Once again, our group of higher education associations is jointly surveying its members/member institutions to gather data comparing this fall’s international student enrollments with last fall’s. The partner organizations are: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), American Council on Education (ACE), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), Institute of International Education (IIE), and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

The purpose of this survey is to obtain quick and early feedback on enrollment trends so far this academic year (starting in Fall 2014). By sharing this information (in aggregate form) with the international education community and the media, we hope to develop a wider understanding among the press, the general public, and policy makers at state and national levels, about how higher education institutions continue to be affected by the various factors which impact international enrollments.

If you do not yet have final fall registration figures, we ask that you provide your best early estimates. All institutional-level responses will be anonymous and only aggregate numbers will be shared. We ask for your contact information only to insure that no more than one reply is received per institution, and to facilitate follow up if there are any questions.

If you are not the best contact for this survey, please forward it to another colleague on your campus who may be able to complete it. 

A summary of the results will be posted on the websites of all the cooperating organizations on November 17, 2014, and also distributed to the media in a joint press release. We will send our members copies of the press release as well, in case your school wishes to tailor it for local media use, inserting your own enrollment figures and relevant quotes from campus officials. 

Please respond by October 17, 2014, so that we may include your responses in the findings that we report to the press and public during International Education Week in November 2014. 

 

Thank you very much for participating in this short survey, which should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, once you have gathered the relevant data. Comments or questions about the survey may be directed to: iieresearch@iie.org.

 

With thanks, in advance, for your support in getting this survey back to us quickly and for helping us gather valuable information for the field.

The fall 2014 IIENetworker magazine, titled "What Will it Take to Double Study Abroad?" is now available as a free interactive flipbook. This special edition of IIENetworker highlights current best practices and explores bold new ideas to help IIE reach its Generation Study Abroad commitment—to double the number of Americans who study abroad.

 

The magazine features a breadth of perspectives that reflect the many pieces of the puzzle. Articles focus on high-potential areas of growth in study abroad, including STEM programs, co-curricular programs, community college students, and gap years. Authors range from colleagues in university global offices to those in doctoral programs, not-for-profit associations, and governments. As the ultimate aim of Generation Study Abroad is to assure that every U.S. student has the opportunity to take part in an international experience, an entire section is devoted to views on how to expand diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, and academic disciplines.

 

IENetwork membership designees will receive a print copy in the mail. Print copies are also available for purchase. Past issues of IIENetworker are available in our digital edition archives.

Expanding Community College Enrollment in Education Abroad
By Rosalind Latiner Raby and Gary M. Rhodes

There’s Plenty of Room in the Co-Curricular
By James Paul Holloway and Amy Conger

U.S. Study Abroad: A National Imperative
By Heidi Manley

Diversity and Internationalization in Higher Education: Finding Common Ground to Increase Access to and Diversity in Education Abroad
By Lily Lopez-McGee and Eduardo Contreras Jr.

Reality Check: What the Numbers Tell us About What it Will Take to Double Study Abroad
By Christine A. Farrugia

Clare Banks, Senior Manager for IIE's Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education, shares reflections by Htoo Htoo Wah following four intense weeks as a visiting scholar at Northern Arizona University. Htoo Htoo Wah, head of the English Department at the Myanmar Institute of Theology, shares about U.S. higher education, Myanmar higher education, and the role of international exchange in bringing them closer together. "I feel that this experience at NAU will serve to develop many others in Myanmar, because they will benefit from my experience and expertise."

A research report by U.S.-based international research company Ambient Insight rates the top 10 countries with the highest eLearning growth rates in the world, seven of which are in Asia. The highest among them is Myanmar, with growth above 50 percent. The report also describes Africa as "the most dynamic eLearning market in the world," according to a University World News article on the report.

Wachira Kigotho shares highlights in University World News of a new UNESCO briefing report, Sustainable Development Post-2015 Begins with Education, which identifies tertiary education as a fundamental element towards progress in each of 16 proposed post-2015 global sustainable development goals. "The report highlights how higher education can reduce poverty, improve health, empower women and protect the environment," writes Kigotho.

World Education Services’ Chief Knowledge Officer, Rahul Choudaha, explains in University World News how the traditional segment of Indian students coming to the United States is changing. "Soon, an emerging segment of Indian students will not only aspire to global education but will also have the ability to afford the experience. This will present new opportunities for institutions interested in engaging with India," writes Choudaha.

Jan Petter shares highlights in University World News of a study commissioned by the Norwegian government, which, "provides in-depth analysis of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the World University Rankings produced by Times Higher Education, and discusses the Leiden ranking on publication performance." According to Petter, the report (in Norwegian only) concluded that the placement of Norwegian universities in global rankings in relation to others were based heavily on "subjective weightings of factors" and on "dubious data." 

