International Students Will Offer a Big Boost to the US Economy this Back-to-School Season
Another school year begins, another look at the benefits of international education. While we think of international education as an import, it really is an export. In fact, in the US, it ranks as #10 in exports. That’s huge, when you think of everything the US exports! While the economic benefit matters, the social impact is also so important. While US study abroad levels are improving, we are still well below the peak of 2015. With fewer US students leaving the US, it is vitally important that we ensure international students are coming to the US; the learning and relationship building for US students matters!
One thing’s for sure: Whether they’re attending small-town community colleges or Ivies in big cities, international students have a “high degree” of economic impact.
Read more on The Conversation >
US Colleges Are Cutting Majors and Slashing Programs After Years of Putting it Off
This is news we have all known was coming to higher education: As the 18-24 age population declines in the US, it is having a big impact on higher education institutions across the country. Impacts are especially felt on degree availability as schools are forced to cut programs. If there was ever a reason to look at how to improve processes for international students, now is the time!
It’s part of a wave of program cuts in recent months, as U.S. colleges large and small try to make ends meet. Among their budget challenges: Federal COVID relief money is now gone, operational costs are rising and fewer high school graduates are going straight to college. The cuts mean more than just savings, or even job losses. Often, they create turmoil for students who chose a campus because of certain degree programs and then wrote checks or signed up for student loans.
Learn more from the AP >
What Higher Ed Leaders Could Learn from Project 2025
There has been a lot of talk about Project 2025, a conservative policy platform, in recent weeks. The document has been in circulation for quite some time; however, over the last couple of months the media have put it front and center. While there are other reports and analyses of the 922-page document, this article specifically addresses higher education. It doesn’t get into the details of international education, but does take a look at ways we can find some common ground were the doctrine ever put in place.
At its most extreme, Project 2025 insists that schools, teachers and curricula must be “pro-American” (even as it criticizes universities for not valuing academic freedom and intellectual diversity); recommends dropping all Title IX investigations that are based on gender orientation; banning teachers from calling students by any name other than the one on their birth certificate, or using pronouns other than the one assigned to them based on their biological sex at birth; eliminating federal funding for Hispanic Serving Institutions and Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions; and significantly reducing the oversight authority of accrediting agencies that monitor quality standards for K-12 schools and universities ... Oh yeah, and completely eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
Get the details on Community College Daily >
From Golden Goose to Sitting Ducks: International Students Are Caught in Immigration Crosshairs
Our team has closely been following the policy changes taking place around the world, especially changes that are having a significant impact on international students. We have seen the biggest policy changes in Canada, Australia, and the UK, however, this article highlights policy changes in the Netherlands and New Zealand. As for the US, we have not made any significant policy changes that negatively impact international students; in fact, we have made improvements such as the 365-visa approval and making permanent the COVID policy on visa interviews. As the article states, students are an easy target and our team is always monitoring potential US policies for any impacts.
“Students are the easiest group to control in terms of numbers, that’s why they’re No.1 on the chopping list and universities aren’t particularly powerful constituencies so they’re probably also a reasonable political target,” said Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Read more on The Economic Times >
