Video of the Week – IREX: 1968-2008

There are many organizations both here in the United States and abroad that work to send students, scholars and citizens abroad. One such organization is IREX (International Research & Exchange Board) in Washington, D.C. whose mission it is to “provide leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development.”
The following video (9:36) from the IREX YouTube channel highlights the 40 year history of the organization. In addition to the IREX YouTube channel you can connect with IREX on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Amanda Knox’s Family Speaks Out on The Oprah Show

Yesterday I received an e-mail from a colleague who I took classes with a few years ago at Loyola University Chicago. It was nice to hear from her as it has been some time. She was on the road working on e-mail with the television on and two separate shows mentioned/focused on study abroad so she sent me a message as she knows of my interest of how international education/exchanges are portrayed in film and on television (see below for links to previous IHEC Blog posts on this subject).


The first show was the family of Amanda Knox speaking out on The Oprah Show. You can watch some snippets from the show here. The Amanda Knox case was also the topic of a post entitled “In Poor Taste? A Comedy Fundraiser for Amanda Knox’s Appeal” over on the Melibee Global blog (one of my favorite international education blogs!) just the day before The Oprah Show.

The second show is listed in now listed in the comments section of the list of movies and television programs where the characters go abroad which you can link to below.

Related IHEC Blog posts:

List of Movies/Television Programs where the Characters go Abroad

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

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

Additional Open Doors 2009 Data Tables Recently Released

The Institute of International Education (IIE) has recently released new Open Doors data on international student enrollments and study abroad participation at U.S. community colleges, international scholars in the U.S. and intensive English language program enrollments in the U.S. Click on the links below to access these new data tables:


Community College Data Resource

International Scholars in the United States

Intensive English Language Program Enrollments in the United States

If you are interested in adding the print edition of Open Doors 2009 to your office or personal library you can order it by clicking on this link Open Doors 2009: Report on International Educational Exchange (Open Doors//Institute of International Education) (affiliate link)

Photo credit:  srqpix

The conference where NAFSA was born

The following are some of my very brief research notes that I thought I would share on IHEC Blog:


In 1948, the Conference on International Student Exchange was organized and held at the University of Michigan. The purpose of this conference was “to assist the educational institutions and agencies of the United States to develop an expanding international cultural relations program, particularly through student exchange.” Representatives attended the conference from colleges and universities from all over the United States, Peru, India, and Canada, as well as representatives from independent and government agencies interested in international education. As a result, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, was organized and has served as a key leader in international education to this day.
There is, of couse, so much more interesting history on the early days of the organizaiton.  For a brief 60 year history of NAFSA (two pages) chick here. 

Referencing back to my January 20th IHEC Blog Resources of Interest Found in the “Bury Book International Education Library & Archive” post I wanted to highlight an additional piece of literature related to this post that I am fortunate to have in my personal collection:

Hugh M. Jenkins  (1979, September).  Leafing Through the History and Future of the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs: A Glance Back, A Glimpse Forward.  Washington, DC:  National Associtation for Foreign Student Affairs.

Research Notes on the National Defense Education Act of 1958

The following are some brief notes I typed up during my research activities for some class earlier in my doctoral program. Since I’m not using these notes in any of my current research/writing activities I thought I would post them to IHEC Blog as they are interesting:

In 1957, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) launched the tiny Sputnik I satellite, thus beating the Untied States in innovation and exploration of the new frontier of outer space. As a result, the United States Congress passed the National Defense Education Act of 1958.1 The National Defense Education Act highlighted the critical importance of education to national defense and was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 2, 1958. By passing this legislation, the United States Congress understood that the defense and security of the United States were bound with education.2  The National Defense and Education Act provided federal funding to colleges and universities in order to develop graduate programs focusing on mathematics, the sciences, foreign languages and area studies. In addition, The National Defense Education Act created the Graduate Fellowship Program and the National Defense Student Loan Program, the precursor to the Perkins Loan Program, which was the first federal student aid program for low-income students.

The National Defense Education Act authorized one billion dollars of federal aid for twelve separate programs outlined in its ten Titles. The National Defense Education Act had a substantial impact on graduate education and research during its time, however, as with all federal funding programs; The National Defense Education Act also had its share of critics. Despite the controversies and concerns, The National Defense Education Act of 1958 was landmark legislation that brought significant federal attention to higher education and how it was funded, both at the institutional level as well as at the individual student level.

If you are interested in reading more about the National Defense Education Act of 1958 you can do so here and here.

1 Often referred to as NDEA.
2 Richard D. Scarfo. “The History of Title VI and Fulbright-Hays,” in International Education in the New Global Era: Proceedings of a National Policy Conference on the Higher Education Act, Title VI, and Fulbright-Hays Programs, ed. John N. Hawkins, Carlos Manuel Haro, Miriam A. Kazanjian, Gilbert W. Merkx and David Wiley. (Los Angeles: International Studies and Overseas Programs, University of California Los Angeles, 1998): 23.

Video of the Week - Know Before You Go: Preparing for Safe Study Abroad

Know Before You Go is the title of a new study abroad safety video prepared by Sara’s Wish Foundation. I have watched the video several times and think it is excellent. Find the time to watch this 7:14 minute video and then share with others you know who will be studying and travelling abroad.



THE SARA’S WISH FOUNDATION


In 1996, Sara Schewe, a student at Georgetown University, was killed, along with 3 other students from her program, while taking a bus in India to see the Taj Mahal. Since that time, Charles and Anne Schewe have dedicated themselves to bringing awareness on how to minimize safety issues while traveling abroad.

Since 1996, there have been a number of advances in the materials and information available from the U.S. government, colleges, universities and study abroad programs, other organizations, as well as support available through insurance and emergency assistance providers. There have also been domestic and international meetings and workshops supporting improved health and safety policies and procedures to support U.S. college and university students.

Sara's Wish Foundation has collaborated with some of these organizations to develop the video "Know Before You Go", and to put together the information you will find on their website. The information and links are intended to help inform students, parents, and friends who may go abroad or support others who do, that knowing more about good study abroad program practices and health and safety challenges in countries around the world can help students have a healthy and safe time abroad.

Foreign travel and study abroad remains an invaluable learning experience, broadening a student's world view and enhancing the college experience. While there have been advancements in the field since this incident to ensure student safety, precautions must still be taken, students and families need to research about benefits and risks associated with a particular location and/or program, and understand that the quality of support does vary from institution to institution and from program to program. It is Sara's Wish Foundation's hope that together we can avoid tragedies and difficulties as students begin that wondrous adventure to broaden their lives.

You can learn more about Sara’s Wish Foundation and all the good work they are doing at http://www.saraswish.org/

The Role Educational Exchanges Played in Georgia’s Rose Revolution?

As I continue to research and read (sometimes scan) for my dissertation proposal I hope to post to IHEC Blog or IHEC Blog’s Facebook Page from time to time about interesting books, reports, blogs, data or other interesting items that I think IHEC Blog readers will find interesting. One such item that I have found to be of interest is a new (2009) book by Lincoln A. Mitchell entitled “Uncertain Democracy: U.S. Foreign Policy and Georgia's Rose Revolution.”  In his book, Mitchell discusses international educational exchanges and study tours and states that these programs “contributed to the conditions that made a democratic breakthrough in Georgia possible…[but] they played a secondary and indirect role.” I haven’t read all of the book yet but have found it to be a good read and I’ve learned much about Georgia and the Rose Revolution.

Here is a link to the book on Google Books where you can search “exchange” to read relevant snippets of the book.

If you want to learn more about or to purchase this book please click on the photo of the book cover above.