A new IIE briefing paper, Investing in the Future: Rebuilding Higher Education in Myanmar, presents findings from a recent IIE delegation and includes observations on the context of higher education in Myanmar, an analysis of needs facing the sector, and recommendations to support partnerships and academic exchanges. The report is intended to provide policy makers, foundations, private sector corporations, and higher education professionals with an overview of potential areas for engagement; and will help facilitate the timely implementation of much-needed higher education capacity building activities that will be critical for the next phase of Myanmar’s economic development.

The report was released and discussed at a bi-national conference call co-hosted by IIE and the EducationUSA advising network on April 12 to discuss higher education cooperation between the U.S. and Myanmar. IIE President Allan Goodman moderated the discussion, and representatives of 50 U.S. colleges and universities called in to take part. 

Speakers included U Than Swe, Ambassador of the Union of the Republic of Myanmar in the U.S.; Meghann Curtis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Greg Beck, Deputy Assistant Administrator of Asia, USAID, and others.

During the call, educators and government representatives discussed some practical ways to engage faculty, connect with Myanmar universities, and begin to bring U.S. students to the country. Representatives of EducationUSA, the U.S. Embassy and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs provided guidance and discussed new Fulbright Scholar opportunities to enable U.S. faculty members to go to Myanmar, and several universities discussed their current plans to visit the country. IIE discussed preliminary plans for a new initiative to train university administers to help them develop international relations offices so they can better engage with higher education in other countries.

You can listen to a recording of the call and download the recent IIE report on IE's Myanmar call page. 

An article, "International Development and Higher Education: The Critical Role of Leadership Training," in the current edition of the IIENetworker magazine examines the importance of leadership for development. Everlyn Anyal of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program-Kenya, explains how developing potential through international education is a catalyst for social change. "Leadership is crucial in stimulating the economic, social and political changes that promote peaceful human development," she writes. "The ability of one person to influence the thinking and behavior of others to achieve shared objectives is the essence of individual leadership." 

The full spring 2013 IIENetworker is available as a free electronic flipbook. Print copies are also available for purchase at www.iiebooks.org/iienmag.html. 

Inside Higher Ed reports on a new working paper that found economic conditions are a critical factor in determining whether foreign-born science and engineering Ph.D. students stay in the United States after they graduate. The results showed that strong gross domestic product growth in the United States or weak growth in home countries influenced students’ decision to stay. 

Read more at Inside Higher Ed.  

The Institute of International Education invites you to attend a book launch event in celebration of The Raj on the Move: Story of the Dak Bungalow, the recent publication authored by Rajika Bhandari, Deputy Vice President of Research and Evaluation. The event will include a reading by the author and a moderated discussion with Wall Street Journal senior writer Vibhuti Patel, followed by a reception. 

RSVP at the event page.

Kindly RSVP to jakeley@iie.org.

The Whitaker International Program will host its Annual Grantee Enrichment Seminar in Budapest on April 23-27, 2013.  The Enrichment Seminar is an opportunity for grantees to present their research, meet their peers and network with the Whitaker International Program Steering and Review Committees.  Over 60 Whitaker Fellows and Scholars with projects around the world will be attending the seminar.     

Administered by the Institute of International Education, the Whitaker International Program sends emerging leaders in U.S. biomedical engineering (or bioengineering) overseas to undertake a self-designed project that will enhance their careers within the field.  For more information about the Whitaker International Program, please visit www.whitaker.org.

In conjunction with NAFSA’s annual conference, the Gilman Scholarship Program, the Boren Awards Program, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Whitaker International and Global Engineering Education Exchange (Global E3) Programs will hold a workshop at Saint Louis University on May 29, 2013.  There is no cost to attend this workshop.

The purpose of this workshop is to summarize the goals of each program, to review the application process and to provide tips on helping students submit competitive applications.

Sessions are scheduled as follows:

1:30-2:30 pm: Gilman Scholarships 

2:40-3:40 pm: Boren Awards 

3:50-4:50 pm: Fulbright U.S. Student Program 

5:00-5:30 pm: Whitaker International Program  and Global E3 Program 

While the workshops will take place alongside NAFSA’s conference, attendance is not restricted to conference participants, nor is the presentation affiliated with the conference. If you are aware of other individuals from your campus that may like to attend, please forward them this invitation.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by May 15. Please contact boren@iie.org with any questions regarding the workshop.  (Detailed information to follow for confirmed attendees.)

For more information or to download the application, please go to www.iie.org/usipsupport or email usipsupport@iie.org. 

The British Council has commissioned a study to analyze the impacts of transnational education. Transnational education refers to educational qualifications being delivered in a different country to the one where the awarding institution is based, e.g. a U.S. degree being delivered in China.The survey should  should take about eight minutes to complete and all responses will be treated in confidence.  Click to access the online survey. 

There has never been a better time to apply to the Fulbright Scholar Program in South and Central Asia. India has become the largest Fulbright Program in the world, with more opportunities for grants than any other country. The India program funds more than 80 grants annually for Americans to teach, conduct research, or do both, in virtually any academic discipline. Learn more about new initiatives this year, which include flex awards, postdocs and TEFL. The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, a division of the Institute of International Education.  

There are also short-term seminar grants for administrators to go to India in March 2014. These grants offer higher education administrators the opportunity to familiarize themselves with program designs, organizational structures, quality assurance procedures, and credit and degree expectations in Indian higher education. Participants will gain first-hand knowledge of a cross-section of Indian institutions and meet with high-ranking university administrators and public sector officials.

To learn more, view the archived webinars on Fulbright Opportunities in India and Fulbright Opportunities in South and Central Asia. The full schedule of upcoming webinars is available online.

Please distribute this announcement as widely as possible. Because applications are submitted by the individual rather than the institution, it is important that information about Fulbright options be shared.

For more information, please contact: Alexandra Squitieri at 202-686-6422 for short-term seminar grants, or Catherine Matto at 202-686-4020 for teaching and research grants.

IIE’s Center for International Partnerships has extended the deadline of the application for the 2013 International Academic Partnership Program in Vietnam to April 29, 2013. Since 2009, the IAPP program has experienced much success in international partnership building and looks forward to another successful cohort. If your institution is seeking to develop strategic institutional partnerships with higher education institutions in Vietnam, please consider applying for IIE's International Academic Partnership Program. For more information, please go www.iie.org/iapp or contact Clare Banks at cbanks@iie.org.