U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Delivers a Video Message for the 75th Anniversary of Exchange Programs

Secretary of State John Kerry Highlights International Exchange Programs During his First Official Speech

In his first official speech at the University of Virginia on Wednesday, February 20th, Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted international exchanges and stated:

We value education, promoting programs like the Fulbright exchanges managed by the Department of State. They enable the most talented citizens to share their devotion to diplomacy and peace, their hopes, their friendships, and the belief that all of the Earth’s sons and daughters ought to have the opportunity to lift themselves up. Today these exchanges bring hundreds of thousands of students to America from other countries, and vice versa. In the last year alone, more than 10,000 citizens of foreign countries participated in the State Department’s academic, youth, professional and cultural exchange programs right here in Virginia. Virginians also studied abroad through State Department programs. Senator Fulbright, at whose hearings I had the privilege of testifying as a young veteran returning from Vietnam, he knew that the value of sharing our proudest values bore fruit in the long run, in the future. He said, “Having people who understand your thought,” he said, “is much greater security than another submarine.”

You can view his entire speech below and read the full text of his talk on the State Department website.

J-1 Visa Program: Fostering Lifelong Friendships

The State Department has released this video on the J-1 Visa Program from the employer perspective.  I thought I would embed this video here as I think many IHEC Blog readers will find it interesting.

Watch live today as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launches "100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls Through International Exchanges"

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will launch the “100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges” today (Monday, March 7) at approximately 1:45 p.m. Watch live on http://www.state.gov/.

Following the Secretary’s remarks, Counselor and Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer will participate in a conversation with the “100 Women” moderated by Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock.

Citation: March 4, 2011 U.S. State Department press release.

Photo credit: U.S. State Department

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs [part of the United States Department of State] Explains itself via YouTube

Learn more about the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at http://exchanges.state.gov/

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 

http://www.alliance-exchange.org/international-exchange-locator

Reuniting with an Exchange Student and/or Host Family from your Past

Have you ever reunited with an exchange student you hosted or a family that hosted you while you were an exchange student or studied abroad?  What was that experience like for you?  Please leave a comment with details below!

I have reunited a few times over the years with my host families from Rosenheim, Germany.  I was fortunate enough to be an exchange student twice during high/seconday school for a month during the summers after my sophompre (2nd) and senior (4th) years of high school.  I stayed with two different families during these exchange experiences and on my second exchange I was able to visit my first host family.  During my junior (3rd) year of studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire I studied abroad for a semester in Valladolid, Spain (my wife and I met on this program!) and after my stidies I backpacked Europe and stayed with my second host family again for about 4 or 5 days and visited my first host family again as well.  I have remained very close friends with my second host brother (he was actually an exchange student at my high school the year before my summer stay with him as our high schools have had an exchnage program for the past 20 years and you can read a brief history of this exchange program here).  During the fall of 2008 my good friend Christian came to visit me and my family in Chicago for three weeks and it was so great to reconnect with him in person.  We even made it up to Milwaukee to visit one of our good friends from high school who participated with me on the same two exchanges (see photo above).  The following year, in late summer 2009, Christian returned to visit and stay with us again for three weeks but this time he brought his wife and two sons!  It was great meeitng his family and my two older children frequently refer to their visit and playing with Christian's children.  I look forward to the next time our paths cross in person.  I think my family and I owe him a visit to Rosenheim!

Christian and I have stayed in touch and communicted frequently over the past 23 years via letters and post cards from our various travels and then via e-mail and now via Facebook but it was really great to see him in person again!

Do you have a story to share?

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

CBS News Report on 50 Iraqi University Students that were Invited to the U.S. for a Summer Exchange Program

Nice to see a national news broadcast here in the United States covering international educational exchange.  This CBS News broadcast "Iraq's Next Generation of Leaders" focuses on a group of 50 Iraqi university students visiting Washington, DC on a summer exchange.  Here's the video (Note that video is not embedding correctly due to the code provided by CBS News but you can watch here):

IHEC Blog nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010

Yesterday I received news that IHEC Blog was nominated for the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010 competition held by Lexiophiles and bab.la. Voting is open through February 14th so if you have a few free minutes between now and the end of voting period please take a few (maybe several) to look at the various nominated blogs and cast your vote here!

