Follow the Twitter Backchannel from the 2017 NAFSA Advocacy Day #nafsaAD

Many thanks to all of our colleagues who have made their way to Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of international education.  Hoping you have very productive meetings!

#nafsaAD Tweets

Follow Today's #NoMoreCuts to #InternationalExchange Twitter Campaign

Tweets about "#InternationalExchange"

Reminder: Tweet #NoMoreCuts to exchanges today!

Today is a day of action on Twitter to oppose more cuts to non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs, like international exchanges. 

Throughout the day, tweet directly to your Members of Congress, and ask them not to cut exchanges and other NDD programs any further. Encourage your members, volunteers, followers, and friends to do the same. Make sure to use the hashtag #NoMoreCuts.

Included below are sample tweets for your use. Include the Twitter handle of the Member you are tweeting in your message. This ensures that the Member will get a notification of being “mentioned” in your message and will see what you’ve sent. [For a complete list of Members and their twitter handles, please see these House & Senate lists. To find your Members of Congress, enter your zip code here. ]

Thank you for taking action on this important issue!

Sample Tweets

• Leadership, cultural learning, & lang study: #InternationalExchange prepares Americans for global economy, [insert member twitter handle]. #NoMoreCuts!

• #InternationalExchange enhances US natl security & smart power. [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• A secure #America needs more than #military might! [insert member twitter handle] #NoMoreCuts to #InternationalExchange! #sequester

• #InternationalExchange is an investment in the future, expanding the vision of current & emerging leaders. [insert member twitter handle] #NoMoreCuts! 

• #InternationalExchange teaches Americans critical skills and enhances US global competitiveness. [insert member twitter handle] #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• Discretionary cuts to #InternationalExchange harm the #economy! [insert member twitter handle] say #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• #Sequestration means an 8.2% cut to #InternationalExchange funding in 2013. [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts!

• Discretionary investments have already been cut by nearly $1.5 trillion. [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• Remember [insert member twitter handle], over 3000 groups want you to say #NoMoreCuts to discretionary investments! #sequester

Members of Congress need to hear directly from YOU, their constituents about the local impact of exchanges in their home states, districts, and communities. 

Tweet #NoMoreCuts to exchanges on Monday

The Alliance for International Educational & Cultural Exchange is engaged with a broad coalition (led by the Coalition for Health Funding) that opposes sequestration and further cuts to non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs, like international exchanges.

The NDD coalition is mobilizing a day of action on Twitter (using the hashtag #NoMoreCuts) this Monday, December 10, and we encourage you to be involved. Tweets are a simple but effective way of getting this message out to policy makers.

So what do you need to do? Simply tweet directly to your Members of Congress, and ask them not to cut exchanges and other NDD programs any further. Encourage your members, volunteers, followers, and friends to do the same.

Included below are sample tweets for your use. Make sure you include the Twitter handle of the Member you are tweeting in your message. This ensures that the Member will get a notification of being “mentioned” in your message and will see what you’ve sent. [For a complete list of Members and their twitter handles, please see these House & Senate lists. To find your Members of Congress, enter your zip code here. ]

Thank you for taking action on this important issue. We'll send a reminder on Monday, as well as begin tweeting ourselves!

Sample Tweets

• Leadership, cultural learning, & lang study: #InternationalExchange prepares Americans for global economy, [insert member twitter handle]. #NoMoreCuts!

• #InternationalExchange enhances US natl security & smart power. [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• A secure #America needs more than #military might! [insert member twitter handle] #NoMoreCuts to #InternationalExchange! #sequester

• #InternationalExchange is an investment in the future, expanding the vision of current & emerging leaders. [insert member twitter handle] #NoMoreCuts! 

• #InternationalExchange teaches Americans critical skills and enhances US global competitiveness. [insert member twitter handle] #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• Discretionary cuts to #InternationalExchange harm the #economy! [insert member twitter handle] say #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• #Sequestration means an 8.2% cut to #InternationalExchange funding in 2013. [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts!

• Discretionary investments have already been cut by nearly $1.5 trillion. [insert member twitter handle] make sure there are #NoMoreCuts! #sequester

• Remember [insert member twitter handle], over 3000 groups want you to say #NoMoreCuts to discretionary investments! #sequester

 Members of Congress need to hear directly from YOU, their constituents about the local impact of exchanges in their home states, districts, and communities. 

With permission of The Alliance, this IHEC Blog post is a copy and paste job (with only slight modifications) of an e-mail message I received from them on Thursday, December 6th.  IHEC Blog thanks The Alliance for all of their advocacy efforts in the international education arena.

