On Tuesday, February 2nd, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a confirmation hearing for Ann Stock, who was nominated by President Obama to be the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of State.
Noting that the majority of students currently studying abroad go to Europe, Sen. Wicker (R-Miss.) asked Ms. Stock during the hearing how she plans to advance study abroad participation and to diversify locations where students are studying. She agreed that was a goal worth focusing on and said that she looks forward to working with the Senate to figure out how to do that. Senator Wicker then commended the bill he introduced along with Senator Durbin, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act (S. 473), to her as the model for doing so.
Last month, the Department of Energy announced that 69 scientists from across the country will receive up to $85 million in funding under the American Recovery and ReInvestment Act over the next five years in the form of research grants as part of the Department’s Early Career Research Program. The program is designed to stimulate scientific innovation by providing support to exceptional researchers during the early stages of their careers, when most groundbreaking work occurs.
The award recipients are based either at leading U.S. research universities or at one of the DOE-funded national laboratories, and they represent the best and brightest in their fields, fields ranging from basic energy sciences and biological and environmental research to high energy and nuclear physics. According to Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, “This investment reflects the Administration’s strong commitment to creating jobs and new industries through scientific innovation.”
What the announcement neglected to mention is that at least one third of the award recipients are foreign-born, having first come to the United States to study or conduct research either as a graduate student or as a post doctoral fellow. China, Germany, Russia, South Korea, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, and Canada are just some of the countries they hail from.
If you could have magically elevated yourself 50 feet above the Riyadh Exhibition Center during the International Exhibition for Higher Education expo that was sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education this past week, you would have seen a disproportionate mass of young Saudis congregating around the EducationUSA booth as well as the 30 plus U.S. colleges and universities that participated in the expo. There was tremendous enthusiasm among the thousands of Saudi students for studying in the United States.
This past week, NAFSA Executive Director – Marlene Johnson and I (and many other NAFSA members representing their own institutions) were invited to attend the first International Exhibition for Higher Education (something they plan to convene annually). It was part conference grappling with important, emerging trends in higher education and part expo that showcased more than 375 universities and organizations supporting higher education from more than 33 countries.
For Saudi Arabia, the conference was itself one of several “firsts.” Another was that young Saudi men and women attended the expo at the same time. To the untrained Western eye, seeing young Saudi men and women milling around the various university booths was very normal. To our Saudi colleagues however, it was a remarkable first. As one of the most religiously conservative Arab nations, Saudi Arabia traditionally maintains a separation between young men and women in public places. For this expo though, we understand King Abdullah declared that the event would be open to young men and women at the same time. The decision was widely seen as the latest effort by King Abdullah to continue the long-term transformation of Saudi Arabia into a post-oil “knowledge society.”
In his State of the Union Address last night, President Obama spoke about the many challenging issues confronting the American people, and it was clear that the economy was at the top of his list. He spoke of the need to maintain our competitiveness, encourage innovation, and invest in the skills and education of Americans. On competing in the global economy, President Obama said:
…Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China’s not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany’s not waiting. India’s not waiting. These nations aren’t standing still…They’re putting more emphasis on math and science. They’re rebuilding their infrastructure. They are making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs… As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, it’s time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.
Another thing these countries are doing is attracting talented people from around the world, recognizing that in a global economy, they can’t get the job done alone. Foreign talent contributes to innovation and technology research, spurs new ideas and new businesses, and creates jobs. The economic future of the United States is tied to effective immigration and visa reform that opens our doors to that talent. President Obama understands this. At his recent jobs summit at the White House, he said:
Last night, the Senate voted to reject Sen. Coburn’s (R-Okla.) amendment to H.J. Res 45 that would have rescinded $120 billion in federal funding across all agencies. NAFSA wants to thank each of you who took a moment to urge your senators to vote against this amendment. Among other things, Sen. Coburn’s amendment would have negatively impacted current funding for the Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program; the Defense Department’s National Security Education Program; the Department of Education’s Title VI and Fulbright Hays Programs; and the Office of International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation. Thanks in part to your phone calls, funding for these international education programs that are so valuable to students and campuses across the United States will not be affected.
On Friday, Senator Coburn (R-Okla.) offered an amendment to H.J.Res.45, a joint resolution that is currently being considered in the U.S. Senate to increase the statutory limit on the public debt. The amendment is cosponsored by Senators Enzi (R-Wyo.), LeMieux (R-Fla.), and McCain (R.-Ariz.). As one of its measures to limit government spending, the amendment requires all federal agencies to consolidate numerous programs, including several international education programs.
Among the programs targeted in the amendment are several that support international education opportunities for students and campuses in the United States, including: the Department of Education’s fourteen Title VI Programs and Fulbright Hays Programs; the Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program; the Defense Department’s National Security Education Program; and the Office International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation.