Additionally, you may find my other website/blog International Education Blogs & News (IEB&N) to be of interest. You can access IEB&N here.

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.

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

Recently I posted to IHEC Blog on “National and International Leaders who were Fulbright Alumni” which I found in the abbreviated version of the Fulbright at Fifty publication that is hosted on the National Humanities Center website. Last night while I was doing some research for my dissertation I revisited the Fulbright at Fifty publication and discovered quotes by Presidents Truman through Clinton (as the Fulbright Program turned fifty during the Clinton Administration) on the importance of international exchanges and the Fulbright Program and I thought I would share them with IHEC Blog readers. To bring the list of quotes up to date I found and added quotes by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama:

“…This program is vitally important in widening the knowledge and technical ability of the peoples of the twelve participating countries…”
Harry S. Truman, Letter to the Chairman, board of Foreign Scholarships, on the Fulbright Program, May 11, 1951.

“…the exchange of students…should be vastly expanded…Information and education are powerful forces in support of peace. Just as war begins in the minds of men, so does peace.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Remarks at ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the Smith-Mundt Act, January 27, 1958.
“I am delighted to sign the new Fulbright-Hays Act. This ceremony has historic significance because it marks full recognition by the Congress of the importance of a more comprehensive program of educational and cultural activities as a component of our foreign relations…”
John F. Kennedy, remarks upon signing the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act, September 21, 1961.
“…International education cannot be the work of one country. It is the responsibility and promise of all nations. It calls for free exchange and full collaboration…The knowledge of our citizens is one treasure which grows only when it is shared.”
Lyndon B. Johnson, message to Congress in February, 1966, on international education.

“This report…is largely devoted to an aspect of the program too often overlooked…the extraordinary…cooperation and assistance…from United States private groups…This private cooperation…gives the program its essential character and effectiveness…”
Richard M. Nixon, message to Congress, June 15, 1970.

“The spirit of seeking understanding through personal contact with people of other nations and other cultures deserves the respect and support of all.”
Gerald R. Ford, remarks to foreign exchange students, July 13, 1976.

“,,,I think one of the wonderful things about the program which you represent is its contribution to the barriers (of culture, events, religion, and ethics) having been broken down…”
Jimmy Carter, at Fulbright ceremony in Hungary in 1996.

“There is a flickering spark in us all which, if struck at just the right age…can light the rest of our lives, elevating our ideals, deepening our tolerance, and sharpening our appetite for knowledge about the rest of the world. Educational and cultural exchanges…provide a perfect opportunity for this precious spark to grow, making us more sensitive and wiser international citizens through our careers.”
Ronald Reagan, The White House, May 1982.

“International exchanges are not a great tide to sweep away all differences, but they will slowly wear away at the obstacles to peace as surely as water wears away a hard stone.”
George H.W. Bush, 1989.

“No one who has lived through the second half of the 20th century could possibly be blind to the enormous impact of exchange programs on the future of countries…”
Bill Clinton, May, 1993.

“…By studying foreign cultures and languages and living abroad, we gain a better understanding of the many similarities that we share and learn to respect our differences. The relationships that are formed between individuals from different countries, as part of international education programs and exchanges, can also foster goodwill that develops into vibrant, mutually beneficial partnerships among nations.”
George W. Bush, International Education Week 2001 Message, The White House, November 13, 2001.

“Simple exchanges can break down walls between us, for when people come together and speak to one another and share a common experience, then their common humanity is revealed. We are reminded that we're joined together by our pursuit of a life that's productive and purposeful, and when that happens mistrust begins to fade and our smaller differences no longer overshadow the things that we share. And that's where progress begins.”
Barack Obama, remarks at student roundtable in Istanbul, Turkey, April 7, 2009.
Quotes from Presidents Truman through Clinton were obtained directly from: U.S. Presidents on International Exchanges and the Fulbright Program, http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/fbright/presiden.htm, part of the Fulbright at Fifty website hosted by the National Humanities Center, http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/

Has the Recent Violence Against Indian Students in Australia had an Effect on Indian American Students’ Decision to Study Abroad in Australia?