On the occasion of its 2014 Centennial anniversary, Carnegie Council has facilitated a multi-year exploration of a "global ethic." These activities will culminate in a week of events in New York City, including a day of workshops at City College of New York on October 16, 2014, which Carnegie Council is designating as its inaugural Global Ethics Day.

Academic institutions around the world are encouraged to use this day to hold their own events, such as lectures, film screenings, debates, panel discussions, or another educational activity to explore a "global ethic" as well. In the tradition of a "teach-in" model, these events would be run by each institution as it sees fit while being part of a worldwide Global Ethics Day.

Carnegie Council will promote your activities on its website and share any resources that are created among its Global Ethics Network. Course and lecture ideas can be found on Carnegie Council's website. Carnegie Council's Ethics on Film series is also a great resource for teaching suggestions connected to popular movies.

If you plan to hold a Global Ethics Day event, please contact Jenna Zhang at jzhang@cceia.org.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is delighted to invite you to nominate your program for the 2015 Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education. IIE created these awards to honor outstanding initiatives in international higher education by IIENetwork member universities and colleges. IIE's Heiskell Awards showcase the most innovative and successful models for internationalization of campuses, study abroad, and international exchange partnerships in practice today. There are four award categories for 2015: Internationalizing the Campus, Study Abroad, International Partnerships, and Internationalizing the Community College. 

Read more about the award categories and download the application at: www.iie.org/Who-We-Are/IIENetwork-Membership/Heiskell-Awards. 

If you have any questions about nominating for the Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education, please an e-mail to HeiskellAwards@iie.org.

Through the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (S-I-R) Program, U.S. colleges and universities collaborate with scholars from other countries to assist in internationalizing U.S. campuses, curriculum and communities. Fulbright S-I-Rs teach primarily on the undergraduate level and provide a cross-cultural or international perspective to promote curriculum and program development. In addition, Fulbright S-I-Rs are expected to engage in both on-campus and community activities throughout the program’s duration. U.S. colleges and universities apply to host a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence for either one semester or an academic year. The Scholar can be in most academic disciplines provided that the courses taught offer an international perspective. Institutions can propose a specific candidate by name, or the program can work with U.S. Embassies and Fulbright Commissions abroad to recruit a scholar whose background is appropriate for the proposed activities.

Your institution is invited to learn how S-I-R can help advance its international presence, assist in faculty and curriculum development, and diversify the educational experiences of its students, scholars and surrounding community. Any accredited U.S. institution of higher learning is eligible to apply, but preference is given to Minority Serving Institutions, small liberal arts colleges and community colleges.

To learn more about the program, visit our website, which includes examples of previous S-I-R projects, application instructions, and a program timeline.

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 eca.state.gov/fulbright.

The Institute of International Education has extended the deadline to apply to be a Partner Organization for the EducationUSA Leadership Institutes. Accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institutions (non-profit and for-profit), U.S. higher education associations, university systems, consortia, and qualified entities that meet provisions in IRS section 26 USC 501(c)(3) are invited to submit proposals to be a Partner Organization for the first round of EducationUSA Leadership Institutes, a new initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ EducationUSA Advising Network. The new deadline for proposals is October 6th.

Partner Organizations will develop and manage the EducationUSA Leadership Institutes for 12-15 mid- to upper-level foreign college or university administrators, Ministry of Education or other government officials, or other qualified participants from select countries and world regions. Each Leadership Institute is comprised of a pre-departure virtual training component, a DC-based orientation, a two-week academic residency component in the United States, a four-month virtual follow-on component, and other follow-on activities. Additional program details and application instructions can be found in the Request for Proposal.

This first round of EducationUSA Leadership Institutes will focus on three key focus areas: (1) Quality Assurance and Accreditation; (2) Industry-Private Sector Linkages & Innovation; and (3) Campus Internationalization: Institutional Structures that Provide the Capacity to Support In and Outbound Student Mobility. The Request for Proposals, which includes instructions for submission, can be downloaded here.

For more information, please contact Clare Banks, Assistant Director, International Partnerships & IIE Initiatives cbanks@iie.org / 212-984-5481.

 

IIE professionals share their stories in a brand new Generation Study Abroad video. "Study abroad is the methodology by which you take something out of a book and you actually live it," said Schuyler Allen. Asked to sum up their study abroad experience in one word, they said, "multidimensional," "eye opening," and "transformational."

Dr. Alison Bernstein, Director of the Rutgers University Institute for Women’s Leadership, calls on the international academic community to join over 300 universities around the world that have provided respite and relief to threatened scholars. Since making a commitment in 2013 to host annually an IIE-SRF scholar, Rutgers University has hosted three scholars from Ethiopia, Iran, and Iraq.