Press Room
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ursula Oaks, 202.737.3699 x2553
For Release: Jan 24, 2008
NAFSA Applauds State-DHS Advisory Panel Recommendations on Attracting International Students, Increasing Study Abroad
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2008 – NAFSA: Association of International Educators applauds recommendations issued last week by a key government advisory panel related to improving U.S. attractiveness to international students and expanding the numbers of American college students who study abroad. In its report, Secure Borders and Open Doors: Preserving our Welcome to the World in an Age of Terrorism, the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee specifically cites international education as a key component of public diplomacy and urges the U.S. government to undertake specific actions to leverage international education in an effort to build ties of understanding and collaboration between the United State and other countries.
Specifically, the report notes that “America is losing competitiveness for international students for one primary reason… because our competitors have – and America lacks – a proactive national strategy that enables us to mobilize all the tools and assets at our disposal, and that enables the federal bureaucracy to work together in a coherent fashion, to attract international students.” SBODAC urges the United States to articulate such a national policy and to assign responsibility for its implementation to a White House official. The report also points out that “the United States simply cannot conduct effective diplomacy – public or otherwise – if our citizenry does not have an understanding of the people we are trying to influence.” To address this need, SBODAC recommends that Congress enact the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which would greatly increase the number of American college students studying abroad in diverse destinations around the world.
“We are heartened that SBODAC has placed international education among the highest of national priorities when it comes to fulfilling the Rice-Chertoff vision of Secure Borders-Open Doors,” said NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson. “Their recommendations reaffirm what generations of foreign-policy leaders have said about the critical contributions of educational exchanges to U.S. foreign policy, public diplomacy, and national security. We urge the Departments of State and Homeland Security to support and implement these important recommendations.”
The SBODAC report also makes recommendations for improving America’s welcome to tourists and businesspeople from around the world and further improving the visa process, especially with respect to improving transparency, increasing resources, and streamlining policies and procedures. SBODAC is co-chaired by John S. Chen, CEO and President of Sybase, Inc., and Dr. Jared L. Cohon, President of Carnegie Mellon University.
Specifically, the report notes that “America is losing competitiveness for international students for one primary reason… because our competitors have – and America lacks – a proactive national strategy that enables us to mobilize all the tools and assets at our disposal, and that enables the federal bureaucracy to work together in a coherent fashion, to attract international students.” SBODAC urges the United States to articulate such a national policy and to assign responsibility for its implementation to a White House official. The report also points out that “the United States simply cannot conduct effective diplomacy – public or otherwise – if our citizenry does not have an understanding of the people we are trying to influence.” To address this need, SBODAC recommends that Congress enact the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act, which would greatly increase the number of American college students studying abroad in diverse destinations around the world.
“We are heartened that SBODAC has placed international education among the highest of national priorities when it comes to fulfilling the Rice-Chertoff vision of Secure Borders-Open Doors,” said NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson. “Their recommendations reaffirm what generations of foreign-policy leaders have said about the critical contributions of educational exchanges to U.S. foreign policy, public diplomacy, and national security. We urge the Departments of State and Homeland Security to support and implement these important recommendations.”
The SBODAC report also makes recommendations for improving America’s welcome to tourists and businesspeople from around the world and further improving the visa process, especially with respect to improving transparency, increasing resources, and streamlining policies and procedures. SBODAC is co-chaired by John S. Chen, CEO and President of Sybase, Inc., and Dr. Jared L. Cohon, President of Carnegie Mellon University.
