 100 concurrent sessions and showcases will take place February 20-22.

Many institutions of higher education are actively engaged in programs that further environmental and energy sustainability, broader access to health care and education, resolution of conflicts, pursuit of fundamental human rights, economic development, and greater cross-cultural understanding in the U.S. and around the world. The 2012 A.I.E.A. Annual Conference provides a forum to reflect on the relationship between the internationalization of institutions and institutional responses to these important global challenges. Conference subthemes include “Administrative and logistical needs of colleges and universities as their international commitments grow”; “Defining values in internationalization”; “Recognizing and managing impact”; and “Partnerships, consortia and networks.”

Details on the 2012 AIEA Annual Conference can be found at www.aieaworld.org.

For additional information: aiea@duke.edu or 919-668-1928.

About A.I.E.A. (www.aieaworld.org)
Founded in 1982, the Association of International Education Administrators (A.I.E.A.) is a professional membership organization composed of institutional leaders representing over 200 institutions engaged in advancing the international dimensions of higher education. A.I.E.A. provides opportunities for members to join forces, exchange ideas, share institutional strategies, and provide an effective voice on matters of public policy through various means, including workshops, meetings and a scholarly journal.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Three U.S. Students Arrested in Cairo

Reports (now confirmed) indicate that three U.S. students studying in Cairo have been arrested and charged with throwing Molotov cocktails from atop the American University Cairo building near Tahrir Square and for not carrying passports. The three students are from Georgetown University, Drexel University and Indiana University. More at:












and more at:  Indiana Daily Student, The Hoya, Washington PostNew York Times, The BBC, Al Jazeera, and at CNN.

Should IHEC Blog venture into Google+ territory?

I have barely touched Google+.  I have not really ventured into G+ territory for either personal or professional (IHEC and related activities) purposes.  Last week during some online discussions I was having related to my "Bottom Eleven U.S. States Receiving International Students in 2010-11" post here on IHEC Blog a colleague suggested that IHEC Blog venture into Google+.  So, today I asked on IHEC Blog's Facebook page "Should IHEC Blog venture into Google+ territory?"  You can participate in this brief and unscientific survey at http://www.facebook.com/IHECblog.

If you are on G+ and would like to connect we can do so here.


*Yes I did cast the first vote!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

C-SPAN’s Washington Journal TV Highlights the State Department Role in International Education

Assistant Secretary of State Ann Stock and IIE president Allan Goodman were the guests on a live call in segment [46+ minutes in length] on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal TV and radio broadcast, taking questions from callers across America.

 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Bottom Eleven U.S. States Receiving International Students in 2010-11

I've been reading much of the international, national, local and new media coverage pertaining to the release of the 2011 Open Doors data on Monday and it is all very exciting.  The majority of the coverage has highlighted the increased numbers (for both international students and U.S. students abroad) or the "Top" schools sending U.S. students abroad, the "Top" schools receiving international students, the "Top" academic disciplines of U.S. students study abroad, the "Top" sending countries of international students to the U.S. and so on...

Some IHEC Blog readers and many of my friends and colleagues in the field know that I sometimes like to take a different look at the Open Doors data (and sometimes a much more in depth look at the data) and post what I find.  Sometimes I hope my posts lead to further dialogue and debate in our field and sometimes my intent is simply to provide data that, most likely, is not presented in other places.  This post today probably falls under the later but I could be wrong.

