• Evan M. Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
• Allan Goodman, President and CEO, Institute of International Education
• Peggy Blumenthal, Senior Counselor to the President, IIE
• Rajika Bhandari, Deputy Vice President, Research and Evaluation, IIE
• Christine Farrugia, Sr. Research Officer, Center for Academic Mobility Research, IIE

Open Doors: Report on International Educational Exchange is published annually by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. For more information, including FAQs, press releases and data on international students in the United States and U.S. students abroad, visit the Open Doors website. Tweet using #opendoors2013. The new data will be published on the Open Doors website on November 11th. Visit the Open Doors website next week to see photos and a recording of the briefing and discussion.

Created in 2012 in partnership with Jusoor, the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), and the U.S. State Department’s EducationUSA-Syria advising office, the IIE Syria Consortium for Higher Education in Crisis convened nearly 40 universities last year to commit scholarships for threatened Syrian students.

IIE is pleased to report on the Consortium’s results in year one – 70 Syrian students arriving at 13 US university campuses this Fall, with scholarships worth over $2.3 million. With the crisis in Syria showing no signs of abating, it is clear that ongoing support is needed for Syrian students and scholars to continue their education and academic work.

All Consortium members will be eligible to apply for top-up grants of $5,000 - $10,000. In addition, in an effort to streamline and simplify the scholarship process, IIE and EducationUSA-Syria will provide basic pre-screening of Syrian student candidates.

For questions, please contact: SyriaSupport@iie.org

In an article featured in the fall 2013 IIENetworker magazine, Endika Bengoetxea urges Europe to capitalize on its strong academic and research institutions by focusing on creating a more innovative and entrepreneurial culture. Bengoetxea is senior education officer at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union that helps prominent organizations to work together to through international hubs called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC). Among other activities, KICs promote this culture by providing numerous education and training opportunities to foster mobility of European students and teachers. 

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A recent New York Times "Room for Debate" forum exposed a great deal of controversy surrounding study abroad. Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, co-author of A Student Guide to Study Abroad, responds to myths about study abroad in a recent Huffington Post article. Myths include:

• Study abroad costs too much.
• Traveling independently offers the same experience.
• Study abroad is only for language and international relations majors.

One year after President Enrique Peña Nieto has taken office, Mexico is assessing its progress in addressing important policy challenges, including global higher education competitiveness. A recent column in International Business Times reports on the Conference of the Americas on International Education (CAIE), held in Monterrey, Mexico, in October. One conference participant highlighted Mexico’s participation in the "100,000 Strong in the Americas"— an initiative of the U.S. Department of State to foster international exchanges within the Americas—as a significant step toward addressing this challenge.

An article in University World News discusses the impact of the Erasmus Mundus program. "Since 2004, the European Union has funded 138 Erasmus Mundus joint masters courses and 43 joint doctoral programmes involving almost 700 universities and more than 16,000 students, PhD candidates, and scholars. Independent evaluations have found that these joint degrees have had considerable added value for alumni when searching for employment."

The Washington International Education Council is pleased to invite IIE members to participate in the Conference taking place at the University of California Washington, DC Center and Embassies throughout Washington. The Conference is the premier event providing the latest information on the movement of international students to the United States. The Conference will feature meetings at the Embassies of Brazil, Indonesia, and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission as well as presentations by the leading authorities in international education. 

Registration forms are available at www.washcouncil.org or by emailing inquiries@washcouncil.org.

NACAC’s Executive Virtual Forums serve senior leaders within the postsecondary educational admission profession, including deans, directors, and enrollment managers. The opening forum addresses the role of international education programming in public diplomacy. Representatives from the U.S. Department of State share their perspective on student mobility and campus internationalization. The presenters will also discuss international students as leaders at home and abroad, as well as the impact these students and their mobility have on economics and trade. Linda Larson, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions/Senior International Specialist at the University of California-Berkeley, will offer her insight as well. In closing, the presenters will provide an overview of the services offered by EducationUSA, and other Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs programs.

The Institute of International Education is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 10th annual Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East. The prize recognizes outstanding work being conducted jointly by two individuals, one Israeli Jew and one Arab Muslim, whether or not a citizen of Israel, working together to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East. The two individuals whose work is judged to be most successful in bringing people together and breaking down the barriers of hatred will share a $10,000 prize.

To be eligible for the Prize, at least one of the nominated individuals must have visited the United States as a participant of any program administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), or any exchange program funded by any of IIE’s sponsors and administered by another organization. Alumni of the following IIE-administered programs, among others, are encouraged to apply: Fulbright Programs, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowships, International Visitor Leadership Program (formerly International Visitor Program, or IVP), State Department Middle East Partnership Initiative, Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program, Ford Foundation Global Travel and Learning Fund, and training programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Fulbright alumni and alumni of the Israel Arab Scholarship Program whose grants were administered by AMIDEAST are also eligible. Similarly, individuals who came to the United States under funding from the Ford Foundation or as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program are eligible even if they were participating in a program coordinated by another organization.

Nominations may be submitted by the individuals themselves or by a third party. The winners will be announced in the spring. Contact: GoldbergPrize@iie.org.

 

AIF Fellows and civil society leaders form dynamic partnerships where they exchange knowledge and skills and share a passion for social justice and economic development. The Fellowship creates a community of socially engaged, global citizens. Fellows return home transformed. Fellowship alumni are leaders in international development, human rights, social enterprise, public health, and other fields.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate a deep interest, passion, and commitment to social and economic development in India. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree and be between 21 and 34 years of age; he or she must be a U.S. or Indian citizen, or a U.S. permanent resident.

For inquiries, please contact fellowship@aif.org.

 

The Global Innovation Initiative (GII) is a joint effort of the United States and the United Kingdom to support multilateral research collaboration between universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and other designated countries.  GII, funded by the U.S. Department of State, UK Department of Business, Innovation, and Skills, and the British Council, will provide grants of up to $250,000 to university partnerships focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related issues of worldwide significance in the four areas of: energy, climate change and the environment; agriculture, food security and water; public health and wellbeing; and urbanization.

IIE is offering online informational webinars to assist applicants as they begin the U.S. grant competition proposal process. Grant administrators from IIE will provide a brief overview of the initiative, address any frequently asked questions, and take questions from the audience. The November 13th webinar has reached capacity and registration is now closed. Registration for the November 13th webinar is still open.

Important note: The webinar platform has a capacity limit of 100 and registration will close once this limit is hit. Those who are unable to attend either webinar will be able to access the recorded sessions at www.iie.org/gii or send additional questions to gii@iie.org.

 

Applications are open for the Study Scholarship of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Study Scholarships provide highly qualified individuals with an opportunity to do independent study in Germany at the Master's level or to complete a full Master's degree program at a German university.

Please direct all queries to daadny@daad.org or (212) 758-3223.

Leslie Foreman studied abroad in Chile when she was 21 years old. Eight years later she looks back at this life changing experience. "[A Student Guide to Study Abroad] would have been an especially useful resource," says Leslie. "It’s a practical guide that covers just about everything a student needs to know about study abroad."

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