The Institute of International Education’s Center for International Partnerships is pleased to announce a new partnership initiative in Burma. Over the course of six months, the IAPP Burma Program will engage a group of U.S. higher education institutions in a number of training activities focused on understanding the Burmese higher education system and addressing key academic partnership sectors, including business, health, and capacity-building. 

Since 2009, IAPP has engaged more than 50 U.S. higher education institutions in comprehensive programs aimed at increasing the number of partnerships between U.S. higher education institutions and their counterparts abroad. Past participants have increased their faculty exchanges, implemented institutional strategic plans, and expanded study abroad offerings within India. If you are interested in participating in this program, please contact Clare Banks at cbanks@iie.org or visit www.iie.org/iapp.

Application Deadline: September 17, 2012 

Program Cycle: November 2012–April 2013 

Study Tour to Burma: March 2013 (tentative) 

Program Cost: IIENetwork members $11,000/Non-members $10,000. This includes all in-country costs for one representative from your institution to travel on the delegation to Burma, not including international airfare. 

1. Strategic planning process, including guidelines for assessing on-campus international partnership capacity and developing practical strategic plans for partnership activities in the focus country. 
2. Expert advice and guidance on developing or expanding a strategic plan for partnerships with the focus country by one of the members of the IAPP Advisory Board and IIE staff in the United States and abroad. 
3. A study tour/delegation to the focus country that will include visits to select higher education institutions, the Ministry of Education, the U.S. Embassy, and other educational exchange organizations. All in-country expenses for one representative from each institution will be covered as part of the program fees. Participants are responsible for covering their international airfare. 
4. A series of training webinars, focused on topics such as implementing strategic partnerships, faculty engagement, developing a consolidated partnership strategy, and higher education in the focus country. 
5. A suite of information resources on the higher education system in the focus country, and IIE publications and policy research reports. 

For more information, or to download the IAPP Burma application, please go to: www.iie.org/iapp. If you have questions, please contact Clare Banks at cbanks@iie.org or +1 (212) 984-5481.

Research Universities and the Future of America, a new report from The National Academies Press, presents strategies for ensuring that U.S. universities continue to produce the knowledge, ideas, and talent that the United States needs to be a global leader in the 21st century. The report focuses on strengthening and expanding partnerships among universities and government, business, and philanthropy. It also offers 10 actions that Congress, the federal government, state governments, research universities, and others could take to strengthen the research and education missions of U.S. research universities, their relationships with other parts of the national research enterprise, and their ability to transfer new knowledge and ideas to those who productively use them in U.S. society and economy.

For more information and to download the report, please click here.

An article in Minnesota Daily reports that higher education institutions in Hong Kong have witnessed a significant increase in foreign applicants over the past year. Many of these foreign applicants have come from neighboring Asian countries, largely because of the potential for increased job opportunities after graduation.

To read the full article, please visit: www.mndaily.com/blogs/newsstand/2012/07/18/hong-kong-sees-surge-international-students.

Sri Lanka as an Education Hub for International Students, a World Bank-commissioned report by John Fielden and Jane Knight, explores how Sri Lanka can promote itself as a knowledge and education hub in the region. The report describes how Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates have developed their plans to be regional hubs. The lessons from these countries are that hubs cannot be developed without government funding upfront; that a concerted program by several government departments is required, as supportive policies are needed on matters such as visas, the qualifications framework, quality assurance, and work permits; and the overall objectives of the hub strategy must be clear.

To download the report, please click here.

An article in the Tampa Bay Times reports on the growing push at the University of South Florida (USF) to get their incoming undergraduate students to study abroad. In particular, USF is trying to convince undergraduates that study abroad experiences have the potential to make them more attractive to employers upon graduation.

To read the full article, please visit: www.tampabay.com/news/education/college/studies-abroad-burnish-university-of-south-florida-degree/1241626.