Following are the bottom eleven U.S. states* receiving international students during the 2010-11 academic year:

#40  Nevada
#41 New Mexico
#42 New Hanpshire
#43 Mississippi
#44 West Virginia
#45 Idaho
#46 Montana
#47 South Dakota
#48 Maine
#49 Wyoming
#50 Vermont (article "Vermont's modest global draw" in the Burlington Free Press)
#51 Alaska

This list really doesn't say much but it would be interesting to go through the Open Doors data from the past several years and compare the lists to see ifwe can gain any insight into why these states comprise the bottom fifth of U.S. states receiving international students in 2010-11 and if they have historically fallen in the bottom fifth.  While a historical and comparative review might provide some insight I think more analysis of additional variables is necessary to fully understand why this is the case.  Know the total number of higer education institutions in each state would certainly be helpful but I think looking back to see if these states have issued state proclamations in support of international education, which may lead to resource allocation in an effort to market the state as a study abroad destination for international students.  Four states from this group of eleven issued a proclamation in support of International Education Week 2010. Another indication of state level support for international education and valuing international students is to see if these states have established (and hopefully active) consortium working to highlight the state as a study destination for international students.  To my knowledge, of these eleven states only West Virginia has established such a consortium called Study West Virginia at http://studywv.org/Update Nov. 17th:  The State of Mississippi also has an established consortium focused on bringing international students to the State.  Study Mississippi has a website http://studymississippi.us AND they are on Twitter at @studyMS.  Another colleague on Twitter reports that she is working to establish Study New Hampshire and that Study Vermont USA has recently been established.

I posted this list of bottom receiving states last night to IHEC Blog's Facebook page and a colleague, Lori Sjokolade, left a very interesting comment/observation about one reason these states may be the bottom receiving schools.  Lori makes the point that:
 "one thing these states have in common is that they are all EPSCoR states.  No surprise that these states rank the lowest since science and engineering are amongst the top fields that international students choose to study in the United States and these states are amongst those that have been identified as needing help in boosting their science and engineering competitiveness."
I hadn't even though about this aspect but I think this is a very valid point. 

What are your thoughts about any of this?

*51 total includes all 50 U.S. States and Washington D.C.
Source for state spedific data and ranking available on the 2011 Open Doors site

Thursday, November 10, 2011

What is the first data set you turn to when you look at Open Doors data?

The 2011 Open Doors data will be released by IIE this coming Monday, November 14th.  I attended the release last year at the National Press Club and it was a great experience.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this year but I will be checking out the data and posting some thoughts to IHEC Blog.

When I first visit the Open Doors website I first turn to the student profile data within the study abroad section. I'm interested in seeing what progress, if any, has been made in changing the face of the U.S. study abroad population.  To be sure, I spend a lot of time sifting through the data and crunch some of the numbers to provide additional insight not covered by IIE Research and Program Evaluation Services staff.

Where do you first turn when you check out Open Doors data?

Previous IHEC Blog posts related to the Open Doors data:

- How do you use Open Doors data? (2010)
- Video and Test of Judith A. McHale on Release of the Open Doors 2009 Report
- Data Collection and Students with Disabilities Who Study Abroad (2009)
- U.S. Department of State press releases on Open Doors Data (2009)
- Additional Open Doors 2009 Data Tables Recently Released 
- Can a U.S. Student Study Abroad in the United States? (2008)
- StudyAbroad.com Site Traffic Data Also Provides Valuable Information (2008)
- Over 1,000 Students with Disabilities Studied Abroad in 2006/07 (2008)
- Some States See Decline in Total U.S. Study Abroad Numbers (2008)
- Open Doors 2008
- Open Doors Data on Study Abroad (2007)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Upcoming Mestenhauser Lecture on Cultural Diplomacy at the University of Minnesota (broadcast live online)

I thought many IHEC Blog readers would find the Mestenhauser Lecture Series on Internationalizing Higher Education to be of interest and in particular the upcoming 2011 lecture.  More information follows:


2011 Lecture
Cultural Diplomacy and International Understanding
Friday, November 11, 2011 form 2:00-4:00pm (CST), reception to follow
3M Auditorium, Carlson School of Management
Lecture will also be streamed live online

About the Speaker: Dr. Richard Arndt is an academic turned diplomat and an expert in the area of cultural diplomacy. He is the author of the book “The First Resort of Kings: American Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century.”

More information about the Mestenhauser Lecture Series and the 2011 lecture can be found at http://global.umn.edu/icc/lecture/index.html