Podcasts about nafsa

The U.S. is pausing new student and exchange visitor visa interviews while it looks to expand screening of applicants' social media posts, according to a State Department cable obtained by the News Hour. It's part of a crackdown on immigration and higher education by the Trump administration. Amna Nawaz has views on the effort from Simon Hankinson of the Heritage Foundation and Fanta Aw of NAFSA. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In this week's episode of This Week in Immigration, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown discusses the Trump administration's actions to rescind foreign students' status in the U.S. with two experts. Steve Springer from NAFSA explains the roles of educational institutions, students, and the government in maintaining student status and the implications of recent changes on international education in the U.S. Then, immigration attorney Charles (Chuck) Kuck talks about his lawsuit against the administration for rescinding the status of 17 students and the legal arguments involved.  NAFSA: https://www.nafsa.org/  Department of Homeland Security - Study in the States: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/  IIE Open Doors - International Students: https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/    (00:10) Intro (01:00) Steve Springer (31:20) Charles Kuck (59:06) Outro

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, #983, President Series (Powered By ⁠⁠Ellucian⁠⁠) #315, & brought to YOU by the ⁠MSCHE 2024⁠ conference, & the ⁠InsightsEDU⁠ 2025 conference YOUR guest is ⁠Dr. Mike Flores⁠, Chancellor, ⁠Alamo Colleges District⁠ YOUR host is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. LaNitra Berger⁠, President & Chair of the Board of Directors at ⁠NAFSA⁠⁠, & Associate Professor, History & Art History & Director of the African & African American Studies Program at ⁠George Mason University YOUR cohost is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Laurie Shanderson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Host, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EdUp Accreditation Insights⁠⁠ How is Alamo Colleges serving 77,000 students across five colleges & eight centers? What strategies make international education accessible to community college students? How are Alamo Colleges' "Expeditions" transforming short-term study abroad? What innovative employer partnerships are addressing workforce needs? How is the Alamo Promise program removing cost barriers for 22,000 students? What leadership lessons can aspiring presidents learn from Dr. Flores' journey? How are COIL & virtual exchanges expanding global learning opportunities? What role does cultural affirmation play in student success? Listen in to #EdUp! Accelerate YOUR Professional Development with EdUp! Looking to stay ahead in higher education? Want exclusive access to content that enhances YOUR knowledge & connects YOU with leaders in the field? For just $2.99/month, YOU'LL get: • Early access to ad-free episodes • Extended episodes & bonus content • Original insights & special invites to exclusive events • More resources tailored to higher education professionals like YOU Lock in YOUR lifetime founders rate today! This special rate is only available until December 31, 2024. After that, the price will increase to $19.99/month. By subscribing, YOU'LL not only invest in YOUR own growth but also help sustain EdUp's mission to bring YOU quality content focused on advancing higher education. Don't miss this opportunity! Secure YOUR founders rate now before prices go up. ⁠⁠Join the EdUp Community Today!⁠⁠ Thank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp! Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠ ● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The EdUp Experience⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We make education YOUR business!

Douglas Palmer, the 11th President of Siena Heights University began his term on July 1, 2023. He comes to Siena Heights from Culver-Stockton College in Missouri, where he served as President. As president of Culver-Stockton, Palmer guided the college through the COVID pandemic while adding a number of high-demand programs designed to meet the needs of the local workforce. He secured a gift of more than $1 million to make Culver-Stockton the permanent home of the Tri-State Development Summit, an economic development organization covering 36 counties and three states. He expanded programs to meet local workforce needs, including establishing new majors in agricultural business and data analytics. Palmer has a strong belief that a high-quality private education should be accessible for all students. He was a non-traditional student himself, earning his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville following an enlistment as an active-duty soldier and paratrooper in the U.S. Army. He used the G.I. Bill to fund his undergraduate education and subsequently earned full tuition scholarships to pursue graduate work. He completed his Ph.D. in history at The Ohio State University where he won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study in the Netherlands. He was also awarded the Presidential Fellowship given to the 25 top dissertation writers in the university. Palmer started his career at Walsh University, a Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio teaching world history where he became chair of the Humanities Division. His interest in helping students prepare for an interconnected world and global economy through the lens of Catholic social teaching led him to establish Walsh's global learning program. Founder of Walsh's campus in Rome, Italy, Palmer oversaw programs in Europe, Latin America and Africa. He worked with students to lead Walsh's efforts in Universities Fighting World Hunger and attended a United Nations charter signing event in which higher education leaders from around the world pledged to direct the teaching and research efforts of modern colleges and universities to solve global hunger. In addition, he worked with local leaders and healthcare institutions as Provost to create programs which served the needs of the local community. He led the efforts to create a fully online nurse practitioner program in mental health and addictions treatment and a Master's in Occupational Health to better serve Ohio's healthcare needs. As a researcher, Palmer has published and spoken often about law, politics and religion, particularly in the context of the American and French Revolutions. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Emory University School of Law. He is also recognized as a leader in the field of international education where he served as the Chair of the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship committee for NAFSA: the Association of International Educators. He has worked with higher education leaders around the world, having led workshops and training on global learning to national and international audiences. Palmer and his wife (Cathy) are both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and they have three boys. Palmer has completed a full marathon and five half-marathons and is an avid fly fisherman.

This episode's guest is someone that many have known for her longstanding leadership in international education, but some of us might not have known her as a businesswoman, a political leader, a caregiver, and as a newly minted author. Marlene M. Johnson was the Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators for almost two decades and prior to that was Minnesota's first woman Lieutenant Governor. She is co-founder of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Minnesota Women's Campaign Fund. She is now on the advisory board of Kakenya's Dream, a board member of the Washington Office on Latin America, and a trustee of the Alexandria Trust. In 1988, she was awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star by the Kingdom of Sweden. In this episode we go behind the scenes with Marlene about her life and her new book, Rise to the Challenge: A memoir of politics, leadership, and love. Episode highlights: Marlene's reflections about her life's journey and how the book came about. How Marlene's career in politics and business and her early international exposure prepared her to be a non-traditional candidate yet a good fit for the role of NAFSA's CEO and Executive Director. The “ability to punt” and how this attribute served Marlene well while leading NAFSA, whether it was weathering the Asian financial crisis that impacted Asian international students or the impact of 9/11 on the international education sector. Marlene's legacy of calling for a national policy on international education and her thoughts on where we stand now. Is the U.S. poised to have its first woman president and one whose life—coincidentally—reflects the legacy of international education? Marlene weighs in. The poignant love story of Marlene's life with her husband, Peter, and how their relationship influenced her and shaped her as a leader. Marlene's top 2-3 pieces of advice for women leaders. Episode Resources: Get Marlene's new book here or from Amazon Listen to: Episode 8 with LaNitra Berger and Episode 36 with Fanta Aw of NAFSA MPOWER Financing's Social Impact Report My book:  ⁠⁠America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility Sign up for ⁠⁠America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration⁠⁠ Connect with me: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, ⁠Instagram This episode was made possible by the generous support of MPOWER Financing.

In this episode, I share 11 more interviews from the NAFSA conference in May for my special project as part of the 2023-24 Diversity Abroad Communities of Practice: Career Advancement and Belonging. My conversations revolve around career advancement and the sense of belonging within one's professional journey. A big thank you to my interviewees for sharing their stories during a very busy conference week, oftentimes in crowded, loud spaces: Alyssa Slager (1:36) Anna Hayes (7:25) Sally McLeod (12:22) Travis Pentz (16:10) Ximena Ospina (23:26) Kate Campbell (31:35) Lee Rivers (35:00) Lindsay Calvert (41:50) Katherine Haan (46:15) Mar Roig Ripoll (55:48) Tiff Pierskalla (1:06:13).

• News & developments      - Agent survey finds growing interest in alternative destinations; many students “hedging” plans with multiple applications     - UK confirms Graduate Route will remain in place; plans “crackdown” on student visas and “rogue agents”• Main topic: The outlook for international education in the USA - live from NAFSA• Keys to the market: MexicoWithJessica SandbergDean of International EnrollmentDuke Kunshan UniversityAmber McKenzieAssistant Dean of Global Education and Strategic PartnershipsCommunity Colleges of SpokaneMirka MartelHead of Research, Evaluation and LearningInstitute of International EducationCraig Riggs Editor in Chief ICEFMartijn van de Veen (host)CBDOICEF

Our #intled #livechat answers 3 questions: Do you know the entry points to US higher education? Does OPT work for most international students? And what did you learn at NAFSA last week? #MidweekRoundup

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, President Series #262 & 263 YOUR guests are Dr. Thomas Parham, President, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), & Dr. J. Luke Wood, President, California State University-Sacramento YOUR guest co-host is Dr. LaNitra Berger, President & Chair of the Board of Directors at NAFSA⁠, & Associate Professor, History & Art History & Director of the African & African American Studies Program at George Mason University YOUR host is Dr. Joe Sallustio YOUR sponsor is Ellucian Live 2024 How does the nation's largest public university system aim to fulfill the promise of equality in higher education? How can higher education create a sense of belonging for black students on campus? What does it take to be an effective leader in Higher Education today? Listen in to #EdUp! Resources: Advancing Black Student Success & Elevating Black Excellence | CSU (calstate.edu) Thank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp! Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠ ● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠⁠⁠The EdUp Experience⁠⁠⁠! We make education YOUR business! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/edup/message

Co-host Amy Marcus speaks with Christina “Chris” Thompson, interculturalist, DEI consultant, and executive coach, about inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in international education and climate justice. Compear Global Education Network: ​​https://compear.org/ Global Respectful Disruption Summit: https://globalrdsummit.com/  CANIE Accord: https://canie.org/the-canie-accord  Diversity Abroad:  Resources created by the Diversity and Inclusion in Education Abroad Subcommittee, part of NAFSA's Education Abroad Knowledge Community: https://www.nafsa.org/professional-resources/browse-by-interest/resources-supporting-diversity-and-inclusion-education-abroad

This episode features an insightful conversation with Dr. Fanta Aw, Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA.

