Friday, March 9, 2012

The Institute of International Education will host the 7th Annual Best Practices in Internationalization Conference at the IIE headquarters in New York City on March 9, 2012. Leading experts in the field and the winners of the 2012 Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education will present successful strategies for internationalizing the campus. The conference will focus on themes such as internationalization strategies, expanding participation in study abroad, and building international partnerships.

Even though registration has closed for the Best Practices Conference, IIE encourages you to follow the conference on our Twitter feed (@iieglobal) and on Facebook. We will be updating both accounts throughout the day.

To learn more about the Best Practices Conference and to download the conference brochure and agenda, please visit: www.iie.org/bestpracticesconference2012.

June 1–15, 2012
Middle East
Deadline for Submission: Monday, March 12

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is calling for expressions of interest from qualified professors to serve as the 2012 Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Faculty Advisor.

The Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project provides an opportunity for high-achieving U.S. undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and faiths to develop their leadership skills and gain firsthand experience with dialogue efforts in the Middle East. Following an orientation session in Washington, DC, students engage in a two-week study-tour in three Middle Eastern countries, where they meet with leaders and organizations representing a range of viewpoints. The 2012 program will take place from June 1–15, 2012. More information can be found at www.iie.org/ibrahimproject.

The Faculty Adviser will participate with the group in all program components—from pre-departure preparation to traveling on the in-country program—and will play an active role in deepening the impact of the study-tour by delivering three to four lectures on the Middle East and facilitating reflective discussion among the students.

Prospective Faculty Advisors are asked to submit a 1-2 page expression of interest on university letterhead explaining why they are interested in serving as the 2012 Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Faculty Advisor. Prospective Faculty Advisors must have a valid U.S. passport to apply.

Expressions of interest are due to IIE no later than 5:00pm on Monday, March 12. Please email expressions of interest and a C.V. to ibrahimproject@iie.org with the subject line: "Expression of Interest for 2012 Ibrahim Project."

EducationUSA proudly announces its first Facebook app: "Your 5 Steps to U.S. Study." This "gamified" advising adventure is a cutting-edge immersion experience that allows international students to learn about the steps needed to study in the United States. This platform delivers information in exciting new ways to help international students make the journey of a lifetime.

Developed in part by a former international student from India, the app has a unique 3-D environment that provides detailed content in a user-friendly manner and allows users to share their progress through the 5 Steps with their Facebook friends.

To visit the Facebook page for this EducationUSA app, please click here. To launch the application itself (Facebook login required), please click here.

Questions regarding the application and/or the development of this project can be directed to Marty Bennett, Outreach Coordinator, Global EducationUSA Services at the Institute of International Education.

An article in University World News reported on the speech that Olugbemiro Jegede, Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities, gave at the Weaving Success book launch at the Institute of International Education. This event commemorated the launch of Weaving Success: Voices of Change in African Higher Education, a new publication that tells of innovation and change across campuses and national boundaries. IIE convened this event on behalf of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, an unprecedented collaboration between seven major U.S. foundations to support African higher education institutions in building capacity and training the next generation of scholars, public servants, and entrepreneurs. In his speech, Jegede argued that within five years the number of private universities in Africa is likely to outstrip public institutions.

To read the full article, please visit: www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120302141207184. To learn more about the event that IIE hosted for Weaving Success, please visit: www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Events/2012/Weaving-Success.

A new report published by World Education Services and entitled New Trends in International Student Mobility examines the trends and issues related to international student enrollment in order to help institutional administrators make informed decisions and effectively set priorities. The report was authored by Rahul Choudaha and Li Chang. According to the report, "current trends indicate that Fall 2012 enrollment will display a healthy growth in the U.S., not just because of the growing demand from China and Saudi Arabia, but also due to the renewed interest among Indian students and the emergence of Brazil."

To download the report, please visit: www.wes.org/ras/TrendsInInternationalStudentMobility.pdf.

UNESCO: International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) has released the report Trade in Higher Education: The Role of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). After taking stock of the globalization and internationalization processes of higher education, this report discusses how GATS would apply to higher education, the pros and cons of introducing such agreements, the consequences it would have for a developing country like India, and implications for policy development.

To download the report, please visit: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002149/214997e.pdf.

People’s Daily reports that the number of foreign students who studied in China increased 10 percent in 2011. According to the Ministry of Education, "there were 292,611 foreign students from 194 countries and regions studying in 660 universities, institutes and other academic organizations of China."

To read the full article, please visit: http://english.people.com.cn/203691/7745000.html.

Internationalization: Essential Building Block to Quality in 21st Century Education
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
April 25-28, 2012

The second edition of the Conference of the Americas on International Education (CAIE) will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from April 25-28, 2012. The Conference will focus on the importance of developing academic collaboration in the Americas and the need to promote extensive linkages in higher education within the parameters of new trends of the 21st century. CAIE aims to promote an Inter-American exchange space for leaders of higher education institutions, to discuss priority issues concerning the internationalization of higher education, as well as the management of its quality. This event provides a dynamic forum where the different parties involved may explore the benefits of mutual collaboration.