Budget Debate Advances on Hill for FY12 - NAFSA Highlights Key Priorities for International Education

In the midst of the debt ceiling negotiations here in the United States, the FY 12 budget debate is also heating up, and there is a lot at stake for higher education and international education. We've already seen the United States Department of Education cancel the Fulbright-Hays international research programs (if you are a U.S. citizen and would like to electronically sign a petition to Save Fulbright-Hays Programs you can do so here) due to budget cuts.  The Department of Education also cancelled the Title VI American Overseas Research Centers (AORC) program (and you can electronically sign a petition to Restore Funding to American Overseas Research Centers here) due to the same budget cuts.  And, just last week The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to to eliminate The East-West Center.  According to the Chronicle, the legislation "would repeal a 1960 law that established the East-West Center, which allows American scholars, students, journalists, and government and business leaders to study, train, and conduct research with their counterparts from Asia and the Pacific. The nonprofit organization receives $21-million from the federal government and $10-million more from corporations, foundations, and other governments."


NAFSA: Association of International Educators is reporting today that CEO Marlene Johnson sent letters last week to key members of the House Appropriations Committee requesting their support in funding international activities in the Departments of State, Education and Commerce for FY 2012.  You can read Marlene Johnson's letters here.  NAFSA has also highlighted key international education priorities as the FY 2012 budget is debated in Washington, D.C. which you can read here.  If you haven't yet joined NAFSA's Connecting Our World at http://www.connectingourworld.org/ I strongly encourage you to do so and you can be a voice for international education.  There is more to Connecting Our World than just joining.  You must take action when necessary and NAFSA makes it so easy it will literally take 20 seconds of your day to let your elected officials in Washington know the importance of international education programming to the United States.


All of this really shouldn't be a surprise.  Back on October 28, 2010 I reported here on IHEC Blog that then Republican Senate Candidate for Pennsylvania Pat Toomey (now Senator Pat Toomey) had twice spoken on national media outlets as the November election neared about cutting funding and consolidating federal international educational exchange programs and funding (you can watch his interviews here).  We have still not fully recovered from one of the worst financial crises in the history of the United States and, to be sure, we need to make budget cuts across the board (including to international education programming) but it is critical that your voice be heard because you can imagine how Mr. Toomey will vote (and there are many more of his colleagues out there that feel the same about international education programs).


Across the Atlantic our friends over in Europe think a bit different about international exchange programs and according to EurActive.com "Europe's most celebrated student exchange programme is set to win a 71% funding increase under European Commission plans for the 2014-2020 budget, with education and training schemes now all regrouped under the Erasmus brand.  The education sector won the biggest percentage increase under the EU's long-term budget and is set to leap 71%, from €8.76 billion to €15.2 billion, for the period 2014-2020 under proposals submitted last week."


Photo credit:  Images_of_Money

One Year Anniversary of NAFSA's Connecting Our World (CoWorld)

Are you connected?  Today, NAFSA's Connecting Our World celebrates its one year anniversary.  If not, take a few seconds to visit and join the Connecting Our World mailing list at http://www.connectingourworld.org/ to help advocate for international education issues!  Below is a video of NAFSA CEO Marlene M. Johnson encouraging everyone to Be a Voice for International Education.

Calling all Illinois Constituents! Follow-up the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange meeting with Sen. Kirk's Chicago office with a letter in support of exchanges!

I was invited to visit Senator Mark Kirk’s (R-IL) Chicago office last week as part of a small group of Illinois constituents to discuss the importance of Department of State exchange programs.  This meeting was coordinated by the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange in an effort to discuss the importance of these State Department programs with new members of the Senate State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee (which funds State Department exchange programs).  My part of the discussion with Senator Kirk’s Director of Constituent Services focused on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

The Alliance and the group who participated in the meeting are working to spread the word on this effort and request that Illinois constituents send letters to Senator Kirk as well as to Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in support of international education and in particular State Department exchange programs.  The Alliance has already prepared an electronic letter which you can access here for you and all you need to do is enter your name and home address and your letter will be automatically sent to Senators Kirk and Durbin.

Many thanks in advance for your assistance with this important issue!


Photo credit:  studentofrhythm

Registration Now Open for NAFSA's Annual Advocacy Day 2011

Registration for the Annual NAFSA Advocacy Day 2011 has officially opened.  The following information about Advocacy Day 2011 is taken from the NAFSA website:


Join colleagues from across the country in the nation's capital to meet with your members of Congress and their staff to advocate for policies that promote international education.

This event spans two days and comprises an integrated set of advocacy training and practice activities, anchored by visits to each participant's congressional delegation on Capitol Hill.

By attending Advocacy Day, you can

- Explore the fundamentals of advocacy.

- Gain insights into the workings of a congressional office.

- Learn about current political trends as they relate to NAFSA's legislative priorities.