Jenny Lee, vice president for Arizona International, dean of international education, and professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona, leads the conversation on U.S. international academic collaboration and how U.S.-China tensions are affecting higher education. FASKIANOS: Welcome to CFR's Higher Education Webinar Series. I'm Irina Faskianos, vice president of the National Program and Outreach here at CFR. Today's discussion is on the record and the video and transcript will be available on our website, CFR.org/academic. As always, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy. We're delighted to have Jenny Lee with us to discuss U.S. international academic collaboration. Dr. Lee is vice president for Arizona International, dean of international education, and professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona. She is also a fellow of the American Educational Research Association. Dr. Lee formerly served as a senior fellow of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, as chair for the Council of International Higher Education, and as a board member for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. And she has also served as a U.S. Fulbright scholar to South Africa, as a distinguished global professor at Korea University, and as an international visiting scholar at the City University of London, the University of Pretoria, and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. So, Dr. Lee, thank you very much for being with us for today's topic. I thought you could begin by giving us an overview of current trends in U.S. international academic collaboration, especially looking at what's happening with our relations with China. LEE: Sounds great. Well, thank you for the opportunity, Irina. It's a pleasure to be here and to speak with you and all those listening right now. I'll speak for about ten or so minutes, and then open it up and engage with the audience. Hopefully, you all have some good questions that will come up during my remarks. So, clearly, we're entering a very interesting and somewhat uncertain chapter in how we understand the role of higher education globally. So I will begin with some general observation so all our viewers are on the same page. Now, first and foremost, the U.S. is mostly at the top when it comes to the higher education sector. Most of us already know that the United States houses the most highly ranked institutions. And this allows the country to be the largest host of international students and scholars from around the world. According to the latest IIE Open Doors report published a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. attracted over a million students from all over the world. And we're almost back to pre-pandemic levels. We also host over 90,000 scholars. And the primary purpose for them being here is research, for about two-thirds to 75 percent of them. These international scholars, as well as international graduate students, contribute significantly to the U.S. scientific enterprise. The U.S. is also among the leading countries in scientific output and impact, and the largest international collaborator in the world. In other words, the U.S. is highly sought because of its prestigious institutions, drawing top faculty and students from around the world. And with that comes the ability to generate cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs which further secures the U.S.' global position in academia. At the same time, of course, we've seen China's economy rise significantly as the country surpassed the United States in scientific output, and more recently in impact as measured by publication citations, and is outpacing the U.S. in the extent of R&D investment. Chinese institutions have also made noticeable jumps in various global rankings, which is a pretty big feat considering the fierce competition among the world's top universities. What we're witnessing as well are geopolitical tensions between the two countries that have impacted the higher education sector. While these two countries, the U.S. and China, are the biggest global collaborators—and they collaborate more with each other than any other country—they're also rival superpowers. As global adversaries, what we are witnessing as well is increased security concerns regarding intellectual theft and espionage. I'm going to spend some time summarizing my work for those who are not familiar to provide some further context. I and my colleagues, John Haupt and Xiaojie Li, also at the University of Arizona, have conducted numerous studies about U.S.-China scientific collaboration. And what we're observing across these studies is how the scientific pursuit of knowledge, which is fundamentally borderless, is becoming bordered in the current geopolitical environment. International collaboration, long valued as positive-sum, is being treated as zero-sum. Besides the rise of China and the accompanying political rhetoric that posed China as a so-called threat, tensions also grew among accusations, as you may recall, about the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and a corresponding sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. Public opinions about China were not favorable, and thus there was not a whole lot of public resistance when the FBI's China Initiative was launched in 2018. This initiative basically signaled that anyone of Chinese descent was a potential enemy of the state, including possible Chinese Communist Party spies in our own universities, even though there was no pervasive empirical or later judicial cases that proved such a damaging assumption. Nevertheless, world-renowned Chinese scientists were falsely accused of academic espionage and their careers and personal finances ruined. In my research that followed with Xiaojie Li, with support from the Committee of 100, we surveyed about 2,000 scientists in the U.S.' top research universities during the China Initiative. And we found that one in two Chinese scientists were afraid that they were being racially profiled by the FBI. We also observed that consequently scientists, especially those with Chinese descent, were less inclined to collaborate with China, less inclined to pursue federal grants, less inclined to even stay in the United States but rather to take their expertise to another country where they felt safer to pursue their research, including in China. In sum, the federal government's attempts to weed out possible Chinese spies was highly criticized as a damaging form of racial profiling affecting even U.S. citizens and, in the end, undermined the U.S.' ability to compete with China. Especially now, as we continue to observe Chinese scientists leaving the U.S. and taking their skills and talents elsewhere. With John Haupt and two academics at Tsinghua University in China, Doctors Wen Wen and Die Hu, we asked about two hundred co-collaborators in China and in the United States how were they able to overcome such geopolitical tensions and the challenges associated with COVID-19 during the pandemic? And we did learn something somewhat unexpected, and I hope valuable. Basically, we found that mutual trust between international collaborators helped overcome such perceived hurdles, including risks of being unfairly targeted. What this tells us is that a chilling effect is certainly real and remains possible, but in the end scientists have tremendous agency on what they study, where they study, and whether or not they seek funds, or where they seek funds. Regardless of the host or home country, international collaboration is important to all countries' scientific enterprise. Coauthors from different countries improve the knowledge being produced, its applicability, enlarges global audiences, and thereby increases the impact of the work. So considering the value, yet risks, where do we begin? Firstly, federal and institutional policies, of course, matter, for better or for worse. But policies do not manufacture trust. The formation of an academic tie does not suddenly occur over a cold call in the middle of a global meltdown, as often portrayed in Hollywood. Rather, this is a gradual process. And the longevity of the relationship helps strengthen that trust over time. According to our research, these collaborative relationships begin as graduate students, postdocs, visiting researchers. They occur at academic conferences and other in-person opportunities. Cutting short-term fellowships, for example, will impact the potential of a future scientific relationship, but its effects may not be felt for years. Same with denied visas and opportunities for travel. Fewer graduate students from particular countries or fields also means a different shape when it comes to global science. U.S. for instance, was not too long ago Russia's biggest foreign scientific collaborator, with the war in Ukraine, those research relationships, as well as much—with much of the Western world, have ceased. All of this, and my related empirical research, was conducted when I was a professor at my home institution. And since July, I've been serving, as Irina mentioned, as the dean and vice president of international affairs at my own institution. And I've been thinking a lot of, what does this mean for institutional practice? For those in university leadership positions, as mine, you know this is a tough challenge. Especially as domestic demand and state funding for higher education is generally declining. And at the same time, internationalization is increasingly central to senior leadership strategies. Universities are continuing vying to attract the world's students, even despite a decline of interest from China. And at the same time, research universities in particular are quite dependent on federal grants. We have our own research security offices that need to ensure our universities have good reputations and relations with our large federal funding agencies and taking every precaution to not be seen as a vulnerable site of intellectual theft. These units tend not to operate within international affairs. And I'm very well aware that in my role of trying to attract as many students from China and develop international partnerships, all of them can be suddenly erased if a Chinese University partner does not pass visual compliance or there is a sudden presidential executive order, as we experienced under the Trump administration. I'm also very well aware that of senior leaders have to choose between my educational offerings and partnerships in China versus risking a major grant from a federal agency, I will lose. We witnessed that with the shutting down of over 100 Confucius Institutes in the U.S., despite a lack of evidence of systematic espionage occurring through these centers. Public perceptions, informed or not, strongly affect the nature of our international work, as in the case of Florida. Such negative perceptions are not one country-sided, of course. A key concern for Chinese and other international students and their parents relate to safety. Gun violence, including on our own college campuses, anti-Asian hate crimes in surrounding neighborhoods, and unfavorable political environment in which studies might be interrupted as in the case of Proclamation 10043, or visa non-renewals are all contributing factors for the decline of interest from China, and uncertain future student exchange as well. In closing, when it comes to China these days no practices are guaranteed. However, I can recommend some while also keeping in mind geopolitical conditions can suddenly change for worse, or perhaps better. I mentioned earlier the value of mutual trust. At my university, we have long-standing relationships with university leaders at Chinese institutions. We've set up dual degree programs in China. Actually, about 40 percent of our international student enrollment are through such partner relationships throughout the world, in which we go to where they are. Hiring staff who speak the language and know the culture are also essential. And, like any relationship, these arrangements have developed over time. They are not built overnight. It takes intention. It takes effort. But in my experience, as trust is established the numbers have grown, and the positive impact is still being felt. Thank you. FASKIANOS: Thank you very much for that. That was terrific. Let's go now to all of you for your questions, comments. You can use this to share best practices and what you're doing to your universities or institutions. Please click the raise hand icon on your screen to ask a question. On your iPad or tablet, you can click the “more” button to access the raise hand feature. And when you're called upon, please accept the unmute prompts, state your name and affiliation, followed by your question. You can also submit a written question, they've already started coming in, by the Q&A icon. And if you can also include your affiliation there, I would appreciate it, although we will try to make sure we identify you correctly. So let's see. I'm looking for—no raised hands yet, but we do have questions written. So first question from Denis Simon, who's a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Many U.S. universities have curtailed their exchanges and cooperation with China. You referenced that. Officials at these universities are worried that if they appear too friendly toward China they will lose all sorts of federal funding. Are these concerns justified? Are there any regulations or legislation that actually says federal funding can be removed assuming these universities are in compliance with the export controls, et cetera? LEE: All right. Well, thanks, Denis, for your question. I know there—when I saw the list of those who signed up, I know there are many here who can speak to this directly. So I encourage those to also raise their hands and provide input in the Q&A, maybe in the form of an A instead of a Q. But in any case, going to that question, you know, it's a tough environment. And so much in my role, but what I even experienced in my research, is about that perception, that overinterpretation. So maybe signaling that we have this exchange program might draw attention in ways that might lead to suspicions that, oh, well is this, you know, somehow creating an opportunity for us to disclose military secrets? I mean, that's where we take it. A friendly exchange or visit is oftentimes now having to be scrutinized and ensuring that there is no remote violation of export controls, even in educational delivery in a non-STEM field. And what we're seeing is that this—we have our highly sensitive fields, but that kind of scrutiny we're also seeing applied to the institution more broadly. So these seemingly benign programs about language or culture, about fields that are enhanced or help promote so-called American values, are also being watched. So I believe as an institutional leader, again, as I mentioned earlier, having to deal with the possibility of unwanted or unwarranted attention versus not having that program, I think some, as Denis has pointed out, are leaning towards being more cautious. Unfortunately, China—any work with China is considered a risk, even if there is no reason for risk, as we've witnessed under—or, observed under the China Initiative. I don't know if I've fully answered that question, but please follow up if I haven't. And I know others can probably say more to that issue. FASKIANOS: Great. I'll take the next question from Peter—I don't know how to pronounce— LEE: Peter Becskehazy. Hi, Peter. (Laughs.) FASKIANOS: There you go. Thank you very much. LEE: I know Peter. FASKIANOS: All right. Good. Well, I'd love if Peter asked his question directly, if he can. Oh, good. From Pima Community College. Go ahead, Peter. Q: Hello, Jenny. Nice to see you. LEE: Hi, Peter. Q: Now my question is, the University of Arizona and other universities have had an inflow of dozens of countries, adding up to the million that you mentioned. Are other countries trying to fill in slots left vacant by Chinese students and scholars? LEE: Yeah. Great question, Peter. And I think you can also share what you've observed at Pima in terms of the patterns you've witnessed. But for us, and as we are seeing nationally, we're seeing India rise. Not at the—not at higher numbers in many institutions, compared to China, but the rate is rising. It's not so simple, though, because we also have relations in India, and trying to set up agreements, and bring students. The competition in India is intense. So even though there's a relatively so-called large market, and the U.S. has been quite successful in attracting Indian students, that is perhaps where the attention is as a more, I would say—I hate to use the word “market,”—but a stable student market. There's a lot more interest in graduate-level education globally, as we've observed. These countries that formerly didn't have capacity now do have capacity. They have online offerings. They have branch campuses, dual degrees, lots of other options. And so the niche for the U.S., whereas before we didn't really have to think about a niche, is really in graduate education. Now, of course, that's not good news for Pima, that's thinking about a community college and other kinds of educational offerings. But for us, we're thinking about India a lot. Southeast Asia, of course, has always been an important partner to us. Africa continues to be a challenge. We know that when we think about population growth, Africa is the future. There's still challenges and trying to identify places where there is capacity. But also the affordability of a U.S. education is a huge challenge. So it's a great question. And, again, I'm curious to know other places in the world people recommend. Of course, Latin America, given our location, is a key strategic partner. But again, affordability becomes an issue. And again, I'm just talking about the traditional international student who would choose to come to Arizona. Not talking about research collaboration, which is less bound by affordability issues. Irina, you're muted. FASKIANOS: How long have I been doing this? OK. (Laughs.) I'm going to take the next written question from Allison Davis-White Eyes, who is vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Fielding Graduate University: We have tried to work on collaborations with European universities and African universities, and met with much difficulty. What trends are you seeing in these regions? And what are emerging global markets beyond China? LEE: Great question, Allison. I mean, if you could leave the question in the future, so because I am visually looking at the question at the same time. FASKIANOS: Oh, great. Sorry. LEE: So, Allison, I'm not sure if you're referring to academic or research. Of course, within Europe, where the government does highly subsidized tuition, it's just becomes financially a bad deal, I suppose—(laughs)—for a student in the world who would normally get a free or highly reduced tuition to pay full price at our institution. So that kind of exchange of partnership, especially when it's about—when it's financially based, becomes almost impossible from my experience. But thinking about research collaboration, it depends on the level. So if it's an institutional agreement, you know, it's—often, these MOUs tend to just be on paper. It takes quite a bit of—it's very ceremonial. You need to get legal involved. It's a whole process to get an MOU. We really don't need these non-binding MOUs for research agreements. Some countries like it, just to display that they have an MOU with a U.S. institution. But essentially, it doesn't stop me as a professor to reach out to another professor at the University of Oslo, and say, hey, let's do a study. Which we actually are doing. So, yeah, feel free to be more specific, or if you want to raise your hand or speak on—and elaborate on that question. So, again, for educational exchange, it is difficult because we are—there's already a process within the EU that makes it very affordable and highly supported within the EU, or if you're part of that bigger program. Africa, again, my challenge from my role as an institutional leader is identifying places where there is already enough mass education up through high school where one would be able to consider, first of all, being admitted to a U.S. institution, but secondly, to be able to pay the cost. FASKIANOS: Allison, do you want to expand a little bit? Q: Oh, sorry. (Laughs.) FASKIANOS: There you go. There you go. Q: Right. Dr. Lee, thank you for your response. I think it was helpful, especially regarding the subsidizing of education in Europe. We've been working on some research partnerships. And we have just—you know, really, it has just been extremely difficult with European universities. And I do think part of it has to do with the way things are subsidized in Europe. I was just wondering if there were new and different ways to do it. I do appreciate your comment about the MOUs being largely ceremonial. I agree. And would like to see something with a little more substance. And that will take some creativity and a lot of partnership and work. As for Africa, we have tried to create partnerships with South Africa. I think there's some potential there. Certainly, some excitement. We've had a few students from Nigeria, extremely bright and motivated. I just would—you know, would like to hear, maybe from some other colleagues as well on the call, if there are creative ways in working with these students as well. So, thank you. LEE: Yeah, no. And just to follow up quickly, and, again, opportunities for others to share, academic collaboration, as I mentioned during my remarks, is largely built upon mutual trust. And not to say it can't happen from top down, but really does—is most successful from bottom up. And I don't mean to refer to professors at the bottom, but meaning those that are actually engaged with that work. And so just some considerations is rather than a top-down initiative or strategy, is to identify those that are visiting scholars, already from that country, have networks within that country. What's interesting, as I learned in my current role, is how little my predecessors worked with professors in these area's studies programs, because they're oftentimes treated as a separate or having different interests in mind when actually there is a lot of overlap to identify those that are actually there. Allison, by the way, I lived in South Africa for eight years. And I know it actually takes a long time. My Fulbright started off as a one year, and I had to extend it because even getting the data while I was on the ground takes time. And I'll be honest, I think part of it was taking some time just to build trust the intentions of my work, what was I going to do with that data, how is that going to be used? Was it actually going to be ways to empower them? You know, for those who study international collaboration, know this north and south divide, and I think there are places in the world that are—maybe have some guardrails up from those—not saying this is what's happening in your institution—but someone that they don't know coming from the Global North to study someone else in the Global South. And so how do we create or initiate a collaboration that is clearly, expressly mutual at the onset? And, again, this is where trust can be operationalized lots of different ways, but that even begins with that initial message. I mean, I remember when I started my work, nobody responded to me. They're like, who are you? And I don't care who you are or what your CV says. And it takes time. You know, building that relationship, and that person introducing me to that other person. Like, you know, this is how scientific networks form. And I think, to some extent, this is also how institutional collaborative relationships also form. FASKIANOS: Thank you. I'm going to go next to David Moore, who has a raised hand. Q: OK, thank you. I just got unmuted. FASKIANOS: Great. Q: Lee, I appreciate your comments. And I heard your reference to Florida earlier. I don't know if we have colleagues on this call from Florida, but I think they'll know what I'm about to say. I'm the dean of international education at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale. And as of