Who Should Participate
This event is addressed to presidents, vice-presidents and associate vice-presidents responsible for international relations, directors of international education, international liaison officers, international student advisors, exchange directors, professors and others who plan and deliver international partnership activities, and who may be attached to colleges, universities, national and regional organizations, or government ministries.

Registration
The registration fee covers the costs associated with the production of the program, the conference badge and bag, participation in conference related social events, three lunches, and coffee breaks. Please register online at: https://www.metaeventos.net/inscricoes/index.php?id=445.

For inquiries about registration or the conference in general, please contact: caei@oui-iohe.org or visit http://caie-caei.org/?page_id=735.

Higher Education and the Global Agenda – Alternative Paths to the Future
November 27-30, 2012
Puerto Rico
Deadline for Submission of Abstracts: March 31, 2012

The International Association of Universities (IAU), in collaboration with the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, will hold its 14th General Conference from November 27-30, 2012, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 14th General Conference has, as its theme, Higher Education and the Global Agenda: Alternative Paths to the Future. IAU encourages individuals to submit a proposal for organizing, in collaboration with IAU, a concurrent session addressing a topic related to one of the three sub-themes of the conference, which focus on the following three questions:

1. Are higher education institutions addressing and contributing to the challenges facing humanity?
2. How and where are current dominant funding models steering higher education and research?
3. Is globalization setting a new agenda for the internationalization of higher education?

If interested in developing a concurrent session, please send a brief description of the topic and key questions that would be addressed and how the session links to the overall program to iau@iau-aiu.net. Please indicate potential speakers, keeping in mind that IAU is a global association and emphasizes hearing from a multiplicity of perspectives. The proposal, not longer than one page, should be sent to IAU no later than March 31. 

For more information, please visit www.iau-aiu.net.

Application Deadline: March 15, 2012

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recently announced that TechWomen—an international exchange that uses technology as a means to empower women and girls worldwide—is now accepting applications from American women in the technology sector to serve as professional and cultural mentors.

In September 2012, these American "TechWomen" will mentor 42 women from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen during a five-week program at U.S.-based technology companies in Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more about serving as a TechWomen mentor, please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrjcaFmgw64.

Following the U.S. portion of the exchange, U.S. mentors will travel to Jordan and Tunisia to conduct workshops and follow-on training for women in the technology sector and young girls who have expressed an interest in pursuing a tech-based career.

Launched by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2011, TechWomen builds on her vision of "smart power" diplomacy. It embraces the full range of diplomatic tools, in this case technology, to bring people together for greater understanding and empower women and girls worldwide.

The U.S. Department of State partners with the Institute of International Education and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. It is a public-private partnership in which more than 20 leading U.S. companies participated by hosting international TechWomen during the 2011 inaugural program.

Candidates may apply at www.techwomen.org/get-involved/.

The Government of Indonesia provides funding to American students to study Indonesian language and culture at universities in Indonesia. American students may apply now to receive the Darmasiswa Scholarship, and we encourage U.S. institutions to promote this opportunity to students. Students may apply for one year, six months, or three months of study in Indonesia. The scholarship provides free tuition (including fees) at an Indonesian university as well as a monthly living stipend of 2,000,000 rupiah (roughly US$225).

More information can be found from the Darmasiswa website: http://darmasiswa.kemdiknas.go.id/v2/.

Application Deadline: April 20, 2012

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces a competition for grants to support the development of programs for U.S. undergraduate study abroad through exchanges of faculty, administrators, or students that are designed either to expand the capacity of the U.S. recipient organization to administer study abroad programs or to expand the capacity of partner institutions in eligible foreign countries to provide academic programs for U.S. undergraduate students. The deadline to apply is April 20, 2012.

For general details about the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Undergraduate Study Abroad, please visit: http://exchanges.state.gov/media/pdfs/rfgps/undergrad-rfgp.pdf. For program objectives, goals, and implementation, please visit: http://exchanges.state.gov/media/pdfs/rfgps/undergrad-pogi.pdf. And for instructions and mandatory applications forms, please visit: http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/instructions.html.

An article in University World News reports on the Global Engagement and Learning Program between Victoria University (VU) and University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). This program received a "Honorable Mention" in the category of International Partnerships in IIE’s annual Andrew Heiskell Awards. The article reports that there are three pillars to the innovative partnership between VU and UTEP: global learning community, student employment and exchange, and library exchange. According to the authors of the article, Susan Young of VU and Stephen Riter of UTEP, the "driving principles [of the partnership] are that there is mutual benefit, that knowledge exchange and growth will enhance the operations of each university and that the students will have an enhanced international experience."

To read the full article, please visit: www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120228145737465.

IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) invites academic partners across the globe to join their efforts to assist scholars under threat.

SRF is currently looking to secure academic positions for the scholar-grantees listed in the table below. If your institution is interested in hosting any of these scholars and would like more information (including CVs, references, publications, or articles), please contact the Scholar Rescue Fund at SRFinfo@iie.org.