Yojana Sharma’s article in University World News tracks Asia’s trajectory as an emerging powerhouse in higher education and takes a critical look at its future standing as a global competitor. Drawing from arguments forwarded by the authors and editors of a recent book by IIE and the AIFS Foundation, Asia: The Next Higher Education Superpower?, Sharma depicts a region with numbers on its side, including heavy national investments in education, but with several obstacles and challenges "that could scupper its emergence."

Jonathan Lembright, Regional Director of IIE-Southeast Asia gives a snapshot of a "rising Southeast Asia" and offers practical information on if or how to be invested in this unique area of the world. "The total number of ASEAN students going abroad has increased by more than 40 percent since 2006 (higher growth than Brazil and India)," writes Lembright. "Economic growth is a primary driver of student mobility in the region."

Daniel Obst, IIE Deputy Vice President, shares about a new virtual exchange program, My Town, which engages secondary students from around the world in a dialogue about their home towns. My Town is structured around interactive, competitive projects that explore and share features of each other’s community. "This innovative program represents a promising new development in international exchange," writes Obst. "Virtual exchanges can significantly expand the reach of global youth engagement."

Daniella Kaisth’s introductory article in the newly released IIENetworker magazine calls for increased support for education in crisis by the international education community. "Education at all levels must be protected during war for the vital role that it plays in preserving leadership, stabilizing societies, and, once conflict subsides, rebuilding peaceful and prosperous communities," writes Kaisth. She lists recent efforts to help described throughout the magazine, but suggests that we can do even more by replicating and scaling up these initiatives.

This job opening is based in IIE’s office in Washington, DC. The position is responsible for overseeing management reporting, the budgeting process for the organization, identifying issues and providing recommendations to improve business and financial performance. The Director of Budget and Finance will support the CFO in initiating, monitoring and reviewing all budgeting, forecasting and management reporting and work very closely with Directors and Finance and Administrative staff for the various program areas. Work is carried out independently under general supervision.

A new study from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) finds linkages between education and employment in every world region and underscores why the question of education-employment links is so compelling today. — ICEF Monitor

Jamaal Abdul-Alim shares tangible advice delivered by leaders at three higher education institutions recognized at last week’s IIE Best Practices Conference for boosting the number of their students studying abroad. — DiversEducation.com

While the United States is a clear winner, next to China, a number of universities from other countries "appear to be increasing their number of applications at faster rates than their American counterparts." — Inside Higher Education

Professor Phillip Clay, speaking during the African Higher Education Summit in Dakar, urges Africa to invest in talent in order to reap the demographic dividend of its young population. — University World News

The Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) announces the inaugural AIEA SIO (Senior International Officer) Academy for May 11-15, 2015, at Duke University. The Academy is for university leaders tasked with comprehensive internationalization at their institution and who are in the first five years in their positions. There is a competitive application process and the Academy is limited to 17 participants.

The International Student Census Survey, which captures fall 2014 data on international students in the U.S., is part of the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. The Open Doors report, supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, has long been regarded as the authoritative source for statistical data on international student flows to the U.S. IIE’s research team relies on the efforts of dedicated individuals from each U.S. institution to help keep these statistics as current and accurate as possible. 

If you have any questions about the survey, need to update your institution’s contact or require login information, please send an email to iieresearch@iie.org or call (212) 984-5554.

The U.S. Study Abroad Survey captures data on U.S. students traveling abroad for academic credit and is part of our annual Open Doors report on International Educational Exchange. The compilation of data published in Open Doors is only possible with the assistance of international education and other higher education professionals at institutions throughout the United States who voluntarily provide their data for aggregate reporting in Open Doors. 

For more information about Open Doors and to access data highlights, visit our website at www.iie.org/OpenDoors. To access survey worksheet and instructions please visit www.iie.org/surveyforms. 

If your institution does not currently participate in the survey, and wishes to do so, please contact us at IIEResearch@iie.org, and we will gladly add your institution to IIE's Open Doors database. To ensure our survey invitations continue to reach your inbox, please add IIEResearch@iie.org to your address book and reach out to us once the contact information needs to be updated.

The WISE Prize for Education recognizes an individual or a team of up to six people for an outstanding contribution to education. Established by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, this prize is the first global distinction to recognize an outstanding, world-class contribution to education. The achievements of the nominated individual or team should have had a significant and lasting impact upon education at any level and should demonstrate an inspiring and visionary approach. WISE welcomes nominations by individuals or institutions—including schools, international organizations and private companies—from anywhere in the world.

IIE is pleased to announce a new competition of the Richard A. Horovitz Fund for Professional Development for the 2015-16 academic year. The Horovitz Fund is dedicated to African artists and scholars in the humanities and social sciences. 

Award winner(s) receive funds to defray educational costs for one academic year and may be used to cover thesis research, tuition, living, and other costs. Applicants must be a citizen of a sub-Saharan African country and enrolled at an accredited U.S. university, cultural, or artistic institution (on F or J visa).

On October 1-2, 2015, the inaugural IIE Summit will bring together Generation Study Abroad commitment partners in Washington, D.C. to highlight their progress and create positive new solutions. The Summit will feature high-level plenary debates, action-oriented sessions, think tanks and networking opportunities, as well as an engaging expo hall, to mobilize commitments and inspire new actions. The Embassies of Brazil, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom will host networking receptions for the conference participants.

The Summit will bring together hundreds of participants and speakers, including senior level leaders from diverse sectors. Summit participants will include U.S. and non-U.S. higher education institutions, the K-12 community, foreign language community, study abroad organizations, education associations, private sector corporations and foundations, student ambassadors, the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. government agencies; and foreign government partners, including Ministries of Higher Education and Human Resource Development.

• Programming and Media Partners: Asia Society • British Council • CAPES • Education New Zealand • European-American Chamber of Commerce • New York Times in Education • Norwegian Embassy • STA Travel
• Lead Sponsors: American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) • IES Abroad • University of Dayton

The Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) announces its next round of applications from scholars facing threats to their lives or academic work. Fellowships support temporary academic positions at colleges, universities, and other research institutions outside the scholars' home countries anywhere in the world. Professors, researchers, and public intellectuals from any country, field, or discipline may apply.

• Qualifying applicants are currently facing or have recently fled from direct and immediate threats.
• Preference is given to scholars with a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in their field, and who have extensive teaching or research experience at a university, college, or other institution of higher learning.
• Women and scholars from under-represented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Students or professionals seeking funding to pursue academic studies or training are not eligible.