Community Colleges for International Development, Inc. (CCID) is a 36-year-old nonprofit international membership organization that supports the internationalization efforts of community and technical colleges and supports the development of the community college model around the world. CCID’s executive offices are on the campus of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

The Director of Advancement is responsible for strategic, organization-wide leadership and direction in the formulation, recommendation, implementation, control, and evaluation related to private sector resource development and marketing strategies. The Director is responsible for securing additional resources essential for supporting the organization’s mission and goals. The primary responsibilities include providing vision and leadership to the broad areas of developing and executing a plan for working with and on behalf of prospective donors; assisting with the development and execution of the major giving programs and campaigns; and assisting with the development, functions, and activities related to a marketing strategy that incorporates appropriate social media and is aligned with and supportive of fundraising activities. 

For more information on the responsibilities, expectations, and qualifications, and to apply, please visit: www.kirkwood.edu/site/index.php?p=18761&pos_id=520.

California State University, San Bernardino, will hold the Opening New Frontiers: US-India Cooperation in Higher Education Conference at the Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, California, on October 18-20, 2012. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum where American and Indian institutions can share best practices in establishing successful partnerships in the context of the Indian system of higher education and the changing political environment.

This conference will provide a platform for representatives from Indian and American institutions to share their perspective and the needs. Participation by representatives of the U.S. State Department, U.S. Department of Education, Institute of International Education, and U.S.-Indian Chamber of Commerce will provide a unique opportunity to place this type of cooperation in the larger context of the U.S.-India relationship. This conference will include paper presentations, roundtable discussions, and plenary speakers. 

The deadline to submit proposals is August 30. The early-bird registration deadline is September 15, 2012. For more information, please visit: http://cel.csusb.edu/us-india/.

The Forum on Education Abroad will host a workshop at the University of Illinois, Chicago, on The Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term Education Abroad Programs, with a specific focus on Standard 8: Health, Safety and Security. The session will be held on Wednesday, August 22, and the deadline to register is August 13.

The full-day workshop is designed to assist participants in developing short-term programs in accordance with the Forum's Standards of Good Practice for Short-Term Education Abroad Programs, as well as train participants to assess and improve short-term programs they either operate or send students on, by using the Standards and focusing specifically on issues surrounding health and safety. 

To register for this workshop, please visit: www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1115084. More information can be found at www.forumea.org/events.cfm.

The 2013 Association of International Education Administrator’s (AIEA) Conference will take place in New Orleans on February 17-20, 2013. The theme for the conference will be "Re-imagining Higher Education in a Global Context." The early conference registration deadline is December 14, 2012.

For more information, including how to submit proposals, please visit: http://aieaworld.org/events/2013-conference.htm. For questions, please contact aiea@duke.edu.

EducationUSA Training Institutes are intensive training and professional development programs that provide EducationUSA advisers with the knowledge and skills needed to enhance their effectiveness and build professional competency. Each two-week EducationUSA Training Institute is comprised of a Washington, DC-based workshop and an on-campus training element. 

The next on-campus portion of the EducationUSA Training Institute will focus on Level 1: Essentials of Advising, and will take place December 9-15, 2012. Accredited U.S. higher education institutions are invited to submit proposals to host the on-campus portion of the EducationUSA Training Institute. The deadline is September 14, 2012. 

The U.S. State Department-supported EducationUSA network actively promotes U.S. higher education around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about colleges and universities in the United States. For more information about EducationUSA, visit: www.educationusa.state.gov.

To download the December 2012 Level 1 proposal form, please visit: www.educationusa.info/conferences/workshop/professional_development.

The Institute of International Education is currently preparing the 2013 edition of its online directory Study Abroad Funding, which can be found at www.studyabroadfunding.org.

With hundreds of scholarship and grant listings, Study Abroad Funding is the most comprehensive directory for U.S. students to find funding for studying abroad. The website features detailed descriptions of study abroad scholarships, fellowships, grants, and paid internships for U.S. undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students. These are searchable by name, field of study, continent, and country. All listings are free of charge and provide an excellent opportunity to publicize your institution's programs. The deadline to add or update your programs is September 14, 2012.

