Secretary Clinton Delivers Message for International Education Week 2011

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on International Education Week 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)

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

20th Anniversary Slide Show Video of the National Security Education Program

During my research for my dissertation this evening I came across the following video celebrating the National Security Education Program with a special focus on the service requirement.  This was an excellent find for me as this fits perfectly with my research so I thought I would embed below.  The National Security Education Program is perhaps my favorite scholarship (and even over the Fulbright U.S. Student Program) and I'm happy to see it reach 20 years!

David Mize Undergraduate Scholarship Program through AMIDEAST

I recently learned about a great scholarship called the David Mize Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Egyptian students to study and obtain a degree in the United States that is offered by the AMIDEAST Egyptian Office and I want to share more information here on IHEC Blog to help promote this opportunity!

The following snippet is from the AMIDEAST website provides more description of this scholarship:

"The David Mize Scholarship program supports undergraduate students for four years of study at top U.S. universities. The value of the award is up to $50,000 US Dollars per year and requires that awardees secure additional outside support. This merit-based scholarship seeks well-rounded students with excellent grades, test strong cores, robust extracurricular activities and demonstrated leadership qualities. The scholarship is named after David Mize, former AMIDEAST/Egypt Country Director, in recognition of his leadership in the field of international education."

You can learn more specifics as well as direct students to apply here.

Please help spread the word about this great scholarship by putting it on the radar of your Admissions Office and/or Recruitment Office so they can promote it during their interactions with prospective undergraduate students from Egypt.  Additionally you can make the information about this scholarship available on your website(s) so that propsective undergraduate students from Egypt can learn more about this opportunity.  This is a substantial financial award to help a young person to come study and pursue a degree in the United States.

I have admired the work of AMIDEAST for a very long time when I read one of their old Advising Quarterly publications [of which I have many hard copies and PDF copies (a couple dating back to 1989) in my Bury Book International Education Library & Archive].  Additionally, I download their annual report each year to add to my Bury Book Library as well.  AMIDEAST is not just a leading organization in the Middle East; it is one of the leading and oldest organizations in the field of international education.  In fact, the year 2011 makes the 60th anniversary of AMIDEAST and if you are interested in the history of AMIDEAST you can learn much more at http://forms.amideast.org/flash/60th/60th.htm.

French Fries, French Dressing, French Bread and to drink, Peru

Just thought I would share this short clip from the 1985 movie "Better Off Dead" when the American mother prepares a meal for the French exchange student [young girl in the scene] who moved in next door.  This clip ties into my April 2009 IHEC Blog post "Portrayal of Exchange Students in Movies and on TV in the U.S."  Thanks to my good friend Katie for reminding me about this scene in the movie.