The Senate is scheduled to resume debate on H.J.Res.45 at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, and will vote on amendments tomorrow.
While it is unclear what chance this amendment has for passing, please don’t miss this great opportunity to educate your members of Congress about the importance of international education.
Please call your senators today! Sample talking points can be found on the Take Action Center.
The results are in! After tallying more than 1,300 votes and combining those with the votes from our expert panel of judges, NAFSA and Abroad View are pleased to announce Nicole Barrasse as the 2009 Student Diplomat. Congratulations, Nicole!
Nicole’s video tells an inspiring story of cultural understanding and global connections as she gives us a glimpse into her study abroad experience in the small agricultural village of Ladakh, India. Staying with a host family and spending her days farming and learning the local language and culture, Nicole viewed her classroom as the land and the community in which she lived. Nicole came away from this experience not only knowing much more about sustainable farming and the Ladakhi culture, but also understanding what it means to be a citizen of the world. “Ladakh has not only taught me life lessons, but also what it truly means to be connected to the world around you,” she says in her video.
NAFSA extends its deepest sympathies to our friend C. Peter Magrath on the loss of his wife Deborah Howell. Peter is known to many NAFSAns from his many years as president of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC, now APLU), and through his many contributions to the field of higher education. Deborah was killed January 1 when she was struck by a car while crossing a road in New Zealand, where the couple had been vacationing. She was 68.
Deborah Howell was a journalism pioneer, one of the first women to rise to the leadership of a large American newspaper. She became city editor of The Minneapolis Star (later the Star Tribune) at the age of 34, and four years later moved to its rival, The St. Paul Pioneer Press, where she served as managing editor and executive editor. During her time there, she oversaw two projects that led to the paper’s first two Pulitzer Prizes ever. In 1990, she became chief of the Washington bureau for the Newhouse newspaper chain, a post she held for 15 years. Her Newhouse staff also won a Pulitzer during her leadership. She served as ombudsman of The Washington Post from 2005 to 2008.
The Student Diplomat Video Contest – the first-ever such contest hosted by NAFSA and Abroad View magazine – has been a resounding success so far. Now it’s your turn to get involved. NAFSA and Abroad View have watched as students from across the country have shown us how their study abroad experiences have helped advance global understanding. We received dozens of entries and narrowed them down to five finalists.
We’re handing the contest over to you to vote on who you think should be named the next Student Diplomat. You have until January 15 to watch the five finalist videos and choose your favorite selection on the Official Contest Page.
In case you need a refresher, we asked participants to consider how their study abroad experience has shaped them as global citizens, served as a bridge to cross-cultural understanding, promoted peace, or positively impacted the local community in which they studied.
The winner selected by you and an expert panel of judges will be announced on Monday, January 18 and will receive a $300 cash prize and the title “2009 Student Diplomat.”
You’ve got 12 days to vote, so choose your winner today.
DeDe Long is NAFSA’s vice president for public policy and practice and chair of the Public Policy Committee of NAFSA’s Board of Directors. She is the director of study abroad and international exchange at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville.
As we approach the end of 2009, the buzz is growing in Washington, DC, about a coming debate on immigration reform. Meanwhile, President Obama recently signaled again his understanding of the importance of international education and the importance of U.S. openness to talent and students from other countries. At the closing of his jobs summit in Washington, DC, earlier this month, he said:
Our strength has always been saying yes to the rest of the world, inviting ideas and different cultures and commerce. And we have not seen the same kinds of openness, I think, over the last several years that I’d like to see. Now, we’ve got to do it in a prudent way, but let’s just take the example of foreign students. One of the great things about this country is we get the best and the brightest talent to study here, and once they study here they start enjoying the intellectual freedom and the entrepreneurship, and they decide to stay, and they start new businesses. And suddenly you’ve got a whole new generation of folks who are creating Intel or other extraordinary businesses. If those students start seeing a closed door, then we are losing what is one of our greatest competitive advantages, and that’s something that I think we’re committed to doing.
On the NAFSA blog, the importance and impact of international education are in the spotlight. Join the conversation. Take action to support public policies that promote a better world through educational exchanges. Discuss innovative approaches to making the college experience more international. Read more
The Student Diplomat Video Contest – the first-ever such contest hosted by NAFSA and Abroad View magazine – has been a resounding success so far. Now it’s your turn to get involved. NAFSA and Abroad View have watched as students from across the country have shown us how their study abroad experiences have helped advance global understanding. We received dozens of entries and narrowed them down to five finalists.
DeDe Long is NAFSA’s vice president for public policy and practice and chair of the Public Policy Committee of NAFSA’s Board of Directors. She is the director of study abroad and international exchange at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. 