tomorrow, December 1, Florida has to—all institutions in Florida, public institutions, colleges and universities, must be completely devoid of any partnerships in China. And not just China. There are seven countries of concern. And you probably can cite them, most of you would know the other six. But of the seven countries, Broward had four partnerships in China alone, none in the other countries that were active. And so we are now officially done, have to be. And I've had to notify the partners as well as our accrediting body, because these were international centers of Broward where they literally offer—we offered associate degrees, two-year degrees. And students could then transfer to an institution in the United States. Now, this didn't catch us too much by surprise because two and a half years ago our Florida legislature started in on this, really probably before that, where they isolated universities in Florida and said: You cannot do research—sensitive research, whatever, you know, engineering, computer science, et cetera—any research without notifying the state. And there's an elaborate process that had to be—you know, they had to go through to do this. But now it's not just research institutions. Now it's not just those kinds of collaborations. It is, in fact, all partnerships of any kind. We had to end our agent agreements where we were recruiting students from China that were—where the companies were based in China. And in course our programs were not research. They're just general education, two-year associate's degree, maybe some business. But we've been informed now it's completely done. And so I'm actually looking for institutions outside of Florida who might be willing to take over the role that we've had in transcripting students who later want to come to the United States. At least for the first two years in China, and then transferring to the upper division to the U.S. So I'm not sure. You're probably quite familiar with this. I don't know if you know the details of how it was worked out in practice. We were the only community college in the state that had any partnerships. So we were the ones that had to desist. So I want to—there are probably people on the call that are familiar with this, but there might be many others. And I just wanted to say that I'm looking to, you know, open that door to other institutions outside of Florida that might be willing in, yes, take a risk to go into China, but to—I've always felt that these kinds of programs were very good to build relationships, partnerships, communication. Ambassadors really. Where we feel like we were representing American education, whatever, you know, we call American values, democracy, you know, community. We thought we were doing good. But we found out we were—we were not. We were—we were doing something that went opposed to the prevailing political climate, at least in Florida. So that's my comment. I think people should know about it. And thank you for letting me speak to it a bit. Maybe someone will speak up and say they're interested in they can get in touch with me, David Moore at Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. LEE: David, thank you for sharing what you did. This is a really important example of where other states could very well head. And what's interesting, as David noted, we're talking about a community college. When we normally think about cutting ties, it's usually around the concerns about national security. Now, how this translates to a two-year degree that is solely educational based is a pretty far stretch, and yet is being impacted quite severely. So I think we should continue to follow this example—unfortunate example. And, David, yeah, your partners have reached out to my office, and I'm sure to others. But thank you for being available. Q: You're welcome. We have partners—we are also working with your Jakarta, Indonesia center there. So we have that connection. Thank you. LEE: Mmm hmm. Thanks. FASKIANOS: And if anybody wants to share contact information in the Q&A box, you can certainly do that. That would be great. There is a written question from Tutaleni Asino at Oklahoma State University: There was an article today in SEMAFOR highlighting that there are currently 350 U.S. students studying in China compared to 11,000 in 2019. Comparatively, there are 300,000 Chinese students in the United States. Is this a one-way problem, where the U.S. is not investing in international engagements as a result of being more inward looking and other countries having more options of who to collaborate with? LEE: Yeah. Tutaleni, that's—I think your question is an answer. And I think it's—I agree with your observation. So we are seeing that as there's state and public disinvestment in higher education, and including scrutiny about international higher education, we're also seeing a decline and cutting of foreign language programs in the United States. So here we are, a monolingual country whose students mostly go to Europe or other English-speaking countries to study abroad. A very limited number of international—U.S. students who pursue undergraduate degrees in a foreign country. And knowing that the future is global and international, at least in my opinion, does not set the U.S. up well to be globally competitive, even though much of its international policy is around this rhetoric of we need to compete with China. And so you raise a good point. How is this possible if U.S. citizens don't speak Chinese, or have no interest in learning about Chinese culture, or there's reduced opportunities even in our own institutions, I think is something to think about and ask more questions about. FASKIANOS: I'm going to take the next question from Zhen Zhu, chair and professor of marketing, director of faculty excellence, and director for international engagement at Suffolk University: How do you see the trend of U.S. students' interest in study abroad to China? LEE: There is actually growing interest. As many of you know, China—offering Chinese language in high schools is not as unusual as it used to be. There is growing interest as students are thinking about employability in global markets in multinational or international organizations or corporations. It would be fundamental, in fact, for someone who has any interest in international work to pick up the language if they can, and at your own institution. FASKIANOS: Great. Let's see. From—I'm going to take the next question from Jeff Riedinger: Is there a role for universities to play in knowledge diplomacy to sustain international relationships and collaborations in addressing global problems such as climate change and pandemics when national governments may be at odds with each other? LEE: Thanks, Jeff. And hi, Jeff. I'm just going to read over that question so I can kind of digest it a bit. Is there a role for institutions to play in knowledge diplomacy, such as climate change, pandemics, when national governments may be at odds with each other? Absolutely, 200 percent. It is occurring—knowledge diplomacy, science diplomacy. That one individual going on a Fulbright or coming to study here for some extended visit, having these collaborations and, ultimately, you know, science—knowledge production—I mean, there's no bounds. And when we think about the kind of research that may not occur because of these national governments are at odds when it comes to addressing climate change or other global issues, you know, the world is paying somewhat of a price when it comes to that in—when there are overarching concerns about national security. So, you know, my issue has always been with policy you overlook nuance, and with sweeping policies that overlook the disciplinary distinctions and contributions, what is lost in the pursuit of trying to stay ahead of another country in fields and areas that really have no economic or military value, right? But yet, have an important cultural value, or maybe will address something bigger, such as COVID-19. So as I mentioned, the work that I referenced earlier about U.S.-Chinese scientists coming together during COVID-19, were actually scientists who studied COVID-19 together. And again, this was not—this was fraught with risks. They were very well aware that there was a lot of scrutiny about any research about COVID-19 coming from China. There was scrutiny about, you know, where the data was held, who was analyzing it, who was funding it. And yet, these scientists took these risks in order to address how does the world deal with the pandemic. And this was based on interviews of those studies that were actually successful and published. This is where that mutual trust, as I've mentioned earlier, is so important. And without that mutual trust, these studies, I'm pretty certain, would never have been published, because it was not an easy path when it comes to that particular geopolitical climate during the pandemic. FASKIANOS: Jenny, I'm just going to ask a question. President Biden and President Xi met during APEC. Did anything come out of that meeting that could affect U.S.-China academic collaboration? LEE: Yeah. You know, this is tough. I mean, how do you analyze political statements? What do they really mean? And what is really going to change? I think what's clear is that there's an acknowledgment that we're interdependent, but we're also adversaries. Almost a love/hate codependent, in a relationship that we can't just easily separate but we do need each other. But the form that it takes, I think there's an understanding it needs to be more specific. And I don't think that has been clarified yet. I realize I missed part of Jeff's question on what can institutions do? That's such a good question. And I got more into the topic than the actual to-do. What can institutions do? Honestly—(laughs)—I'll just speak as a researcher, to back off a bit, right? To let scientists do what they want to do. Yes, we need to follow disclosures. We need to make sure there's no conflicts of interest. We need to follow all of these procedures. But what I also found during the China Initiative, there was also this chilling climate in which there's an overinterpretation that may put institutions at risk. And to my knowledge, institutions were not at risk to the extent to which their scientists, especially those of Chinese descent, felt scrutinized. FASKIANOS: Thank you. We have a raised hand from Dan Whitman. Q: OK, I think I'm unmuted. Thank you, Irina. And thanks, Professor Lee, for mentioning the Great Wall that that prevents us from dealing with even Europeans who have subsidized education or Africans who have no money. And just an anecdote, since you have welcomed anecdotes, I am an adjunct at George Washington University. But totally unrelated to that, just for free and just for fun, pro bono, nobody pays, nobody gets paid. A course that I'm giving by webinar, it's zero cost. The topic is crisis management, but it could be any topic. And in that group, which there are about eighty people who tune in twice a week, fifteen Kenyans, twenty-five Ukrainians, and forty Kazakhs. I mean, I don't know if there's ever been exchange between Kazakhstan and Kenya. Anyway, my point is things can be done. We share it for free. What motivates the students? A certificate. It's so easy to give them a certificate. And in many countries, they very highly value that, even though it's not a—there's no formality, there's no formal academic credit. But the students are very motivated. And possibly, there may be universities in the U.S. that could—that might want to give a professor a small stipendium to do an informal webinar course, which would create connections, which would be zero cost, basically, and would bridge that gap of funding that you've alluded to. Thank you. LEE: Yeah. Dan, thank you for that. And I think this leads to a kind of a spin-off comment about certificates. Absolutely. Micro-credentials or alternative forms of education, where there's maybe not a full-fledged undergraduate degree but some certificate, I think, is important niche, especially for returning adults or communities where they're not able to afford to take time off. So that flexibility, and obviously now with online education, just becomes so much more accessible and very low cost. Something else to keep in mind, though, is that, depending on the institution you're from, that will make a difference in certificates. I mean, an institution like George Washington University offering a certificate may have some symbolic or perceived value that may be higher than an institution that is lower or are not ranked at all. So this is where, unfortunately—I'm a big critic of global rankings. But unfortunately, it does play a role in how that certificate is being perceived and the attractiveness of that certificate. But absolutely, this is definitely a way to open access especially for places in the world that just cannot physically move or have the funds to support their studies. FASKIANOS: Great. There are two comments/questions in the Q&A that I wanted to give you a chance to respond to about Africa, from Tutaleni Asino and Fodei Batty. Dr. Asino talks about English is the language of instruction and governments in Africa where they're funding education to a higher degree, and thinks that there are opportunities there, but it sounds like all fifty-four countries are grouped together. And Dr. Batty talks a little bit about there are a lot of students from African countries pursuing graduate education in the United States. But South Africa is usually an exception to the higher education American norm in Africa. Most South Africans don't like to travel, especially travel to America. I thought maybe you could just clarify some—respond to those comments. LEE: Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you for sharing those comments. There's a book I edited called Intra-Africa Student Mobility. And I agree with the comments. And one of the things I didn't mention that I think is important to help us understand the broader global context is that there's actually considerable international activity within the continent. And there's actually considerable intra-Africa mobility within the continent. South Africa is the most important country player in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is globally ranked—has more globally ranked institutions than any other African country. And so South Africa then becomes an important hub. And, yes, as an English-speaking, among many other languages, country, that does attract African students to go oftentimes for a similar sense of shared culture, despite sometimes different languages and customs and backgrounds. And yet, nevertheless, South Africa is an important player within the continent. Not to say that there is no international mobility occurring, but there is increased capacity within the continent that would allow students and interested students to travel within the continent. Not the same extent, of course, as Europe. But the least we're seeing that rise over time. And so it's called Intra-Africa Student Mobility. Chika Sehoole and I coedited the book. We were able to get about eight African scholars to talk about the various reasons students would choose that particular African country, and what draw them. And what was really interesting about this phenomenon is that it goes against this prevailing notion of Africa's victim of brain drain or all going to the north. That's actually not what is happening. But that there is capacity building within the continent. So in trying to answer a different question, I skirted over a lot of the things I could go further into. But hopefully that book will shed light on what's happening within that continent, at least from the perspective of eight different countries. FASKIANOS: Fantastic. Thank you for that. I'm going to go next to Jonathan Scriven at Washington Adventist University in Maryland: What are some of the strategies universities are using to make education more affordable in the United States? If that is a challenge, are schools investing more or less in setting up campuses in foreign countries as a way to reach foreign students? LEE: I'm just going to read over that question. OK, yeah. Great question, Jonathan. So what's happening in my institution and many others is a way to attract students is we're providing considerable aid, merit aid, financial aid, aid even to international students. The majority may not even be paying the full sticker price. Now this, of course, will affect the revenue that would have otherwise been generated, but nevertheless is a way to deal with the fierce competition across U.S. institutions for these top students. So how to make it affordable? There's a lot of aid going around at the undergraduate, not just the graduate, levels. And so what are institutions doing? Well, for example, at the University of Arizona for our dual degrees, it's a fraction of the cost of what it would cost to be a student at our main campus. When you have a combination of hybrid or online delivery with a campus partner maybe providing most of the gen ed's and then we would teach most of the major courses as an example, that does significantly lower the cost where that student will still get a bona fide University of Arizona degree, just like they would at main campus. So these alternative forms of delivery certainly make it more affordable, especially for those that opt to stay in their home country and receive an online education, or a flipped classroom model, or a dual degree. FASKIANOS: Great. Denis Simon, if you can—why don't you ask your question? Q: Here I am. OK. Recently, on a trip to China in September, a number of faculty have told me they're no longer wanting to send their best students abroad. They want to keep them in China. And this is all part of the rise of Chinese universities, et cetera. And so it may not be simply the souring of Sino-U.S. relations that has causal effect here, but simply the fact that China now is becoming a major, you know, educational powerhouse. And that also could change the dynamics. For example, even the BRI countries could start to send their students to China instead of sending them to the United States. Do you see anything evolving like this or—and what might be the outcome? LEE: Yeah. Spot on, David. That halo effect of a U.S. degree is not the same as it was when I was a university student. Chinese students, as well as students in the world, are much more savvy. They have access to information. They have access to rankings. They know all universities are not the same. And they know that they have some institutions that are highly ranked and may offer better quality education than the U.S. So that the image of a U.S. degree, of course, is not as universally perceived as it may have been, I don't know, pre-internet, or without the—all sorts of rankings in which institutions are rated against one another. And absolutely, Chinese institutions are very difficult to get into, fiercely competitive, producing far more scientific output than some of our leading institutions. And there's another factor when it comes to Asian culture just more broadly speaking, is that social network tie. Sociologists refer to it as social capital. When a Chinese student, a Korean student, Japanese student decides to study in the United States, they may lose that social tie that may possibly put them in a disadvantage when they decide to come back and compete for a position when they may just have that U.S. credential, but may have either lessened or no longer have that relationship that may have allowed them to get a position at the university, or in a place where that alumni network would have been especially useful. So again, I don't want to generalize, you know, in any place to the world, but there is that component that I think sometimes is missed in the literature. Maintaining that social network is pretty key, especially as jobs, of course, global, you know, unemployment—places where students are competing for positions need to have every edge possible. So that also can be part of that reason they decide to stay. FASKIANOS: Great. The next question from Michael Kulma, who's at the University of Chicago. He's following on David Moore's comments about Florida: Do you know how many other states in the U.S. are enacting or are considering such policies against partnerships with China? LEE: I do not know the answer. So if anyone wants to raise their hand and share about their own state, or put it on the answer part of the question and answer. There are related concerns about DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some of that may spill over to China. Hopefully, at some point at the Council of Foreign Relations will have a discussion on Israel and Hamas conflict and how institutions are dealing with that. And so we're seeing a pretty challenging political environment that is clearly spilling over to our classrooms and to our international activities, our domestic recruitment. But I'm not answering your question, Michael. (Laughs.) I'll leave it up to someone else to answer. FASKIANOS: Great. Thank you. So we don't have very much time left. I thought maybe you could, given your research and expertise, could suggest resources—recommend resources for higher ed leaders and administrators to better understand how to promote collaboration. LEE: Sure. So promoting collaboration, it really—each person at a time. You know, again, MOUs may be signed, and maybe overarching presidents will come together and have an agreement, but there's no guarantee that will ever happen. I'd love to do a study on how many MOUs never actually materialized into real action. So where do we begin? International affairs SIOs out there, identify who are your area studies experts? Who are your visiting postdocs? Who are your Fulbright scholars from other parts of the world? They all represent their own network and are certainly are valuable resources to consider. What I've sometimes have heard even at my own institution is, you know, how do we bring these people to the table? Why are they not at the table to begin with, and then how do we bring them there? And this is a relatively low-cost way to go about this, right? Like, faculty engaged in service. What kind of opportunities can your university provide for faculty service that is aligned with their area of expertise, the areas of the world they represent, the networks they have? And many of—some of you already have experienced this directly. These partnerships often begin with our alumni, international—former international students who decide to go back home. So, again, there's just a lot of exciting opportunity. I love this field because it's never boring. There's always new ways to grow, expand new partners. But it really does begin with that essential element of trust. And that often begins with our own institutions and identifying those who've already started to build that network. FASKIANOS: Wonderful. Thank you very much. Really appreciate your being with us and for sharing your expertise and background, Dr. Lee. It's been fantastic. And to all of you, for your questions and comments, and sharing your experiences as well. You can follow Dr. Lee on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @JennyJ_Lee. I will send out a link to this webinar, the transcript, and the video, as well as the link to the book—your book that you mentioned, and any other resources that you want to share with the group. And I encourage you all to follow @CFR_academic on X, visit CFR.org, ForeignAffairs.com, and ThinkGlobalHealth.org for research and analysis on global issues. We also—just putting in a plug for our other series, Academic Webinar series, which is designed for students. We just sent out the winter/spring lineup and we hope that you will share that with your colleagues and your students. It is a great way for them to have access to practitioner scholars and to talk with students from around the country. So if you haven't received that lineup, you can email cfracademic@CFR.org, and we will share that with you. So, again, thank you, Jenny, for being with us, and to all of you. And wishing you safe and happy holidays. And good luck closing out this semester before we get to the holidays. (Laughs.) So thank you again. (END)