There has been a flurry of news over the past few months about several incidence of violence against Indian students studying in Australia and the effect this has on higher education and the economy in Australia. Specifically, over 70 attacks on Indian students have occurred in Australia over the past year or so and this has sparked outrage in India as well as a swift “zero tolerance” response in Australia. Last week a nine-member delegation from Australia began a nine-day itinerary of India in an effort to mend relations and improve the image of Australia and its higher education system. I have copied and pasted the following from the July 7th Wall Street Journal article “Australians Travel to India to Talk About Student Safety” to highlight the impact these attacks can have on Australia:

“The issue is important for Australia's economy because the education of foreign students has become big business, generating 15.5 billion Australian dollars (US$12.54 billion) in 2008, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in May.

Foreigners now make up 25% of students, up from just under 10% in 1997. Indian students represent about 18% of the 542,000 foreigners studying in Australia, second only to those from China, according to data from the Australian Council for Private Education and Training. The higher-education sector is now Australia's third-largest export earner behind coal and iron ore.

In the state of Victoria, education is the biggest export earner and many of the attacks have occurred in Melbourne, Victoria's capital.”

Those of you who have not been following these developments in Australia may want to do a simple internet search or link to a few articles I have highlighted below:

“Australians Travel to India to Talk About Student Safety” from the July 7th The Wall Street Journal

“Punjab government seeks data of students studying in Australia” from June 10th The Times of India

“Indian Students Claim Epidemic of Racist Violence in Australia” from June 4th VOANews.com

“Indian students describe Sydney attacks” from June 3rd issue of ABC News

“Indian students unsure about studying in Australia” from May 29th ABC Radio Australia

It should be noted that Australia is not the only country where Indian students as well as others have been attacked or have experienced racism.

In answer to the question “has the recent violence against Indian students in Australia had an effect on Indian American students’ decision to study abroad in Australia?”…I don’t have an answer and I think it would be a bit challenging (but not impossible) to measure. Some immediate thoughts are that most U.S. students are not aware these attacks on Indian students even occurred. Indian American students may be more informed on the situation in India than their peers as it has received significant media attention in India and I’m guessing in Indian media outlets (as well as in the WSJ) here in the United States. As many IHEC Blog readers know, I have a strong research interest in diversifying the U.S. study abroad student profile and I’ve written about and compiled an annotated bibliography on heritage seeking in a study abroad context. What I don’t know and I need to investigate is “to what level do college and university level students in the U.S. keep up to date on news in countries of their heritage?” I will certainly try to seek answers to this question but if anyone has any leads for me please leave a comment.

Anyway…this question has been floating around in my head the last month or so as I’ve been reading about this situation and I thought I post to IHEC Blog about it.

Zogby’s Call for Increased International Educational Exchange

John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International, wrote a really nice piece for Forbes entitled “Send More U.S. Students Abroad: More International Exchange is What Young Americans Need and Want” and I thought IHEC Blog readers might want to read it as well.

What I like about Zogby’s argument for increased educational exchanges (both to and from the United States) is that he uses data from the Institute of International Education (probably both Open Doors and Atlas of Global Mobility), NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Zogby International research. It's worth a read.

You can read Zogby’s article here.

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

This past Saturday I caught the “Gilly – Science Fair” skit on Saturday Night Live with Zach Efron (host of the show) acting as an exchange student from Germany. You can access the skit here.

As I watched the skit I immediately began thinking of past movies and how exchange students were portrayed in film and television in the United States. The first to come to mind for me was Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles fame. Long Duk Dong’s most memorable scenes/lines are arguably “What’s Happening Hot Stuff” and “Dong, Where is my Automobile?” (click on scene titles to view videos).

