The Institute of International Education (IIE), in cooperation with IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF), held a conference on expanding academic partnerships between the United States and Iraq from June 27-29 in Erbil, Iraq. Approximately 180 Iraqi scholars, university presidents, vice presidents, deans, Iraqi government officials, U.S. Embassy officials, and international experts participated. This was the fourth in a series of seven conferences to be held by IIE and designed to engage key stakeholders in encouraging further major progress on higher education development efforts in Iraq.

Presentations and breakout sessions focused on topics such as: identifying needs and articulating partnership goals and strategies; developing policies and procedures for managing and funding partnerships and exchanges; creating effective and sustainable agreements and Memorandums of Understanding; and advancing curricular and teaching reforms as well as innovative research initiatives through strong partnerships. Different partnership models were examined, such as split-site Ph.D.s, joint and dual degree programs, research linkages, faculty development, institutional capacity building, and student and faculty exchanges.

In June 2011, IIE hosted its first major conference in Iraq on models and trends in contemporary higher education. That conference and a January 2011 conference in Amman, Jordan, were two of the largest gatherings of Iraqi university leaders in recent years. Earlier this year, IIE hosted a conference in Iraq focused on standards in quality assurance and accreditation. IIE and IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund plan to hold three additional conferences in Iraq over the next two years, focused on topics such as new methods of teaching and learning (including distance education), curriculum reform, and faculty development. The next event is scheduled for January 2013 and will focus on new approaches and methodologies of teaching. 

For more information, including key themes that emerged from the conference, please visit: www.iie.org/en/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Events/2012/IIE-Iraq-Conference-Expanding-Academic-Collaboration-2012.

An article in Inside Higher Ed examines the graduation and retention rates between students who study abroad versus those who do not. While the research is mixed, there were many studies that showed positive correlations between study abroad experiences and graduation rates. For example, at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, "institutional research shows that 64.5 percent of students who study abroad graduate in four years, compared to 41 percent of students who don’t; at the five-year mark the numbers increase to 90 percent for participants, and 58.6 percent for nonparticipants. At the University of California at San Diego, five-year graduation rates are 92 percent for study abroad participants, and 78 percent for nonparticipants."

To read the full article, please visit: www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/07/10/new-studies-link-study-abroad-time-graduation.

A blog post on the Council on Foreign Relations’ website considers how overseas scholarship programs in Saudi Arabia are exposing increasing numbers of Saudi students to new cultures and viewpoints. In particular, the King Abdullah Scholarship Program has sent more than 140,000 Saudi students abroad since its inception in 2005. "King Abdullah launched the scholarship program as a way of boosting the skills and capabilities of today’s large youth generation."

To read the full blog post, please visit: http://blogs.cfr.org/coleman/2012/06/26/saudi-arabias-study-abroad-program/.

An article in University World News examines the trend of universities across the world switching wholly or partly to teaching in English. "Chief among the reasons for the marked shift towards teaching in English, especially at postgraduate level, were improved graduate employment and mobility prospects and the need for graduates who can speak English for international trade. But there are also challenges, including a shortage of lecturers who are proficient in English, the costs involved and local resistance."

To read the full article, please visit: www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20120621131543827.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has released a report that examines how higher education leaders across the country have expanded global engagement and developed comprehensive internationalization strategies. Mapping Internationalization on U.S. Campuses assesses the current state of internationalization at American higher education institutions, analyzes progress and trends over time, and identifies future priorities. Survey data from U.S. institutions were collected in 2001, 2006, and most recently in 2011, when ACE surveyed 3,357 accredited, degree-granting institutions.

For more information and to download the report, please visit: www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Programs_and_Services&ContentID=45384.

The 2012 OECD Higher Education General Conference will take place in Paris, France, on September 17-19, and will focus on "Attaining and Sustaining Mass Higher Education." The goal of the conference is to identify long-term trends and will include analyses of national and institutional policies, case studies, and the latest research from the OECD and elsewhere. The conference will bring together many different perspectives and look at the issues at the international, national, institutional, or sub-institutional level.