Jenny Lee, vice president for Arizona International, dean of international education, and professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona, leads the conversation on U.S. international academic collaboration and how U.S.-China tensions are affecting higher education. FASKIANOS: Welcome to CFR's Higher Education Webinar Series. I'm Irina Faskianos, vice president of the National Program and Outreach here at CFR. Today's discussion is on the record and the video and transcript will be available on our website, CFR.org/academic. As always, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy. We're delighted to have Jenny Lee with us to discuss U.S. international academic collaboration. Dr. Lee is vice president for Arizona International, dean of international education, and professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona. She is also a fellow of the American Educational Research Association. Dr. Lee formerly served as a senior fellow of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, as chair for the Council of International Higher Education, and as a board member for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. And she has also served as a U.S. Fulbright scholar to South Africa, as a distinguished global professor at Korea University, and as an international visiting scholar at the City University of London, the University of Pretoria, and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. So, Dr. Lee, thank you very much for being with us for today's topic. I thought you could begin by giving us an overview of current trends in U.S. international academic collaboration, especially looking at what's happening with our relations with China. LEE: Sounds great. Well, thank you for the opportunity, Irina. It's a pleasure to be here and to speak with you and all those listening right now. I'll speak for about ten or so minutes, and then open it up and engage with the audience. Hopefully, you all have some good questions that will come up during my remarks. So, clearly, we're entering a very interesting and somewhat uncertain chapter in how we understand the role of higher education globally. So I will begin with some general observation so all our viewers are on the same page. Now, first and foremost, the U.S. is mostly at the top when it comes to the higher education sector. Most of us already know that the United States houses the most highly ranked institutions. And this allows the country to be the largest host of international students and scholars from around the world. According to the latest IIE Open Doors report published a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. attracted over a million students from all over the world. And we're almost back to pre-pandemic levels. We also host over 90,000 scholars. And the primary purpose for them being here is research, for about two-thirds to 75 percent of them. These international scholars, as well as international graduate students, contribute significantly to the U.S. scientific enterprise. The U.S. is also among the leading countries in scientific output and impact, and the largest international collaborator in the world. In other words, the U.S. is highly sought because of its prestigious institutions, drawing top faculty and students from around the world. And with that comes the ability to generate cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs which further secures the U.S.' global position in academia. At the same time, of course, we've seen China's economy rise significantly as the country surpassed the United States in scientific output, and more recently in impact as measured by publication citations, and is outpacing the U.S. in the extent of R&D investment. Chinese institutions have also made noticeable jumps in various global rankings, which is a pretty big feat considering the fierce competition among the world's top universities. What we're witnessing as well are geopolitical tensions between the two countries that have impacted the higher education sector. While these two countries, the U.S. and China, are the biggest global collaborators—and they collaborate more with each other than any other country—they're also rival superpowers. As global adversaries, what we are witnessing as well is increased security concerns regarding intellectual theft and espionage. I'm going to spend some time summarizing my work for those who are not familiar to provide some further context. I and my colleagues, John Haupt and Xiaojie Li, also at the University of Arizona, have conducted numerous studies about U.S.-China scientific collaboration. And what we're observing across these studies is how the scientific pursuit of knowledge, which is fundamentally borderless, is becoming bordered in the current geopolitical environment. International collaboration, long valued as positive-sum, is being treated as zero-sum. Besides the rise of China and the accompanying political rhetoric that posed China as a so-called threat, tensions also grew among accusations, as you may recall, about the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and a corresponding sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. Public opinions about China were not favorable, and thus there was not a whole lot of public resistance when the FBI's China Initiative was launched in 2018. This initiative basically signaled that anyone of Chinese descent was a potential enemy of the state, including possible Chinese Communist Party spies in our own universities, even though there was no pervasive empirical or later judicial cases that proved such a damaging assumption. Nevertheless, world-renowned Chinese scientists were falsely accused of academic espionage and their careers and personal finances ruined. In my research that followed with Xiaojie Li, with support from the Committee of 100, we surveyed about 2,000 scientists in the U.S.' top research universities during the China Initiative. And we found that one in two Chinese scientists were afraid that they were being racially profiled by the FBI. We also observed that consequently scientists, especially those with Chinese descent, were less inclined to collaborate with China, less inclined to pursue federal grants, less inclined to even stay in the United States but rather to take their expertise to another country where they felt safer to pursue their research, including in China. In sum, the federal government's attempts to weed out possible Chinese spies was highly criticized as a damaging form of racial profiling affecting even U.S. citizens and, in the end, undermined the U.S.' ability to compete with China. Especially now, as we continue to observe Chinese scientists leaving the U.S. and taking their skills and talents elsewhere. With John Haupt and two academics at Tsinghua University in China, Doctors Wen Wen and Die Hu, we asked about two hundred co-collaborators in China and in the United States how were they able to overcome such geopolitical tensions and the challenges associated with COVID-19 during the pandemic? And we did learn something somewhat unexpected, and I hope valuable. Basically, we found that mutual trust between international collaborators helped overcome such perceived hurdles, including risks of being unfairly targeted. What this tells us is that a chilling effect is certainly real and remains possible, but in the end scientists have tremendous agency on what they study, where they study, and whether or not they seek funds, or where they seek funds. Regardless of the host or home country, international collaboration is important to all countries' scientific enterprise. Coauthors from different countries improve the knowledge being produced, its applicability, enlarges global audiences, and thereby increases the impact of the work. So considering the value, yet risks, where do we begin? Firstly, federal and institutional policies, of course, matter, for better or for worse. But policies do not manufacture trust. The formation of an academic tie does not suddenly occur over a cold call in the middle of a global meltdown, as often portrayed in Hollywood. Rather, this is a gradual process. And the longevity of the relationship helps strengthen that trust over time. According to our research, these collaborative relationships begin as graduate students, postdocs, visiting researchers. They occur at academic conferences and other in-person opportunities. Cutting short-term fellowships, for example, will impact the potential of a future scientific relationship, but its effects may not be felt for years. Same with denied visas and opportunities for travel. Fewer graduate students from particular countries or fields also means a different shape when it comes to global science. U.S. for instance, was not too long ago Russia's biggest foreign scientific collaborator, with the war in Ukraine, those research relationships, as well as much—with much of the Western world, have ceased. All of this, and my related empirical research, was conducted when I was a professor at my home institution. And since July, I've been serving, as Irina mentioned, as the dean and vice president of international affairs at my own institution. And I've been thinking a lot of, what does this mean for institutional practice? For those in university leadership positions, as mine, you know this is a tough challenge. Especially as domestic demand and state funding for higher education is generally declining. And at the same time, internationalization is increasingly central to senior leadership strategies. Universities are continuing vying to attract the world's students, even despite a decline of interest from China. And at the same time, research universities in particular are quite dependent on federal grants. We have our own research security offices that need to ensure our universities have good reputations and relations with our large federal funding agencies and taking every precaution to not be seen as a vulnerable site of intellectual theft. These units tend not to operate within international affairs. And I'm very well aware that in my role of trying to attract as many students from China and develop international partnerships, all of them can be suddenly erased if a Chinese University partner does not pass visual compliance or there is a sudden presidential executive order, as we experienced under the Trump administration. I'm also very well aware that of senior leaders have to choose between my educational offerings and partnerships in China versus risking a major grant from a federal agency, I will lose. We witnessed that with the shutting down of over 100 Confucius Institutes in the U.S., despite a lack of evidence of systematic espionage occurring through these centers. Public perceptions, informed or not, strongly affect the nature of our international work, as in the case of Florida. Such negative perceptions are not one country-sided, of course. A key concern for Chinese and other international students and their parents relate to safety. Gun violence, including on our own college campuses, anti-Asian hate crimes in surrounding neighborhoods, and unfavorable political environment in which studies might be interrupted as in the case of Proclamation 10043, or visa non-renewals are all contributing factors for the decline of interest from China, and uncertain future student exchange as well. In closing, when it comes to China these days no practices are guaranteed. However, I can recommend some while also keeping in mind geopolitical conditions can suddenly change for worse, or perhaps better. I mentioned earlier the value of mutual trust. At my university, we have long-standing relationships with university leaders at Chinese institutions. We've set up dual degree programs in China. Actually, about 40 percent of our international student enrollment are through such partner relationships throughout the world, in which we go to where they are. Hiring staff who speak the language and know the culture are also essential. And, like any relationship, these arrangements have developed over time. They are not built overnight. It takes intention. It takes effort. But in my experience, as trust is established the numbers have grown, and the positive impact is still being felt. Thank you. FASKIANOS: Thank you very much for that. That was terrific. Let's go now to all of you for your questions, comments. You can use this to share best practices and what you're doing to your universities or institutions. Please click the raise hand icon on your screen to ask a question. On your iPad or tablet, you can click the “more” button to access the raise hand feature. And when you're called upon, please accept the unmute prompts, state your name and affiliation, followed by your question. You can also submit a written question, they've already started coming in, by the Q&A icon. And if you can also include your affiliation there, I would appreciate it, although we will try to make sure we identify you correctly. So let's see. I'm looking for—no raised hands yet, but we do have questions written. So first question from Denis Simon, who's a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Many U.S. universities have curtailed their exchanges and cooperation with China. You referenced that. Officials at these universities are worried that if they appear too friendly toward China they will lose all sorts of federal funding. Are these concerns justified? Are there any regulations or legislation that actually says federal funding can be removed assuming these universities are in compliance with the export controls, et cetera? LEE: All right. Well, thanks, Denis, for your question. I know there—when I saw the list of those who signed up, I know there are many here who can speak to this directly. So I encourage those to also raise their hands and provide input in the Q&A, maybe in the form of an A instead of a Q. But in any case, going to that question, you know, it's a tough environment. And so much in my role, but what I even experienced in my research, is about that perception, that overinterpretation. So maybe signaling that we have this exchange program might draw attention in ways that might lead to suspicions that, oh, well is this, you know, somehow creating an opportunity for us to disclose military secrets? I mean, that's where we take it. A friendly exchange or visit is oftentimes now having to be scrutinized and ensuring that there is no remote violation of export controls, even in educational delivery in a non-STEM field. And what we're seeing is that this—we have our highly sensitive fields, but that kind of scrutiny we're also seeing applied to the institution more broadly. So these seemingly benign programs about language or culture, about fields that are enhanced or help promote so-called American values, are also being watched. So I believe as an institutional leader, again, as I mentioned earlier, having to deal with the possibility of unwanted or unwarranted attention versus not having that program, I think some, as Denis has pointed out, are leaning towards being more cautious. Unfortunately, China—any work with China is considered a risk, even if there is no reason for risk, as we've witnessed under—or, observed under the China Initiative. I don't know if I've fully answered that question, but please follow up if I haven't. And I know others can probably say more to that issue. FASKIANOS: Great. I'll take the next question from Peter—I don't know how to pronounce— LEE: Peter Becskehazy. Hi, Peter. (Laughs.) FASKIANOS: There you go. Thank you very much. LEE: I know Peter. FASKIANOS: All right. Good. Well, I'd love if Peter asked his question directly, if he can. Oh, good. From Pima Community College. Go ahead, Peter. Q: Hello, Jenny. Nice to see you. LEE: Hi, Peter. Q: Now my question is, the University of Arizona and other universities have had an inflow of dozens of countries, adding up to the million that you mentioned. Are other countries trying to fill in slots left vacant by Chinese students and scholars? LEE: Yeah. Great question, Peter. And I think you can also share what you've observed at Pima in terms of the patterns you've witnessed. But for us, and as we are seeing nationally, we're seeing India rise. Not at the—not at higher numbers in many institutions, compared to China, but the rate is rising. It's not so simple, though, because we also have relations in India, and trying to set up agreements, and bring students. The competition in India is intense. So even though there's a relatively so-called large market, and the U.S. has been quite successful in attracting Indian students, that is perhaps where the attention is as a more, I would say—I hate to use the word “market,”—but a stable student market. There's a lot more interest in graduate-level education globally, as we've observed. These countries that formerly didn't have capacity now do have capacity. They have online offerings. They have branch campuses, dual degrees, lots of other options. And so the niche for the U.S., whereas before we didn't really have to think about a niche, is really in graduate education. Now, of course, that's not good news for Pima, that's thinking about a community college and other kinds of educational offerings. But for us, we're thinking about India a lot. Southeast Asia, of course, has always been an important partner to us. Africa continues to be a challenge. We know that when we think about population growth, Africa is the future. There's still challenges and trying to identify places where there is capacity. But also the affordability of a U.S. education is a huge challenge. So it's a great question. And, again, I'm curious to know other places in the world people recommend. Of course, Latin America, given our location, is a key strategic partner. But again, affordability becomes an issue. And again, I'm just talking about the traditional international student who would choose to come to Arizona. Not talking about research collaboration, which is less bound by affordability issues. Irina, you're muted. FASKIANOS: How long have I been doing this? OK. (Laughs.) I'm going to take the next written question from Allison Davis-White Eyes, who is vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Fielding Graduate University: We have tried to work on collaborations with European universities and African universities, and met with much difficulty. What trends are you seeing in these regions? And what are emerging global markets beyond China? LEE: Great question, Allison. I mean, if you could leave the question in the future, so because I am visually looking at the question at the same time. FASKIANOS: Oh, great. Sorry. LEE: So, Allison, I'm not sure if you're referring to academic or research. Of course, within Europe, where the government does highly subsidized tuition, it's just becomes financially a bad deal, I suppose—(laughs)—for a student in the world who would normally get a free or highly reduced tuition to pay full price at our institution. So that kind of exchange of partnership, especially when it's about—when it's financially based, becomes almost impossible from my experience. But thinking about research collaboration, it depends on the level. So if it's an institutional agreement, you know, it's—often, these MOUs tend to just be on paper. It takes quite a bit of—it's very ceremonial. You need to get legal involved. It's a whole process to get an MOU. We really don't need these non-binding MOUs for research agreements. Some countries like it, just to display that they have an MOU with a U.S. institution. But essentially, it doesn't stop me as a professor to reach out to another professor at the University of Oslo, and say, hey, let's do a study. Which we actually are doing. So, yeah, feel free to be more specific, or if you want to raise your hand or speak on—and elaborate on that question. So, again, for educational exchange, it is difficult because we are—there's already a process within the EU that makes it very affordable and highly supported within the EU, or if you're part of that bigger program. Africa, again, my challenge from my role as an institutional leader is identifying places where there is already enough mass education up through high school where one would be able to consider, first of all, being admitted to a U.S. institution, but secondly, to be able to pay the cost. FASKIANOS: Allison, do you want to expand a little bit? Q: Oh, sorry. (Laughs.) FASKIANOS: There you go. There you go. Q: Right. Dr. Lee, thank you for your response. I think it was helpful, especially regarding the subsidizing of education in Europe. We've been working on some research partnerships. And we have just—you know, really, it has just been extremely difficult with European universities. And I do think part of it has to do with the way things are subsidized in Europe. I was just wondering if there were new and different ways to do it. I do appreciate your comment about the MOUs being largely ceremonial. I agree. And would like to see something with a little more substance. And that will take some creativity and a lot of partnership and work. As for Africa, we have tried to create partnerships with South Africa. I think there's some potential there. Certainly, some excitement. We've had a few students from Nigeria, extremely bright and motivated. I just would—you know, would like to hear, maybe from some other colleagues as well on the call, if there are creative ways in working with these students as well. So, thank you. LEE: Yeah, no. And just to follow up quickly, and, again, opportunities for others to share, academic collaboration, as I mentioned during my remarks, is largely built upon mutual trust. And not to say it can't happen from top down, but really does—is most successful from bottom up. And I don't mean to refer to professors at the bottom, but meaning those that are actually engaged with that work. And so just some considerations is rather than a top-down initiative or strategy, is to identify those that are visiting scholars, already from that country, have networks within that country. What's interesting, as I learned in my current role, is how little my predecessors worked with professors in these area's studies programs, because they're oftentimes treated as a separate or having different interests in mind when actually there is a lot of overlap to identify those that are actually there. Allison, by the way, I lived in South Africa for eight years. And I know it actually takes a long time. My Fulbright started off as a one year, and I had to extend it because even getting the data while I was on the ground takes time. And I'll be honest, I think part of it was taking some time just to build trust the intentions of my work, what was I going to do with that data, how is that going to be used? Was it actually going to be ways to empower them? You know, for those who study international collaboration, know this north and south divide, and I think there are places in the world that are—maybe have some guardrails up from those—not saying this is what's happening in your institution—but someone that they don't know coming from the Global North to study someone else in the Global South. And so how do we create or initiate a collaboration that is clearly, expressly mutual at the onset? And, again, this is where trust can be operationalized lots of different ways, but that even begins with that initial message. I mean, I remember when I started my work, nobody responded to me. They're like, who are you? And I don't care who you are or what your CV says. And it takes time. You know, building that relationship, and that person introducing me to that other person. Like, you know, this is how scientific networks form. And I think, to some extent, this is also how institutional collaborative relationships also form. FASKIANOS: Thank you. I'm going to go next to David Moore, who has a raised hand. Q: OK, thank you. I just got unmuted. FASKIANOS: Great. Q: Lee, I appreciate your comments. And I heard your reference to Florida earlier. I don't know if we have colleagues on this call from Florida, but I think they'll know what I'm about to say. I'm the dean of international education at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale. And as of