Others that come to mind include:
- Monique, the French exchange student in Better Off Dead
- Üter Zörker from The Simpsons
- Fez from That '70s Show

Most disturbing is that a simple Google search for “exchange students in movies” brought up the “Sex Crazed Exchange Students” DVD for sale on Amazon at #9.

I’m interested in knowing what IHEC Blog readers think about the portrayal of exchange students in film and if they know of other examples (both positive and negative) that they would like to share.

A Call for Educational Exchange with North Korea

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

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

Research Inventory of the Social Science Research Council’s Committee on Cross-Cultural Education by M. Brewster Smith (1955?)

As many IHEC Blog readers know, one of my main research interests is compiling and editing annotated bibliographies on international education exchange. One of my current projects is finding and reviewing the very early research literature on international education exchanges both to and from the United States. The goal of this project is to update my Growth of Research on Education Abroad ~ 1950’s to Present chart I compiled for the chapter I co-authored in A Guide to Outcomes Assessment in Education Abroad (2007). I was just reading 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 by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (1956) [which I’m proud to say I personally own and keep in the International Higher Education Consulting library] and I’m now on a quest to locate a research inventory of the Social Science Research Council’s Committee on Cross-Cultural Education by M. Brewster Smith from the mid-1950’s (perhaps published in 1955?). If any IHEC Blog readers have any leads I’d appreciate hearing from you.

Those of you interested in the early literature in the field of international education may find my previous IHEC Blog post entitled “First Research Study on Outcomes of Study Abroad” to be of interest.

SPECIAL NOTE - Special arrangements may be made for access to the International Higher Education Consulting library and archive where much historic and classic literature in the field may be found. Additionally, if you would like to make a literature donation to the library and archive I would love to hear from you. Early in 2008 I received my first donation from Mr. Phillip Altbach from Boston College who sent me many important and historical pieces of research and literature from the 1980’s.

Manitoba’s International Education Strategy

my Steinbach has an interesting article on the international education strategy of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. According to the article, the provincial government estimates that international students contributed approximate $75 million to Manitoba’s economy in 2006-2007 and that Manitoba saw the highest percentage gain (102%) of international students among all provinces between 2000 and 2006. Manitoba’s five year international education strategy focuses on the following five areas:

International Student Programs – providing educational promotion, opportunities and support services for international students.

International Education Projects and Contracts – participating in international development projects or securing educational contracts.

Offshore Education and International Collaborations – offshore education may offer components of programs or establish branch campuses overseas. This may be done either directly or by authorizing partners to deliver programs abroad. And collaboration initiatives involve working with Manitoba institutions to recognize, negotiate, expand and assist international collaboration.

International Mobility of Students, Teachers, Faculty and other Educational Staff – providing opportunities for direct international experience.

Internationalization of Teaching and Learning – covering international aspects within academic subjects, professional, technical and vocational training, and introducing an international dimension across the curriculum and within the classroom.

You can access the International Education Strategy of the Province of Manitoba 2009-2013 here.

Cuba Academic Alliance Refocuses Effort in 2009

In 2004 the Cuba Academic Alliance (CAA) was formed by institutions of higher education across the United States in response to the 2004 restrictions imposed on educational exchange and travel programs to Cuba during the Bush Administration by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). With the Obama Administration just under a week away from taking office, CAA has refocused its lobbying efforts in the hope that the United State will lift the current restrictions and educational exchange and travel programs to Cuba will once again be available to students and scholars in the United States. You can read more about CAA and their 2009 effort here.


You may also want to read a related article from January 8th by Wayne Smith entitled "An Opportunity for Obama: An Opening to Cuba?" on the counterpunch.org website.

The Ministry of Education of Japan Ends The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program

On October 1, 2008 the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission issued announced in a press release that the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program would end on December 31, 2008. While this is very sad news the press release indicates that the Governments of Japan and the United States are negotiating a bi-nationally funded exchange programs for teachers between the two countries.