Please take the opportunity to update your existing scholarship listings or to add new funding opportunities and scholarships.

For institutions whose listings already appear on the Study Abroad Funding website, we ask that you verify and update your listings and contact information or add new listings by visiting: www.naylornetwork.com/iiestab/. For questions about your password, please email jbunkin@naylor.com.

Institutions can also purchase Premier Listings, which offer heightened visibility on the Study Abroad Funding website by appearing in alphabetical order on top of all basic listings. Institions that opt for Premier Listings can also include an add-in video with their listing. For more information on Premier Listings, please email Jeff Bunkin at jbunkin@naylor.com.

Institutions whose listings do not appear on the Study Abroad Funding website can add their study abroad scholarships or grants that are available for U.S. students by visiting: www.naylornetwork.com/iiestab/Update.asp?NewRec=y.

With questions, please contact lepplin@iie.org.

The application deadline for the 2013-2014 Core U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program is rapidly approaching. Fulbright Scholar opportunities for faculty members, administrators, and professionals exist all around the globe. This year there are 6 regional and 143 country programs included in the competition and more than 500 awards in virtually every academic discipline.  The Fulbright Scholar program offers teaching, research, or combined teaching/research awards. The deadline to apply is August 1, 2012.

You can search for awards by country program and by academic discipline by visiting our online Catalog of Awards. In addition, helpful resources are available at www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/.  

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. For more information, visit fulbright.state.gov. The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by CIES, a division of the Institute of International Education.

For more information, program updates, and special features, read the new Fulbright Scholar Blog; follow the Fulbright Scholar Program on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+; or participate in the program's webinars.  

If you have any questions about the program, available opportunities, or the application process, please contact the U.S. program staff.  

The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) announces an open competition for the support of projects through the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative (OSI). Announced by the U.S. and Indian governments, OSI aims to strengthen collaboration and build partnerships between American and Indian institutions of higher education. Accredited U.S. postsecondary educational institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 U.S.C. 501©(3) may submit proposals to support the program’s goals of encouraging mutual understanding, facilitating educational reform, fostering economic development, and engaging civil society through academic cooperation with Indian postsecondary educational institutions. The deadline to submit proposals is November 1, 2012.

Exchange activities may include but are not limited to curriculum design, research collaboration, team teaching, focused series of exchanges, and seminars, among other activities. Activities should be designed to develop expertise, advance scholarship and teaching, and promote reliable, long-term communication between partner institutions. 

Proposals in the following fields are eligible: energy; sustainable development; climate change; environmental studies; education and educational reform; public health; and community development and innovation.

Full application details can be found at: www.usief.org.in/osi.

Over the past several months, the SRF Iraqi Scholar Lecture Series (ISLS) has filmed new lectures for distribution in Iraq and facilitated the live-streaming of lectures from the New York Institute of Technology in Amman, Jordan, to universities in Iraq. These new lectures cover topics in biotechnology, pediatrics, and food safety. Through these lectures, Iraqi universities can utilize valuable knowledge from the Iraqi professoriate living in the diaspora.  

To read more about the Iraq Scholar Lecture Series, please visit: www.scholarrescuefund.org/iraq/media/Iraq%20Scholar%20Lecture%20Series.pdf.

The SRF Iraq Project continues to seek a university partner in the United States or Europe to assist with the creation of an online catalog of lectures. Please contact SRFIraq@iie.org for further information.

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 fifth scholar to be featured is Professor Oleg Manaev, whose long career as a public opinion researcher and professor of social communication in Belarus made him a target of President Alexander Lukashenko’s repressive regime. After two years on an SRF fellowship at the University of Tennessee, he returned to Belarus to provide "unbiased and objective information to the public" through his teaching and involvement in the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS), which he founded in 1992. 

Read more about Professor Manaev’s story here: www.scholarrescuefund.org/pages/posts/oleg-manaev60.php.