tomorrow, December 1, Florida has to—all institutions in Florida, public institutions, colleges and universities, must be completely devoid of any partnerships in China. And not just China. There are seven countries of concern. And you probably can cite them, most of you would know the other six. But of the seven countries, Broward had four partnerships in China alone, none in the other countries that were active. And so we are now officially done, have to be. And I've had to notify the partners as well as our accrediting body, because these were international centers of Broward where they literally offer—we offered associate degrees, two-year degrees. And students could then transfer to an institution in the United States. Now, this didn't catch us too much by surprise because two and a half years ago our Florida legislature started in on this, really probably before that, where they isolated universities in Florida and said: You cannot do research—sensitive research, whatever, you know, engineering, computer science, et cetera—any research without notifying the state. And there's an elaborate process that had to be—you know, they had to go through to do this. But now it's not just research institutions. Now it's not just those kinds of collaborations. It is, in fact, all partnerships of any kind. We had to end our agent agreements where we were recruiting students from China that were—where the companies were based in China. And in course our programs were not research. They're just general education, two-year associate's degree, maybe some business. But we've been informed now it's completely done. And so I'm actually looking for institutions outside of Florida who might be willing to take over the role that we've had in transcripting students who later want to come to the United States. At least for the first two years in China, and then transferring to the upper division to the U.S. So I'm not sure. You're probably quite familiar with this. I don't know if you know the details of how it was worked out in practice. We were the only community college in the state that had any partnerships. So we were the ones that had to desist. So I want to—there are probably people on the call that are familiar with this, but there might be many others. And I just wanted to say that I'm looking to, you know, open that door to other institutions outside of Florida that might be willing in, yes, take a risk to go into China, but to—I've always felt that these kinds of programs were very good to build relationships, partnerships, communication. Ambassadors really. Where we feel like we were representing American education, whatever, you know, we call American values, democracy, you know, community. We thought we were doing good. But we found out we were—we were not. We were—we were doing something that went opposed to the prevailing political climate, at least in Florida. So that's my comment. I think people should know about it. And thank you for letting me speak to it a bit. Maybe someone will speak up and say they're interested in they can get in touch with me, David Moore at Broward College, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. LEE: David, thank you for sharing what you did. This is a really important example of where other states could very well head. And what's interesting, as David noted, we're talking about a community college. When we normally think about cutting ties, it's usually around the concerns about national security. Now, how this translates to a two-year degree that is solely educational based is a pretty far stretch, and yet is being impacted quite severely. So I think we should continue to follow this example—unfortunate example. And, David, yeah, your partners have reached out to my office, and I'm sure to others. But thank you for being available. Q: You're welcome. We have partners—we are also working with your Jakarta, Indonesia center there. So we have that connection. Thank you. LEE: Mmm hmm. Thanks. FASKIANOS: And if anybody wants to share contact information in the Q&A box, you can certainly do that. That would be great. There is a written question from Tutaleni Asino at Oklahoma State University: There was an article today in SEMAFOR highlighting that there are currently 350 U.S. students studying in China compared to 11,000 in 2019. Comparatively, there are 300,000 Chinese students in the United States. Is this a one-way problem, where the U.S. is not investing in international engagements as a result of being more inward looking and other countries having more options of who to collaborate with? LEE: Yeah. Tutaleni, that's—I think your question is an answer. And I think it's—I agree with your observation. So we are seeing that as there's state and public disinvestment in higher education, and including scrutiny about international higher education, we're also seeing a decline and cutting of foreign language programs in the United States. So here we are, a monolingual country whose students mostly go to Europe or other English-speaking countries to study abroad. A very limited number of international—U.S. students who pursue undergraduate degrees in a foreign country. And knowing that the future is global and international, at least in my opinion, does not set the U.S. up well to be globally competitive, even though much of its international policy is around this rhetoric of we need to compete with China. And so you raise a good point. How is this possible if U.S. citizens don't speak Chinese, or have no interest in learning about Chinese culture, or there's reduced opportunities even in our own institutions, I think is something to think about and ask more questions about. FASKIANOS: I'm going to take the next question from Zhen Zhu, chair and professor of marketing, director of faculty excellence, and director for international engagement at Suffolk University: How do you see the trend of U.S. students' interest in study abroad to China? LEE: There is actually growing interest. As many of you know, China—offering Chinese language in high schools is not as unusual as it used to be. There is growing interest as students are thinking about employability in global markets in multinational or international organizations or corporations. It would be fundamental, in fact, for someone who has any interest in international work to pick up the language if they can, and at your own institution. FASKIANOS: Great. Let's see. From—I'm going to take the next question from Jeff Riedinger: Is there a role for universities to play in knowledge diplomacy to sustain international relationships and collaborations in addressing global problems such as climate change and pandemics when national governments may be at odds with each other? LEE: Thanks, Jeff. And hi, Jeff. I'm just going to read over that question so I can kind of digest it a bit. Is there a role for institutions to play in knowledge diplomacy, such as climate change, pandemics, when national governments may be at odds with each other? Absolutely, 200 percent. It is occurring—knowledge diplomacy, science diplomacy. That one individual going on a Fulbright or coming to study here for some extended visit, having these collaborations and, ultimately, you know, science—knowledge production—I mean, there's no bounds. And when we think about the kind of research that may not occur because of these national governments are at odds when it comes to addressing climate change or other global issues, you know, the world is paying somewhat of a price when it comes to that in—when there are overarching concerns about national security. So, you know, my issue has always been with policy you overlook nuance, and with sweeping policies that overlook the disciplinary distinctions and contributions, what is lost in the pursuit of trying to stay ahead of another country in fields and areas that really have no economic or military value, right? But yet, have an important cultural value, or maybe will address something bigger, such as COVID-19. So as I mentioned, the work that I referenced earlier about U.S.-Chinese scientists coming together during COVID-19, were actually scientists who studied COVID-19 together. And again, this was not—this was fraught with risks. They were very well aware that there was a lot of scrutiny about any research about COVID-19 coming from China. There was scrutiny about, you know, where the data was held, who was analyzing it, who was funding it. And yet, these scientists took these risks in order to address how does the world deal with the pandemic. And this was based on interviews of those studies that were actually successful and published. This is where that mutual trust, as I've mentioned earlier, is so important. And without that mutual trust, these studies, I'm pretty certain, would never have been published, because it was not an easy path when it comes to that particular geopolitical climate during the pandemic. FASKIANOS: Jenny, I'm just going to ask a question. President Biden and President Xi met during APEC. Did anything come out of that meeting that could affect U.S.-China academic collaboration? LEE: Yeah. You know, this is tough. I mean, how do you analyze political statements? What do they really mean? And what is really going to change? I think what's clear is that there's an acknowledgment that we're interdependent, but we're also adversaries. Almost a love/hate codependent, in a relationship that we can't just easily separate but we do need each other. But the form that it takes, I think there's an understanding it needs to be more specific. And I don't think that has been clarified yet. I realize I missed part of Jeff's question on what can institutions do? That's such a good question. And I got more into the topic than the actual to-do. What can institutions do? Honestly—(laughs)—I'll just speak as a researcher, to back off a bit, right? To let scientists do what they want to do. Yes, we need to follow disclosures. We need to make sure there's no conflicts of interest. We need to follow all of these procedures. But what I also found during the China Initiative, there was also this chilling climate in which there's an overinterpretation that may put institutions at risk. And to my knowledge, institutions were not at risk to the extent to which their scientists, especially those of Chinese descent, felt scrutinized. FASKIANOS: Thank you. We have a raised hand from Dan Whitman. Q: OK, I think I'm unmuted. Thank you, Irina. And thanks, Professor Lee, for mentioning the Great Wall that that prevents us from dealing with even Europeans who have subsidized education or Africans who have no money. And just an anecdote, since you have welcomed anecdotes, I am an adjunct at George Washington University. But totally unrelated to that, just for free and just for fun, pro bono, nobody pays, nobody gets paid. A course that I'm giving by webinar, it's zero cost. The topic is crisis management, but it could be any topic. And in that group, which there are about eighty people who tune in twice a week, fifteen Kenyans, twenty-five Ukrainians, and forty Kazakhs. I mean, I don't know if there's ever been exchange between Kazakhstan and Kenya. Anyway, my point is things can be done. We share it for free. What motivates the students? A certificate. It's so easy to give them a certificate. And in many countries, they very highly value that, even though it's not a—there's no formality, there's no formal academic credit. But the students are very motivated. And possibly, there may be universities in the U.S. that could—that might want to give a professor a small stipendium to do an informal webinar course, which would create connections, which would be zero cost, basically, and would bridge that gap of funding that you've alluded to. Thank you. LEE: Yeah. Dan, thank you for that. And I think this leads to a kind of a spin-off comment about certificates. Absolutely. Micro-credentials or alternative forms of education, where there's maybe not a full-fledged undergraduate degree but some certificate, I think, is important niche, especially for returning adults or communities where they're not able to afford to take time off. So that flexibility, and obviously now with online education, just becomes so much more accessible and very low cost. Something else to keep in mind, though, is that, depending on the institution you're from, that will make a difference in certificates. I mean, an institution like George Washington University offering a certificate may have some symbolic or perceived value that may be higher than an institution that is lower or are not ranked at all. So this is where, unfortunately—I'm a big critic of global rankings. But unfortunately, it does play a role in how that certificate is being perceived and the attractiveness of that certificate. But absolutely, this is definitely a way to open access especially for places in the world that just cannot physically move or have the funds to support their studies. FASKIANOS: Great. There are two comments/questions in the Q&A that I wanted to give you a chance to respond to about Africa, from Tutaleni Asino and Fodei Batty. Dr. Asino talks about English is the language of instruction and governments in Africa where they're funding education to a higher degree, and thinks that there are opportunities there, but it sounds like all fifty-four countries are grouped together. And Dr. Batty talks a little bit about there are a lot of students from African countries pursuing graduate education in the United States. But South Africa is usually an exception to the higher education American norm in Africa. Most South Africans don't like to travel, especially travel to America. I thought maybe you could just clarify some—respond to those comments. LEE: Yeah. Absolutely. Thank you for sharing those comments. There's a book I edited called Intra-Africa Student Mobility. And I agree with the comments. And one of the things I didn't mention that I think is important to help us understand the broader global context is that there's actually considerable international activity within the continent. And there's actually considerable intra-Africa mobility within the continent. South Africa is the most important country player in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is globally ranked—has more globally ranked institutions than any other African country. And so South Africa then becomes an important hub. And, yes, as an English-speaking, among many other languages, country, that does attract African students to go oftentimes for a similar sense of shared culture, despite sometimes different languages and customs and backgrounds. And yet, nevertheless, South Africa is an important player within the continent. Not to say that there is no international mobility occurring, but there is increased capacity within the continent that would allow students and interested students to travel within the continent. Not the same extent, of course, as Europe. But the least we're seeing that rise over time. And so it's called Intra-Africa Student Mobility. Chika Sehoole and I coedited the book. We were able to get about eight African scholars to talk about the various reasons students would choose that particular African country, and what draw them. And what was really interesting about this phenomenon is that it goes against this prevailing notion of Africa's victim of brain drain or all going to the north. That's actually not what is happening. But that there is capacity building within the continent. So in trying to answer a different question, I skirted over a lot of the things I could go further into. But hopefully that book will shed light on what's happening within that continent, at least from the perspective of eight different countries. FASKIANOS: Fantastic. Thank you for that. I'm going to go next to Jonathan Scriven at Washington Adventist University in Maryland: What are some of the strategies universities are using to make education more affordable in the United States? If that is a challenge, are schools investing more or less in setting up campuses in foreign countries as a way to reach foreign students? LEE: I'm just going to read over that question. OK, yeah. Great question, Jonathan. So what's happening in my institution and many others is a way to attract students is we're providing considerable aid, merit aid, financial aid, aid even to international students. The majority may not even be paying the full sticker price. Now this, of course, will affect the revenue that would have otherwise been generated, but nevertheless is a way to deal with the fierce competition across U.S. institutions for these top students. So how to make it affordable? There's a lot of aid going around at the undergraduate, not just the graduate, levels. And so what are institutions doing? Well, for example, at the University of Arizona for our dual degrees, it's a fraction of the cost of what it would cost to be a student at our main campus. When you have a combination of hybrid or online delivery with a campus partner maybe providing most of the gen ed's and then we would teach most of the major courses as an example, that does significantly lower the cost where that student will still get a bona fide University of Arizona degree, just like they would at main campus. So these alternative forms of delivery certainly make it more affordable, especially for those that opt to stay in their home country and receive an online education, or a flipped classroom model, or a dual degree. FASKIANOS: Great. Denis Simon, if you can—why don't you ask your question? Q: Here I am. OK. Recently, on a trip to China in September, a number of faculty have told me they're no longer wanting to send their best students abroad. They want to keep them in China. And this is all part of the rise of Chinese universities, et cetera. And so it may not be simply the souring of Sino-U.S. relations that has causal effect here, but simply the fact that China now is becoming a major, you know, educational powerhouse. And that also could change the dynamics. For example, even the BRI countries could start to send their students to China instead of sending them to the United States. Do you see anything evolving like this or—and what might be the outcome? LEE: Yeah. Spot on, David. That halo effect of a U.S. degree is not the same as it was when I was a university student. Chinese students, as well as students in the world, are much more savvy. They have access to information. They have access to rankings. They know all universities are not the same. And they know that they have some institutions that are highly ranked and may offer better quality education than the U.S. So that the image of a U.S. degree, of course, is not as universally perceived as it may have been, I don't know, pre-internet, or without the—all sorts of rankings in which institutions are rated against one another. And absolutely, Chinese institutions are very difficult to get into, fiercely competitive, producing far more scientific output than some of our leading institutions. And there's another factor when it comes to Asian culture just more broadly speaking, is that social network tie. Sociologists refer to it as social capital. When a Chinese student, a Korean student, Japanese student decides to study in the United States, they may lose that social tie that may possibly put them in a disadvantage when they decide to come back and compete for a position when they may just have that U.S. credential, but may have either lessened or no longer have that relationship that may have allowed them to get a position at the university, or in a place where that alumni network would have been especially useful. So again, I don't want to generalize, you know, in any place to the world, but there is that component that I think sometimes is missed in the literature. Maintaining that social network is pretty key, especially as jobs, of course, global, you know, unemployment—places where students are competing for positions need to have every edge possible. So that also can be part of that reason they decide to stay. FASKIANOS: Great. The next question from Michael Kulma, who's at the University of Chicago. He's following on David Moore's comments about Florida: Do you know how many other states in the U.S. are enacting or are considering such policies against partnerships with China? LEE: I do not know the answer. So if anyone wants to raise their hand and share about their own state, or put it on the answer part of the question and answer. There are related concerns about DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some of that may spill over to China. Hopefully, at some point at the Council of Foreign Relations will have a discussion on Israel and Hamas conflict and how institutions are dealing with that. And so we're seeing a pretty challenging political environment that is clearly spilling over to our classrooms and to our international activities, our domestic recruitment. But I'm not answering your question, Michael. (Laughs.) I'll leave it up to someone else to answer. FASKIANOS: Great. Thank you. So we don't have very much time left. I thought maybe you could, given your research and expertise, could suggest resources—recommend resources for higher ed leaders and administrators to better understand how to promote collaboration. LEE: Sure. So promoting collaboration, it really—each person at a time. You know, again, MOUs may be signed, and maybe overarching presidents will come together and have an agreement, but there's no guarantee that will ever happen. I'd love to do a study on how many MOUs never actually materialized into real action. So where do we begin? International affairs SIOs out there, identify who are your area studies experts? Who are your visiting postdocs? Who are your Fulbright scholars from other parts of the world? They all represent their own network and are certainly are valuable resources to consider. What I've sometimes have heard even at my own institution is, you know, how do we bring these people to the table? Why are they not at the table to begin with, and then how do we bring them there? And this is a relatively low-cost way to go about this, right? Like, faculty engaged in service. What kind of opportunities can your university provide for faculty service that is aligned with their area of expertise, the areas of the world they represent, the networks they have? And many of—some of you already have experienced this directly. These partnerships often begin with our alumni, international—former international students who decide to go back home. So, again, there's just a lot of exciting opportunity. I love this field because it's never boring. There's always new ways to grow, expand new partners. But it really does begin with that essential element of trust. And that often begins with our own institutions and identifying those who've already started to build that network. FASKIANOS: Wonderful. Thank you very much. Really appreciate your being with us and for sharing your expertise and background, Dr. Lee. It's been fantastic. And to all of you, for your questions and comments, and sharing your experiences as well. You can follow Dr. Lee on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @JennyJ_Lee. I will send out a link to this webinar, the transcript, and the video, as well as the link to the book—your book that you mentioned, and any other resources that you want to share with the group. And I encourage you all to follow @CFR_academic on X, visit CFR.org, ForeignAffairs.com, and ThinkGlobalHealth.org for research and analysis on global issues. We also—just putting in a plug for our other series, Academic Webinar series, which is designed for students. We just sent out the winter/spring lineup and we hope that you will share that with your colleagues and your students. It is a great way for them to have access to practitioner scholars and to talk with students from around the country. So if you haven't received that lineup, you can email cfracademic@CFR.org, and we will share that with you. So, again, thank you, Jenny, for being with us, and to all of you. And wishing you safe and happy holidays. And good luck closing out this semester before we get to the holidays. (Laughs.) So thank you again. (END)