- Share information with your members of Congress about the impact of international education on your campus and  local community

You can access the Advocacy Day 2011 schedule, see photos from Advocacy Day 2010 and register via the NAFSA website here.  Additionally, please note that NAFSA Regions II, VI, VIII and X offer travel grants and you can access further information about these grants via the link above.

Those of you on Twitter who will be attending Advocacy Day 2011 be sure to tweet using the #nafsaAD hashtag.

You may find also this March 27, 2010 IHEC Blog post "Twitter + NAFSA’s Advocacy Day: A Perfect Match" from Frank J. Merendino to be of interest!  

Photo credit: Frank J. Merendino from Advocacy Day 2010.

Twitter + NAFSA’s Advocacy Day: A Perfect Match

The following is a guest post by Frank J. Merendino who is the NAFSA Region VI State Rep-Ohio.  I got to know Frank only a few short weeks ago as I was following the NAFSA Advocacy Day activities via Frank’s live tweets of updates and photos he took.  I like what Frank was tweeting so much that I invited him to serve as a guest blogger to share his experiences during NAFSA’s Advocacy Day.  Frank’s post follows:

When David asked me to be a guest blogger on the IHEC Blog I was thrilled for several   reasons. 1) IHEC Blog is such a valuable resource for international educators—it’s a great site for one stop shopping about past and current events in international education so I am honored to be a contributor, 2) I have the opportunity to share my wonderful experience at NAFSA’s Advocacy Day with a larger audience, and 3) I get to blog for the first time ever!

Yes, you read that correctly. I am on the boundary line between GenXer and Millennial (born in 1980) and I have never written a blog post before...hard to imagine, eh? Speaking of blogging, let’s stick with the new media conversation and talk about the benefits of Twitter. Live tweeting is also something I have never really done until Advocacy Day 2010. I’ve had a Twitter account since 2008 and been following a few people for a while (I have even made an occasional tweet every once and a while about nothing important), but it was my interaction with Twitter on my mobile device during Advocacy Day that allowed me to truly understand what all the fuss was about.

I’m certainly not comparing the importance of my tweeting during Advocacy Day with what Iranian citizens were doing a few months back when they made their voices heard during the election protests in a way their government couldn’t block (at first).  However, there is some similarity in that I was able to share a live event I was participating in while it was happening with interested followers. It was a very empowering feeling. Thank you to all my “tweeps” for their encouragement and feedback throughout the Advocacy Day event. Tweeting about what was happening throughout my brief time in DC greatly enhanced my own experience and also allowed me to feel like I was sharing something important with colleagues.

This was my second year attending NAFSA’s Advocacy Day and my hope is that I am able to continue to attend throughout the years. If you only take one message away from this post, it’s that you should absolutely attend Advocacy Day at some point in your career. I’m dead serious. I have had several different NAFSA “experiences” so far in my relatively short time in the field--attending state, regional, and national conferences, attending a regional leadership team meeting, and in my new position as the Region VI State Representative for Ohio, I am currently experiencing the joys of planning Ohio’s state conference—but bar none, Advocacy Day takes the cake as my favorite NAFSA event.

I spent a whirlwind 32 hours in our nation’s capital cramming information into my brain about immigration reform, the ACTION Act, and why lifting the travel ban to Cuba is in our best interest. When it was all said and done, and I had given my pitch about the many benefits of international education to two Senator’s aides and one House staffer, I was exhausted...but it was well worth it. Advocacy Day is a great venue to increase your overall understanding of international education. Seeing the “big picture” and where your own specialty in international education fits into the spectrum is just one of the rewards. You get to listen firsthand to public policy wonks speak about current issues affecting student visas, meet and interact with international educators from across the country, share your stories about the positive impact of studying abroad, and most importantly, take an active role in the democratic process and help to determine the future of international education policy by letting your voice be heard.  Regardless of your role in international education—whether you advise domestic students on studying abroad, help international students and scholars maintain their visa status, teach English, or work in recruiting and admissions—attending NAFSA’s Advocacy Day is an incredible opportunity to help make a difference for students, fellow international educators, and hopefully the United States of America.

I’ll see you in Washington DC in 2011!

If you have any questions, or would like to chat more about why NAFSA’s Advocacy Day is a worthwhile experience, feel free to drop me a line at region6.ohiorep@gmail.com.

Regards,

Frank J. Merendino

NAFSA Region VI State Rep-Ohio

International Student Advisor

My thanks to Kari Lantos and NAFSA’s Public Policy team on all of their hard work in putting together another great Advocacy Day.

Photo Credit:  All photos were taking by Frank via his mobile device and posted to TweetPhoto (via Twitter).  To see all of Frank's photos from NAFSA Advocacy Day please visit here.