For more information, please visit: www.oecd.org/document/28/0,3746,en_21571361_47736552_48215900_1_1_1_1,00.html.

The Economist, the authoritative source for business and financial insight and publisher of the full-time MBA ranking Which MBA?, will hold the Which MBA? Online Fair on September 5-6, 2012. If you are a potential MBA candidate, this free online event is your chance to connect with graduate business schools around the world. This fair brings you a unique forum to:

• Talk online with admissions officers from MBA programs around the world
• Broaden your perspective and learn how an MBA can help you take your career to the next level
• Gain insight into the MBA experience by chatting with alumni and watching webinars and videos
• Log in from anywhere and attend at your convenience

For more information and to register, please visit: http://registermbafair.whichmba.com/whichmba.

The IIE U.S. Higher Education India Fair Series, organized in partnership with the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (USIEF), provides a unique opportunity for U.S. colleges and universities to expand and widen their presence in India; and for students to learn about the wide variety of opportunities available to them. Colleges and universities interact face to face with thousands of qualified Indian students, expand academic exchanges by partnering with local institutions, and network with local Indian governmental officials and U.S. Consulate staff. The higher education fair in India helps build your institution’s name and profile in key cities in India in a well-planned sequence, timed to minimize your travel and maximize your impact. 

November 3: New Delhi

November 4: Bangalore

November 7: Hyderabad

November 10: Chennai

November 11: Mumbai

• Attend trustworthy, popular, strategically marketed, and well-managed events with great value to U.S. institutions
• Gain access to thousands of qualified Indian students through IIE’s local presence and reputation among education institutions
• Build a presence in all Indian fair host cities and work with alumni and local schools
• Connect with serious prospective Indian students and supportive parents
• Connect with local Indian schools and university representatives to gain additional access and outreach
• Meet with experts about scholarships, visas, and country briefings
• Register online quickly and easily
• Advertise in the Study America fair guide to expand your reach and visibility
• After the fair, IIE provides timely student contacts

IIE members receive a 10 percent discount at registration. The registration code for IIE members is IIEFALL2012. 

To register or to learn more about IIE Fairs, please visit: www.iie.org/fairs.

This year’s Forum on Education Abroad conference will address the interests of education abroad administrators and faculty who work and teach in Europe, as well as colleagues from the United States who work with European programs and universities. The common goal of the conference will be to share ideas for model practices for U.S. education abroad in Europe, including program design and curriculum, teaching, and a wide range of administrative issues and topics.

The Forum encourages session proposals from international education and faculty colleagues with experience in and knowledge of U.S. education abroad in Europe. Topics of interest may be divided into three areas: 1) Standards of good practice in the European context; 2) Innovation for education abroad in Europe; and 3) European education abroad as a model.

For more information, please visit: www.forumea.org/Dublin2012CallforProposals.cfm.

Share your knowledge and experience by submitting a proposal for NAFSA's 65th Annual Conference & Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 26-31, 2013. The 2013 Annual Conference Committee (ACC) is seeking proposals that are informative and relevant, encourage opportunities for engagement with the audience, and demonstrate application to the work of participants. The submission deadline is August 1, 2012.

To learn more about what the ACC is looking for and to improve your chances of developing a winning proposal, review the call for proposals and watch a tutorial on mastering the online proposal process at www.nafsa.org/annualconference/default.aspx?id=3199. For questions, please email proposals@nafsa.org.

To mark its 10th anniversary, IIE's Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) is featuring the inspiring stories of 10 threatened scholars whose lives and academic work have been saved by the Fund. 

The fourth scholar to be featured is Dr. Abbas Fadhil Ali, an accomplished Iraqi scholar in the field of dentistry. Dr. Abbas applied to SRF after he fled Baghdad with his wife and two daughters. Many of his colleagues had been killed or kidnapped after receiving written threats, and he feared for his and his family’s lives when he received a similar missive. After two years on a SRF fellowship at the University of Sinai, he was able to return to Iraq, where he is now Associate Professor in the College of Dentistry at the University of Baghdad.  

Read more about Dr. Abbas’s story here: www.scholarrescuefund.org/pages/posts/dr.-abbas-fadhil-ali59.php.