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, YOUR guest is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. LaNitra Berger, President & Chair of the Board of Directors at NAFSA⁠, & Associate Professor, History & Art History & Director of the African & African American Studies Program at George Mason University YOUR guest cohost is Jim Shafer, Director of International Student Recruitment & Enrollment at Touro University, & Future Host of EdUp International YOUR host is Dr. Joe Sallustio YOUR sponsor is Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era In Higher Education! How can international education change lives? Why does the US need a national strategy to recruit international students? What does LaNitra see as the future of Higher Education? Listen in to #EdUp! Thank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp! Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - Elvin Freytes & Dr. Joe Sallustio ● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! We make education YOUR business! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/edup/message

College Avenue Club was at the NAFSA annual conference and expo in Washington D.C. and spoke with Heidi Weiss-Krumm, the Director of International Student Services at La Sierra University about her story and career into education and advice for college students and international students.

This episode features Dr. Fanta Aw, the new Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: the association of international educators. A highly-respected academic and nonprofit leader and scholar, Dr. Aw reflects on her global personal and professional journey and how these multifaceted experiences have prepared her exceptionally well to take on her new role and advance the field of international education in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Aw previously served as NAFSA's President and Chair of the Board of Directors and has spent her academic and professional careers at American University in Washington, D.C. An award-winning teacher, she served as the Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer at AU's School of International Service. She also sits on the Global Advisory Board of Times Higher Education and previously chaired the board of ETS TOEFL. Episode themes: Originally from Mali, how being a "third culture kid" and global nomad prepared Fanta for a career in international education and has helped her be a nimble leader, adapting to changing times How international and immigrant-students are faring on US campuses today and what is needed to support them The international education dynamics between the Global North and the Global South and how the balance of power is shifting to the developing world What the appointment of the first foreign-born, immigrant-origin, woman of color to lead a major higher education association means for NAFSA and its future Has the field of international made progress when it comes to diversity, access, and inclusion? What excites yet scares Fanta about her new role at NAFSA Leadership lessons and advice for women leaders Episode resources: Follow Fanta on Twitter and LinkedIn Listen to Episode 8 with LaNitra Berger Check out MPOWER Financing's Social Impact Report My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration Connect with me: LinkedIn, Twitter Episode sponsor: This episode was made possible by the generous support of MPOWER Financing which provides no-cosigner loans and scholarships for international, DACA, and refugee students. Headquartered in Washington DC, MPOWER has to date helped tens of thousands of students fund their educational dreams and journeys.

