In a recent article in Diplomatic Courier, IIE President Allan Goodman states that, "learning, research, institution-building, and community engagement have become top priorities for many governments across Latin America in the past ten years, and an emphasis on international study as a means to advance national economic growth has been one of the keys to achieving these priorities." 

To read the full article, visit: www.diplomaticourier.com/news/opinion/1464. 

Raisa Belyavina, Senior Research Officer with IIE’s Center for Academic Mobility Research, asks in IIE’s Opening Minds blog, "What Will 2015 Mean for Higher Education?"

"When the current Education for All (EFA) goals expire in 2015, the pendulum of global funding for education may swing in the direction of higher education. The EFA movement—supported for over a decade by more than 160 countries and coordinated by UNESCO—has a lofty goal to "provide quality basic education for all children, youths and adults by 2015." EFA is aligned with the educational components of the Millennium Development Goals, which include universal primary education and gender parity and empowerment of women. Higher education has not been a target of these development goals," Belyavina writes. 

To read the full blog post, visit: www.iie.org/Blog/2013/May/UNESCO-MDG-Higher-Education. 

Being in contact with international students not only improves American students’ foreign language and cultural skills but also has a positive impact on their cognitive development, Businessweek reports citing a recent study run out of Duke University. The study—which is based on a 2005 online survey conducted among 5,600 members of the graduating classes of 1985, 1995 and 2000 from four highly selective U.S. institutions—revealed that those American students who often interacted with international students acquired more skills than those who did not have a comparable amount of such interactions.

Although this article focuses mainly on the effects of international interaction within business schools, the message can be applied to various types of schools. The article suggests that interaction with international students should be integrated into the curriculum, noting that it is not enough to simply have international students enrolled at a school, and that "about 25 per cent of the survey respondents reported having little or no interaction with international students." 

To read the full study, click here.

The State Department’s EducationUSA network promotes U.S. higher education to international students and encourages Americans to study abroad. During the EducationUSA Forum in Washington, DC, June 26-28, EducationUSA advisers, regional coordinators, and State Department staff will share insights and best practices with U.S. higher education representatives on opportunities to increase international student mobility. 

EducationUSA invites the U.S. higher education community to contribute insights from U.S. admissions professionals of the countries likely to send increasing numbers of students to the United States. To contribute your insights (anonymously) and explore the results, U.S. colleges and universities are invited to complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/CountryTrends.

You are invited to join the EducationUSA Pavilion at the 25th Annual European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from September 10-13, 2013.

 

EAIE is expecting its biggest conference ever, with over 4,000 higher education professionals from 80 countries and 350 exhibitors. Following successful efforts in previous years, EducationUSA has reserved 40 square meters in 2013.

 

Accredited U.S. colleges and universities as well as study consortia are welcome to join to: 

• Showcase their institutions and programs at Europe’s largest higher education conference
• Actively promote U.S. study to the European audience
• Meet current and potential partners
• Attend the 20+ networking events at the conference

EducationUSA staff will be present at the pavilion at all times to assist participants in promoting educational opportunities in the United States, and to facilitate meetings.

 

The deadline to register is July 12, 2013 and space is limited. For more information and to register, please visit: www.educationusa.info/conferences/eaie-2013 or contact Nora Nemeth at EducationUSA in Europe at nnemeth@educationusa.info.

Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) is pleased to announce its line up for the upcoming 47th Annual Conference in Vancouver. The conference theme is Education for a Better World: Our Global Social Responsibility. Over 50 concurrent sessions are available to delegates covering diverse topics such as:

• Recruitment
• Admissions and marketing
• Student Services
• Leadership internationalization
• Social media for institutions
• Global citizenship
• Future of International education

To view the full conference lineup and to register, visit: www.cbie-bcei.ca/events/2013-annual-conference/sessions/. 

The Institute of International Education is pleased to announce the launch of the Indigenous Biocultural Exchange Fund (IBEX Fund), a new project administered by the Global Learning Programs Division and supported by The Christensen Fund. This initiative makes financial support available to indigenous peoples and members of the local traditional communities to attend a global biocultural event/exchange or meeting of international significance which impacts the applicant’s home territory or region.

The IBEX Fund will help to defray costs, which include international airfare, hotel/lodging, conference fees, meals, incidentals, local transportation, visa fees, and travel insurance. 

The applicant must be Indigenous or a member of a local traditional community. Additional preference will be given to: women, youth and first time travelers (or to those applying with an organization to support a first time traveler). 

For additional information and to apply, please visit: www.iie.org/ibexapply or send questions to IBEX@iie.org. 

 

The Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Colombia has announced a new Innovation and Technology Award through a partnership with Colciencias, the Colombian Government’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation.

 

Colciencias supports the advancement of public policies to promote the development and transmission of knowledge in the areas of science and innovation. By building capacity and promoting the exchange and movement of this knowledge, Colciencias aims to strengthen the development of Colombia and its citizens.

Up to five grants are available for U.S. academics and professionals in the areas of energy, water resources, biotechnology, nanotechnology, infrastructure, health, transportation and urban development, agriculture, agro ecology, information technology, aerospace, and security technologies. The Colombia-U.S. Fulbright Program welcomes applications from both junior and tenured scholars interested in conducting research and teaching at the undergraduate or graduate levels. Short-term Flex grants of one- to three-month segments over two consecutive years are possible with the prior arrangement with the host institution. Fluent Spanish is preferred for all positions, however, English-only is accepted in some instances.

 

The 2014-15 Fulbright U.S. Scholar competition deadline is August 1, 2013.

 

For more information or to apply, please go to www.iie.org/cies or contact Katrin DeWindt at kdewindt@iie.org.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange activity sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), brings accomplished mid-level professionals from designated countries to the U.S. for an academic year of non-degree study and practical experience. Fellows are placed according to their professional field in groups of seven to fifteen at universities around the country.

In 2013, IIE is inviting proposals from universities interested in hosting a group of Humphrey Fellows in the fields of educational administration, planning and policy/higher education administration and agricultural/rural development and natural resources, environmental policy and climate change. The proposal deadline is October 1, 2013. Proposals will undergo competitive review, including external peer evaluation.

Universities selected to serve as host campuses for the Humphrey Fellowship Program will be eligible to receive a group of Fellows starting in academic year 2014-15, renewable over the following four academic years. 

For more information, please visit the Humphrey Fellowship Program website at www.humphreyfellowship.org or contact Amy Nemith, Assistant Director, Humphrey Fellowship Program, at anemith@iie.org.

From 19-22 June, IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund will be participating in the Global Challenges and Opportunities Facing Children, Youth and Families conference at Wheelock College in Boston as part of its 125th anniversary celebration. Addressing three interwoven strands of importance to the global community: education, health, and human rights, the conference will feature advocates, educators, political leaders, and the heads of non-profits and NGOs from around the world both as speakers and attendees.

Five IIE-SRF scholars and alumni will be presenting papers on different panels, including: HIV/AIDS and their Impacts around the World; Violence and Mental Health; Education and Human Rights; and Prostitution, Trafficking and Human Rights. 

A key event at the conference will be the IIE-SRF University and College Partnerships breakfast on Friday, June 21. IIE-SRF Executive Director Jim Miller will moderate a panel discussion about the role and value of the program and the impact that participation from academic and donor communities has on human rights, scholarship and families. IIE-SRF alumni from Iran, Iraq and Kyrgyzstan will be participating in the panel alongside James McCarthy, president of longtime IIE-SRF host partner Suffolk University.

The IIE-SRF scholars’ participation in this event was made possible by the Hite Foundation Chair for Communications of the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund.