International Higher Education Consulting

505 International Education related YouTube channel subscriptions…

David Comp — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:35:58 +0000

…are now available on International Higher Education Consulting Blog‘s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/IHECBlog. The purpose of this YouTube project is to host as many international education related channel subscriptions as I can find so that one can come to one central location to search for and view video content specific to international educational and cultural exchanges.

If you have a YouTube channel of know of one that should be added to the subscription list please leave a comment below or send me an e-mail at international.ed.consulting@gmail.com.

International Education and the “Quiet Game”

David Comp — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:07:26 +0000

Some time ago I read with much interest a January 9, 2009 post on the U.S. Department of State blog DIPNOTE written by Melvin Hall that was promoting their National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program. The NSLI-Y program provides U.S. youth, between the ages of 15 and 18, funding to study Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Turkish overseas for a summer, semester or academic year. While this program is very interesting and worthy of its own blog post I was introduced to the very interesting concept of the “Quiet Game.” In contrast to the “Great Game” which Hall quotes as “the struggle that takes place between states, nations, political groups, and national leaders for power and influence”[1], the “Quite Game” is the “everyday game of life where families get up in the morning, have plans for themselves, their children.”[2] Hall ties the “Quiet Game” nicely to international education exchanges and states that “when we engage in the ‘Quiet Game’ with people from around the world, we take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to learn about their individual aspirations and dreams for their families and children…engaging in the ‘Quiet Game’ with our counterparts from around the world requires commitment –commitment to seek out cross-cultural encounters, commitment to learn someone else’s language, and commitment to live for an extended period of time in another culture.” You can learn more about the “Quiet Game” in A Political Economy of the Middle East (3rd Edition, 2007) by Alan Richards and John Waterbury.

[1] Quote from Djavad Salehi-Isfhani’s discussion during the Brookings Institution November 10, 2008 proceedings on Arab Youth Between Hope and Disillusionment: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East, p. 40.

[2] Ibid

Originally posted to IHEC Blog on January 14, 2009

ETA announcement of a “definitive cessation of its armed activity” and the implications for international education

David Comp — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:02:12 +0000

Big news day today on the international front. In addition to the news out of Libya that Gaddafi was killed we learned that the Basque separatist group ETA announced a “definitive cessation of its armed activity.” This is major news for Euskadi, Spain, France and the greater European community as well as for the entire world. It’s reported that over 1,600 attacks have been carried out by ETA resulting in the deaths of over 800 people.

When I studied in Spain my wife and I (we were in the very early stages of our dating period so she was my girlfriend at the time) traveled to Donostia-San Sebastián, which is a beautiful city and is located in the heart of the Basque region, for a mini-getaway. We had no fear of being caught in a terrorist attack. In fact, many of ETA’s terrorist attacks have been carried outside of País Vasco in such cities as Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla as well as in many other popular tourist areas. This didn’t deter my wife and me from travelling to these major cities and it hasn’t deterred U.S. institutions and study abroad program providers from establishing programs in Spain or deterred U.S. students from studying in and travelling to these Spanish cities (Spain was the #3 study abroad destination with 24,169 U.S. students during the 2008-09 academic year). My study abroad group spent several days touring Madrid prior to heading to our host city of Valladolid during the spring semester of 1991. While in Madrid we went to see Picasso’s major work Guernica which was housed in a super secure section of the Prado Museum. In order to enter the Museum we had to walk past armed military/police guards and go through metal detectors. Why? In addition to being a major and historical piece of art, the painting is important to the Basque region and the Spanish Government wants to protect this piece of art.

It is important to note that this is not the first time that ETA has declared a cease fire. ETA has previously declared a cease fire in 1989, 1996, 1998 and in 2006. Only time will tell if this one will be permanent. I am hopeful that it will.

My question is what, if any, implications does today’s announcement by ETA of a cease fire have for international education and, in particular, on the U.S. study abroad market?

Searching for Literature and Documents from the Very Early Days of the National Security Education Program (NSEP)

David Comp — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:15:27 +0000

My current research efforts (for my dissertation) are focusing on the National Security Education Program (NSEP) and I’m posting to here to see if readers have any literature or documents from the very early years of the program and the legislation that created the program (The National Security Education Act of 1991). Do you have in your personal or office libraries old articles from publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education or the NAFSA Newsletter or copies of associational/organizational statements and/or letters of concern that you would be willing to share? Do you have any recommendations for books or other library accessible materials I should check out?

Examples of article clippings and copies of letters I have already been able to collect and have added to the Bury Book International Education Library and Archive include:

Chronicle of Higher Education articles

- Expanding International Study, Critics are still bothered by program’s defense and intelligence ties (November 24, 1993)

- First Winners Picked in National Security Education Program (June 1, 1994)

- Federal Fellowship Program, After Rocky Start, Enters Second Year (September 28, 1994)

- Federal Foreign-Study Program Names Scholarship, Fellowship Winners (May 12, 1995)

- National Security Education Program Changes Controversial Service Requirement (October 4, 1996)

- National Security Education Program Keeps Award Level, Despite Fall in Applications (May 30, 1997)

- Service Requirement Broadened for Federal Foreign-Study Program (October 3, 1997)

NAFSA Newsletter

- Conference inconclusive, but Boren Trust Stays Alive (November 1993)

NAFSA Government Affairs Bulletin

- NSEP Clears Another Hurdle (November 1993)

Educational Associate (the newsletter for members of the Institute of International Education)

- National Security Education Program a Reality (October-December 1993)

Associational/Organizational Letters of Concern

- Letter from Presidents of the African Studies Association, Latin American Studies Association and Middle East Studies Association of North America to Senator David L. Boren (February 14, 1992)

- American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) “ACLS Resolution concerning the National Security Education Act” (circa 1992-1993)

- Letter from the Association for Asian Studies to Senator David L. Boren (March 1, 1993)

- Letter from Social Science Research Council to The Honorable Albert Gore, Vice-President of the United States (July 19, 1993)

Institutional Letters and Policies

- Copies of several institutional letters to the National Security Education Program stating how they will handle the first pilot application cycle in 1994; copies of institutional summaries on how they handled the first pilot application cycle; institutional communications/summaries distributed to prospective NSEP applicants informing them of the concerns within the academic community about the NSEP.

Books

- International Education: Its History and Promise for Today by Theodore M. Vestal (1994). Vestal provides an excellent early history of the program and how Senator Boren was able to get NSEA passed in the political environment of the day.

I’m also interested in learning about institutional policies about NSEP during first few years of the program. Early SECUSS-L posts/discussions (circa 1993 and 1994), via the SECUSS-L archives, shed some light on the temperature on NSEP within the field of study abroad but I want to learn more about various institutional approaches to and perceptions of the idea of the NSEP during its first year (or two) of operation. Additionally, the discussions are fascinating to read and I wish we had more discussions/debates in our field!

I understand that obtaining and providing literature and documents pertaining to the early years of the National Security Education Program may be challenging on many levels but if anyone has anything to share it would be greatly appreciated!

Previously posted to IHEC Blog on June 24, 2010

IHEC Blog is a featured blog in The New York Times “Headlines Around the Web” section focusing on international education

David Comp — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:23:04 +0000

For quite some time The New York Times section on International Education (online) has been feeding IHEC Blog posts to their “Headlines Around the Web” section of the page. I find this section of The New York Times to be one of the most informative news outlets to learn about happenings across the globe related to International Education so this is, of course, an exciting thing for me so I thought I would share. IHEC Blog is also included in numerous blog rolls across the web and I’m thankful to each and every one who has found enough value in IHEC Blog to include it in their blog roll.

You can access The New York Times section on International Education here.

Budget Debate Advances on Hill for FY12 – NAFSA Highlights Key Priorities for International Education

David Comp — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:26:38 +0000

In the midst of the debt ceiling negotiations here in the United States, the FY 12 budget debate is also heating up, and there is a lot at stake for higher education and international education. We’ve already seen the United States Department of Education cancel the Fulbright-Hays international research programs (if you are a U.S. citizen and would like to electronically sign a petition to Save Fulbright-Hays Programs you can do so here) due to budget cuts. The Department of Education also cancelled the Title VI American Overseas Research Centers (AORC) program (and you can electronically sign a petition to Restore Funding to American Overseas Research Centers here) due to the same budget cuts. And, just last week The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to to eliminate The East-West Center. According to the Chronicle, the legislation “would repeal a 1960 law that established the East-West Center, which allows American scholars, students, journalists, and government and business leaders to study, train, and conduct research with their counterparts from Asia and the Pacific. The nonprofit organization receives $21-million from the federal government and $10-million more from corporations, foundations, and other governments.”

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is reporting today that CEO Marlene Johnson sent letters last week to key members of the House Appropriations Committee requesting their support in funding international activities in the Departments of State, Education and Commerce for FY 2012. You can read Marlene Johnson’s letters here. NAFSA has also highlighted key international education priorities as the FY 2012 budget is debated in Washington, D.C. which you can read here. If you haven’t yet joined NAFSA’s Connecting Our World at http://www.connectingourworld.org/ I strongly encourage you to do so and you can be a voice for international education. There is more to Connecting Our World than just joining. You must take action when necessary and NAFSA makes it so easy it will literally take 20 seconds of your day to let your elected officials in Washington know the importance of international education programming to the United States.

All of this really shouldn’t be a surprise. Back on October 28, 2010 I reported here on IHEC Blog that then Republican Senate Candidate for Pennsylvania Pat Toomey (now Senator Pat Toomey) had twice spoken on national media outlets as the November election neared about cutting funding and consolidating federal international educational exchange programs and funding (you can watch his interviews here). We have still not fully recovered from one of the worst financial crises in the history of the United States and, to be sure, we need to make budget cuts across the board (including to international education programming) but it is critical that your voice be heard because you can imagine how Mr. Toomey will vote (and there are many more of his colleagues out there that feel the same about international education programs).