This month, longtime member and previous NAFSA president Fanta Aw assumes the role of NAFSA's CEO and Executive Director. Originally from Mali, Aw came to the United States as an international student at American University, where she spent both her academic and professional careers to this point. Most recently, she was vice president of undergraduate enrollment, student life, and inclusive excellence. (Read more about Aw in NAFSA's press release announcing her appointment as CEO.)In this interview, Aw shares memories and pivotal moments from her time as an engaged NAFSA member and member-leader, what excites her about her new position, and her vision and priorities for both the association and the field of international education. Read the interview in the March issue of International Educator.

NAFSA liaises with many different government agencies on behalf of, and in the interest of, its members and the students they serve. In addition, NAFSA advocates and works with Congress and the White House on a number of policy priorities. At the midpoint of the Biden administration, how are those government agencies and policymakers faring? In this episode of the IE Podcast, NAFSA's Steve Springer and Erica Stewart give a progress report—complete with letter grades—on these agencies, Congress, and the White House. Who gets an A+ and who needs improvement?NAFSA Resources and Links:NAFSA's priorities for the Biden administrationNAFSA regulatory news and announcementsRecorded session featuring USCISNAFSA Advocacy Day“What the White House National Security Strategy Gets Right—and Leaves Out” blog postNAFSA's advocacy campaigns and updatesInterview with Bertha Anderson, Chief of Public Engagement for the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

Dr. DeWayne Frazier currently serves as the University Provost where he is the Chief Academic and Student Development Officer for Iowa Wesleyan University. Dr. Frazier is known as an academic entrepreneur and his career is marked by enrollment growth through creative academic programming. Dr. Frazier's portfolio includes the Adult and Graduate Programs, library services, academic support, international education, Registrar Office, Office of Student Development, career services, community service office, campus ministries and the university academic divisions (Business, Education, Humanities, Nursing, and Sciences). Dr. Frazier serves on the President's Cabinet and is also a full professor in the Division of Business. Under Dr. Frazier's leadership, Iowa Wesleyan has seen over 100% increase in overall student enrollment in less than two years. Under Frazier's leadership, Wesleyan has increased international student enrollment by over 600% (18 to 120 students). Frazier has designed and incorporated a step-by-step plan for designing new academic programs and has implemented in the university wide strategic plan metrics to develop a minimum two new programs for review each academic year. Under his leadership the university has launched its first two graduate programs as well as an aggressive micro-credential program. Frazier is a national presenter on academic entrepreneurship. Prior to serving at Iowa Wesleyan, Dr. Frazier was the associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. At Campbellsville University, Dr. Frazier oversaw 17 different graduate programs across various disciplines including business, counseling, education, music, social work, social science, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. Frazier was responsible for implementing recruitment strategies, overseeing curriculum development and monitoring program resources. Under his leadership, the Graduate Programs grew steadily from a Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) of 453 in the Fall 2010 to 535 FTE in the Fall 2012. Two of the programs have recently (2014) been ranked by U.S. News and World Report in the top online programs in the United States. Dr. Frazier came to Campbellsville University after serving three years as the Senior Vice President for International Programs (SVP for IP) at Upper Iowa University (UIU) in Fayette, Iowa. Dr. Frazier was responsible for overseeing UIU's academic extension centers located in foreign locations. Upper Iowa University currently has centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. Under Dr. Frazier's leadership, full-time student numbers at the international academic extension locations have increased from 399 to 831 over the past three years. The enrollment growth reflects a 108 percent increase in total students.  As the Sr. VP for IP, Dr. Frazier oversaw all academic requests, including final grade appeals, internship extensions, appeals from suspension, approval of faculty, and final review of course substitutions. Frazier served on the university wide curriculum committee and graduate curriculum committee as an ex-officio member. He also worked closely with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association on Accreditation to assure that all programs operate within the given principles and parameters of the commission.  Dr. Frazier has presented at various conferences on topics ranging from job satisfaction to immigration regulations. He has presented at the World Conference of the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education and the NAFSA national conference. Dr. Frazier has presented on “F-1 Students for Admissions Offices” and “International Student Recruitment 101” at the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers as well as presentations on globalization. He has published numerous articles on topics such as internationalization of the campus and international recruitment. Dr. Frazier's earned his Bachelor's degree from Campbellsville University in Political Science/ Mathematics. He completed his M.A. in international politics at the Patterson School for Diplomacy and International Commerce on the campus of the University of Kentucky and finished an additional M.A. at the University of Louisville in higher education administration. Dr. Frazier completed his Ph.D. in leadership at the University of Louisville. The topic of his dissertation was the “Job Satisfaction of International Educators in the Post-September 11th Era”.

In this episode of the IE Podcast, we're going behind the scenes of the newly refreshed International Education Competencies 2.0 (IE Competencies 2.0) with Holly Hudson and Marcel Bolintiam. Holly and Marcel are two members of the Competencies Commission, the group of NAFSA members and leaders who were nominated by their peers to create the new edition of the IE Competencies. They give a glimpse into what's changed since 2015, when the original IE Competencies was published, why certain changes were made, how the commission approached this work, the value the IE Competencies 2.0 brings to the field, and how international educators in all knowledge communities can use the document in their everyday work. Find the IE Competencies 2.0 in the NAFSA Shop.