Across the Atlantic our friends over in Europe think a bit different about international exchange programs and according to EurActive.com ”Europe’s most celebrated student exchange programme is set to win a 71% funding increase under European Commission plans for the 2014-2020 budget, with education and training schemes now all regrouped under the Erasmus brand. The education sector won the biggest percentage increase under the EU’s long-term budget and is set to leap 71%, from €8.76 billion to €15.2 billion, for the period 2014-2020 under proposals submitted last week.”

Previously posted to IHEC Blog on July 26, 2011.

Changing Types of Posts over on IHEC Blog

David Comp — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:03:01 +0000

If you have been following IHEC Blog for a while then you may have noticed changes in the way I have been posting. IHEC Blog is my main piece of real estate on the web. IHEC Blog and related activities are secondary to my family, employment and academic lives and things have gotten so busy over the past 6-12 months that I have had to change the way I post. I still strive to post to IHEC Blog daily (Monday-Friday) but over the past several weeks I’ve managed only two to three posts per week. What you will also notice is that I have been embedding much more video, documents and widgets into my posts with links to other resources than writing substantive pieces. While these posts are less time intensive to prepare I do hope that they are informative and add some value to your work. My current posting patterns will most likely continue for some time as I work to complete my dissertation. About the dissertation…from July 18-29 I am taking off of work to focus on my dissertation and will probably not post anything (unless I write something this week and schedule to post or it is something I cut and discard from my dissertation that I think IHEC Blog readers may find of interest). To that end, posts to IHEC Blog‘s Facebook page and to Twitter will also decrease substantially.

Thanks for coming along for the ride so far and I hope you continue!

Karl W. Deutsch on Nationalistic Responses to Study Abroad

David Comp — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:15:37 +0000

For my current research I revisited the following article: ”From the NAFSA Archives, Nationalistic Responses to Study Abroad” by Karl W. Deutsch (from the Spring 1997 International Educator). This was the address that Deutsch gave at NAFSA’s fifth annual conference in 1952. It is a great article on many levels and it is as relevant today as it was in 1952.

Deutsch begins his address with the following question “DOES FOREIGN TRAVEL-DOES FOREIGN CULTURE CONTACT-unite people? Towards the end of his address Deutsch talks about the “actual results” of the encounters between foreign students and the civilization of the United States and indicates that they have been better than expected.” Deutsch describes four types of individuals who come to the United States to study:

1. The Future Americans, those students who stay and become Americans

2. The Deracinés, those students who go back to their own countries, but [who] have lost their roots at home and are now at home in no country

3. The Rebels, those students who go back to their own countries and remain critical or hostile to the United States

4. The Bridge Builders, those students who go back to their own countries and stick to their own people and to help to link them to the Western world and the United States [perhaps the most valuable group]

In reference to the Bridge Builders, Deutsch asks “how can we help these men [and women...]? His response is of much interest to me as this is a question I wonder about often [and was going to focus my dissertation on until I realized that finding the answer will take more than a dissertation]. Deutsch argues that our task is “to encourage the identification with us, without destroying their identification with their own personalities and memories and with their own people at home.” He further asks “what can we do to help?” and then answers that “the first think we can do for them is to organize research; to follow up the experience of returned students and to see what positions they find at home. What are their attitudes, their influences, and what is the sociological depth of their contacts at home? The second thing we can do is to stress the positive and cooperative aspects of the world in general, and the creative and cooperative aspects of American culture in particular. We can show them what the United States has learned from the other peoples of the world. We can emphasize the creative contributions they and people like them might make in the future. We can treat them as resources and friends. We can get them together on or campuses, not only with the technical and instrumental parts of the curriculum that are offered, but also with our most creative and imaginative courses, teachers, and students.” What do you think about Deutsch’s comments?

For those who don’t know about Karl Deutsch, he was one of the most well know political scientists/international relations theorists of the 20th Century. You can learn more about Deutsch from this article by the National Academy Press.

Originally posted to IHEC Blog on March 31, 2010

Dear President Obama, What’s Your International Education Policy?

David Comp — Tue, 31 May 2011 02:18:54 +0000

Dear President Obama,

I know that your time is precious and is primarily focused on the U.S. economy, our health care system and, perhaps most importantly, our military engaged in conflicts of various stages so I don’t want you to divert your time away from these important matters. When you do have a few spare moments it would be great to learn about your international education policy for the United States!

Towards the end of his Presidency, Bill Clinton issued a White House Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on April 19, 2000 with the subject: International Education Policy. The international education community here in the U.S. was excited to see their important work recognized by President Clinton in the form of an executive memorandum. To my knowledge, President Bush never issued a memorandum related to his international education policy during his two terms in office. We know you support and understand the importance of U.S. students and scholars studying/researching abroad as well as the importance of welcoming international students and scholars to our colleges and universities here in the U.S. It would be great if we could hear if you have an international education policy (and what that policy is) in a more formal manner!

Thank you in advance for your consideration,

David Comp
Hyde Park, Chicago

P.S. You can learn more about and download President Clinton’s executive memorandum on his international education policy here.

Originally published to IHEC Blog on August 5, 2009 and tweaked ever so slightly for today!