Andrew Gordon, chief executive officer and founder of Diversity Abroad, leads the conversation on the importance of providing equitable access to global education.   CASA: Hello, and welcome to CFR's Higher Education Webinar. I am Maria Casa, director of the National Program and Outreach at CFR. Thank you all for joining us. Today's discussion is on the record, and the video and transcript will be made available on our website, CFR.org/academic if you would like to share them with your colleagues after today. As always, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy. We are delighted to have Andrew Gordon with us to discuss the importance of providing equitable access to global education. Mr. Gordon is the founder and chief executive officer of Diversity Abroad, an organization focusing on topics pertaining to access, diversity, inclusion, and equity in international education. He works with higher education institutions, nonprofit and for profit organizations, and government agencies for developing strategies for increasing access to international education for diverse, first-generation, and high financial needs students. Mr. Gordon is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the Association of International Education Administrators, the European Association for International Education, the National Association of Black Accountants, and the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting. He is an alum of INROADS and the Association for the International Exchange of Students in Economics and Commerce. Welcome, Andrew. Thank you very much for speaking with us today. GORDON: It's great to be here. Thank you. CASA: Can you begin by giving us an overview of what equitable access to global education means and its importance in higher education? GORDON: Yeah. Absolutely. First, just want to say thank you, Maria, for the invitation to speak and to CFR Academic for hosting this session, particularly, this important topic. As I delve into my remarks, I'll give a little bit of background as to the—where my remarks are going to come from. As Maria mentioned, I founded an organization, Diversity Abroad, that centers diversity, equity, inclusion in global education. And over the last sixteen years had an opportunity to work with higher-education institutions, everything from community colleges to liberal arts, R-1s to Ivy Leagues, on this question of what does equitable access to global learning and global education mean. And we get this question often and, usually, when I get this question sitting in meetings with academic professionals, I, in some ways, put the question back and I say, well, what's the benefit of global education and global learning. Why do our campuses invest in infrastructure for global education and global learning, whether that's sending students abroad, supporting international students, ensuring that global themes are embedded into the curriculum? We often hear in the field of international education the term campus internationalization. Why are we investing in that in the first place? Well, when we think about global education and global learning and the students that engage in it, one of the organizations that many on the call may be familiar with, AAC&U, puts global learning and global education as a high impact practice, the kind of opportunities that help our students excel academically, grow interpersonally, and also be positioned that much better to thrive professionally once they leave school. And so taking a step back and thinking of the benefits of global education, we talk about students who engage in global learning opportunities. Many times this helps open their—broaden their perspective of the world as a whole. If they're participating in a physical—or education abroad program, many times it helps them in building resilience, a deeper sense of self, having more empathy for those who are, if you will, “different” than they are, embracing difference, something I think we can all appreciate we need that much more so in our society. So when we think—and we could probably, Maria, spend the entire time that we have talking about the benefits of global education and global learning. But the thing is that we know that—those of us who work in higher education know that and in many ways we are the gatekeepers to the kind of experiences inside the classroom, outside the classroom, that we say will fall under the umbrella of global learning. So if we know the benefits of these opportunities, we know how it can impact our students, then it is—well, the onus is on us to ensure that all of our students have equitable access to the benefits of global learning. We can't, on one side, say these are all the benefits of these phenomenal opportunities and so on and so forth, and then on the other side be OK with only certain students having access to global learning opportunities because, essentially, what we're saying is, well, this is a great thing that we have but only certain students are able to. And when we think about what—I would say, for many folks, when we talk about global learning, I would say one of the first things we often go to is study abroad. Study abroad is a phenomenal, phenomenal experience, and we'll talk about other forms in a moment. When we think about that particular opportunity that, I would say, is very high profile on many campuses, students graduating from high school going into university, the percentage is that eightieth, ninetieth percentile of students who are interested in study abroad. We know that is one of the global—one of the experiences that would fall under global education. We also know that, traditionally, study abroad has not reached a vast—too many of our students, we'll say, particularly our students of color, those who are first generation, those who are coming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. And so I think, in many ways, we'll get students who we say are—the growing population of students on our campuses are also those that study abroad has not supported, and even when campuses have been more successful in getting students to study abroad they haven't necessarily been as—we haven't necessarily been as successful in supporting the success of our students while they're there. So, when we think back to study abroad, if you will, being an aspect of global learning, which is a high-impact practice, you know, high-impact practice is only a high-impact practice if it's properly administered. So we send students but we're not prepared to really support our students in a very holistic way, in an inclusive way. Great, we've sent them but we're not really giving them equitable access to the benefits of a global education. And, likewise, global education exists in different parts of the campus as well. Think about what happens in our classrooms. In the curriculum we have a variety of different area—academic areas of focus. Frankly, how we support our incoming international students—our international students—every student is not going to study abroad, but our campuses are globally diverse environments where our students from all backgrounds exist and our international students and how they acclimate to U.S. culture, how we prepare them to engage with students from a variety of different backgrounds, Americans from a variety of different backgrounds. That's also part of the global learning that happens. And so when we take a step back and just, again, think about why is it that we invest in global education and global learning, it's because we know the benefits of it. We are 5 percent of the world's population, and I think if anything in the last two years, sort of two and a half, three years, we—it is very clear and currently as well is very clear how incredibly interconnected we are as a globe, even as their call—you hear the pundits and otherwise say, like, oh, well, globalization is dead, and so on and so forth. It was, like, regardless of what those conversations are, we know that as a world we are all reliant on each other, and the world that the students, particularly the younger students, if you will—younger age college students—are going to inherit is going to be that much more interconnected. And so for us, as a country, the United States, to be able to take on the challenges and the opportunities that the twenty-first century puts before us and to be successful in taking on the—both challenges and opportunities that has to be a global approach because we're not on this globe by ourselves, and for our future leaders to be prepared to do that it's incredibly important for them to appreciate the importance of global learning and global education, have equitable access to a variety of those opportunities. And, frankly, we are shooting ourselves in the foot if we only allow our—maybe we say not intentionally but structurally the situation is such that only a certain population of students has access, real access, to these kind of learning opportunities. And so, I think, as higher education institutions we have to ask ourselves, what does that mean, yes, for the International Education Office, but also what does that mean for our academics in the classroom? What does that mean for our senior administrators who are deciding where to invest funds and otherwise of an institution? What does it mean for our chief diversity officers, for our VP of student affairs, and otherwise, who also were tasked with ensuring equitable access to a variety of opportunities that are available on campus? And so, when we think about these questions at Diversity Abroad, I think being in association and being able to work with the three hundred-plus institutions that we do on these topics, we really do look at it holistically. What does that mean—global education, equitable access, and education abroad? Global learning at home, what happens in and outside the classroom domestically? Support for our international students? But also how are we also ensuring that the professionals—faculty, staff, and otherwise who are engaged in global educational opportunities or experiences in and outside the classroom—that those faculty members and those staff are reflective of the rich diversity that our students embody? CASA: Thank you. Thank you for that introduction. Now let's open it up to questions. As a reminder, please click the raise hand icon on your screen to request to ask a question. On an iPad or Tablet, click the more button to access the raise hand feature. When you are called upon, accept the unmute prompt and please state your name and affiliation, followed by your question. You may also submit a written question via the Q&A icon or vote for other questions you would like to hear answered in your Zoom window at any time. We do have a raised hand from Basilio Monteiro, associate dean and associate professor of mass communication at St. John's University. Basilio? (No response.) You could accept the unmute prompt. Q: Thank you very much, Mr. Gordon, for your introductory remarks. You know, this internationalization of education—oftentimes what happens is I find that students go and stay within the one small bubble instead of mixing up with other students from the country where they go to. That interaction is not there, and oftentimes, it's not even promoted to go. They will go—they go as tourists. They don't go as learners to learn, and that seems to be the kind of trend, so I find. And I talk to the students. They'll say, OK, oh, I went here. I went there. I saw this and I saw that, and that's it. So that is—what is your overall national experience at this point on this particular context? GORDON: Yeah. Thank you for that comment, and you're right. I think that as the field of international education we have not been as intentional as we could be in ensuring that once we've put in the investment dollars, human capital, and otherwise that helps get students overseas that we're really creating kind of an environment where our students are going to have the kind of experiences that they come back and they really have been able to develop deeper empathy, embracing difference, and so on and so forth. We think about it here in the U.S., right. The students at our campus, a lot of them are having a good time but they're still learning. They're still having very, in some cases—I hate to overuse the word transformative, but experiences that are shaping who they are becoming as people. That doesn't have to change when our students go abroad, and so whether we're talking about programs that are led directly by faculty, I'm thinking about how are we intentionally finding opportunities for our students to engage in the host community; what are opportunities of reciprocity when they're in country in a certain location so that our students don't just have a stamp on their passport but they'd have the kind of experience that is changing how they view themselves, how they view the world, and, frankly, how they view both the challenges and the opportunities that lie before all of us. What is incumbent on, I think, institutions as well as the organizations, institutions that work with a lot of third party organizations to help facilitate study abroad, it's incumbent on those organizations as well to say, we know our students want to have a good time. They're going to have a good time. That's excellent. We want that. But we also—the core reason why our students are engaging in these opportunities needs to be academic, self-development, and otherwise. The fun is going to happen, but that other piece needs to be there because if it's not then, frankly, we become glorified travel agents, taking students from point A to point B. I don't think if you asked anyone in international education what their role is that we would say that's what our role is because it's not. But we need to be intentional about ensuring that the kind of outcomes that we want, that we say our students can gain—we've built the structure to be able to—for our students to be able to achieve those outcomes. Thank you for that question. CASA: Our next question comes from Beverly Lindsay from the University of California system. Q: Thanks to both of you for your introductory comments, Maria and Andrew, for your statement. As a former member of NAFSA and a number of other professional organizations, I actually have several questions, but I will limit them. One is, as you know, throughout higher education, particularly in comprehensive research universities, there is an emphasis on the African diaspora, the Latino diaspora. So many of the undergraduate students tend to go to those countries that are African, the Caribbean, or South America, for example. How do we encourage students, regardless of demographic background, to go anywhere in the world because they would get more experience? For example, when I was the international dean at Hampton we set up a program where the undergraduates could go and do internships at the British parliament, which was really innovative. The second question I would ask you is to what extent do you involve graduate students through your organization? Now, I realize that they're often focused on their thesis or, in rare cases, we don't think of study abroad. We think of research opportunities for our doctoral students. But to what extent do you involve students from different levels? Because I know in community colleges there is considerable emphasis now in terms of having the Los Angeles Community College system, the Dade County students in the community colleges, go abroad. So, as I said, I had many but I'll just focus on those right now. But thank you for your forthcoming answer. GORDON: Yeah. Thank you for that, Beverly. I think when it comes to destination, where our students go, again, unfortunately, I think, that our field has an opportunity to go in a different direction as far as a narrative about certain places. I think, unfortunately, in the U.S., when we think of Africa, when we think of the Global South as a whole, it's often positioned through the lens of deficit of the people, of the governments, health care systems, and so on and so forth. And, without question, there's work to be done. But there's a lot that's happening of innovation in—I mean, Africa, the continent, I mean, obviously, the different countries. Same thing in Latin America. But if we position these locations as you go here to help, you go here almost in a savior type mentality, whereas if we position locations like Europe and Australia and otherwise, like, well, you go here, this is where you're going to learn, this is where you go on internships and this is where you're going to prepare yourself professionally, really, seems like amplifying this narrative of parts of the world are important for learning, growth, innovation. Other parts of the world are more focused on philanthropy, giving, and so on and so forth. And I think that puts us, frankly, as a nation in peril. There was a recent survey that came out—I want to say it was in the last couple weeks—and it—they surveyed youth in Africa. I can't remember which countries. But it asked—the question was who has a more positive impact on your country, China or the U.S., or maybe it was a variety of countries. But China eked out ahead the U.S. So the continent with the youngest population in the world, and we know what that means for the future, of future work and otherwise, views of different countries having a positive impact. We don't see a lot of study abroad programs on the African continent, for example, or Latin America that are focused on innovation and technology. I can—I can go on and on. And so I think we have to take a step back as a field of international education—I think, higher education as a whole—and push back against narratives of how certain regions of the world, certain countries, are viewed so that our students are encouraged to want to engage anywhere in the world as they're looking to deepen their understanding, grow interpersonally, be that much better positioned for their post-degree careers, and so on and so forth. So that—I think that onus is on us as institutions, as organizations, to increase that perspective. But I also think that that also has an aspect to deal with incoming international students as well. With the incoming international students how are we helping them have opportunity to tell more their story about the countries they come from, the contributions their countries make to the U.S., to other parts of the world, and so on and so forth. As to the other question as far as how we engage with graduate students, we were—I would say primarily graduate students who are working in higher education programs, international education programs, that are interested specifically in this work will engage with Diversity Abroad in a variety of ways, either participating in one of the communities of practice that we have, coming to our annual conference, Global Inclusion, in a kind of variety of different ways from that perspective. As far as specifically looking at mobility-based programs for graduate students, that's not our focus at this time. CASA: Our next question comes from Hemchand Gossai, associate dean of humanities and social sciences at Northern Virginia Community College. Q: Maria and Andrew, thank you very much for your comments and also for providing this opportunity. My institution is very large with a multi-campus sort of setting with seventy-five thousand students. It's almost ubiquitous among institutions of higher education, particularly in their admissions process, to extol the importance of how many countries are represented at the college or university, and that's a great thing. We have that as well, and we have a large contingent of international students. One of the things that has struck me and that you have sort of alluded to, Andrew, has to do with the role of our international students as they arrive on our campuses, and I'm wondering if you can reflect a little bit about how best our large contingent of international students might not only be integrated but might actually interact and shape our local community of first-generation students, of students of color, and so on. If you would, I'd appreciate it. Thanks. GORDON: Yeah. Excellent, excellent question. Let me start off by saying, for us, when we think of international students—well, not when we think of international students—but the process of the experience that our international students have operationally, if you will, in many ways it's the flip of our students going abroad. We had a question earlier about how do we better ensure our domestic students are integrating once they're in country. We're just flipping that and saying that for our international students. So what we're saying is that we want the same for both. We don't want our international students to be seen as, hey, this is a revenue source. You're here on campus. Now we're done. No. We want them to be successful, and our international students embody the same identities that our domestic students do. They're students of color. They're first-gen, disabilities, come from different religious backgrounds, LGBTQI. They embody all these same identities that we're trying to support with our domestic students and we want to do the same thing for international students. So and thinking of what that means is really asking the question is what does holistic support look like for our international students. Too often, our international students once they get on campus, they're seen as that international student. I mean, simply, that's their passport. That's where you're actually born. They need the same support, and then some additional at times, as our domestic students. Are we asking them, what contributions do you want in the classroom? Are we appreciating that our international students are coming from a different perspective during certain discussions and are we giving them space to be able to share those perspectives and honor the fact that it comes from a different perspective but that's still important? Because that's part of global learning that our domestic students benefit from as well when you have those rich discussions in the classroom, when you have a variety of different perspectives that are being shared, and we think about being able to hear that, analyze what's being said, and develop your own sense of, OK, this is my thought on this topic or otherwise. But when we just have a conversation, for example, in the classroom that's focused on domestic, even though we have a wide or very diverse population of students that—of international students in our classroom we're really missing an opportunity to both engage with the international students, help them have a deeper sense of belonging on our campus and, frankly, for our domestic students and all students to be to be able to learn that much more so. The other part of the question I mentioned, and kind of tying back to what I mentioned a second ago of how our international students embody so much of that—so many of the identities of our domestic students, you know, when we have programs for first-generation college students are we just thinking about our domestic first-generation college students? Our international students can be the same way. When we think about our disability services, when we think about programs that are maybe related to race in ways, are we thinking intentionally about that? Yes, an African American and an international student from Africa who's from Africa and who's Black and has grown up in Africa their entire life very well are—some shared experiences, but very different. Are we thinking about opportunities for learning and growth from that way? So as I would say it's the intentionality in the programming and the intentionality in thinking of what is our role in—and, obviously, helping our students be successful, but particularly from an equitable access to global education, we have all the ingredients to the salad, if you will. What's our role in making sure that this comes together and this works in a way that serves our students, our domestic, our international students—frankly, serves the institution. And so there's broader goals that we have in higher education around learning but also preparing a generation of citizens that are thoughtful not just about home but thoughtful about the relationship between home and abroad and how our world is broadly interconnected and reliant on each other. CASA: Thank you. Our next question comes from Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome, associate professor in the department of political science in Brooklyn College. Q: Good evening. I'm calling from Nigeria now. And I'm a professor, not associate. I was wondering if there is a two-way stream in terms of the way in which international education is conceived of thinking about students coming from foreign countries as exchange students, and I'm particularly interested in this from an African perspective. It's unbelievably difficult for many African students to come to the U.S. as exchange students. They face formidable visa barriers, and for many of them that are from socioeconomic backgrounds where they are not flush with money it is actually an impossibility. So, I mean, is there any kind of thinking about how skewed the pool is that the educational institutions in the U.S. is joined from, given all the constraints that are put in the way of students from the Global South, especially Africa— GORDON: Yeah. Q: —who want to just come to the U.S. just like our students go to those places? GORDON: Yeah. Yeah. No. Wonderful, wonderful question, and I'd kind of bifurcate my answers. I think with respect to visas, I think that's a question—offices handle that at State and I think there has to be a broader question of are we creating enough opportunities for students or making it easy enough for students or talented students that want to come take advantage of the rich diversity and the academic opportunities, some professional opportunities that exist in the U.S. Are we making it easy enough for those students to come to our shores? And I think that's a question that—State has to continue to be evaluated from that aspect. I'm not by any means an expert with visas, so I'm going to—I'm going to stay in my lane to an extent. But I think, broadly speaking, is we do—I think as a nation have welcomed and want to continue to welcome talented folks from all over the world to be able to come. And then I think the second part of the question, what's the role of institutions, I think similar to our—to domestic students, we know who our students are. We know what the challenges they have and being able to access opportunities that we have. And so we say—going back to what I mentioned earlier, we say we know what these—we know the benefits of these kind of opportunities. We're the gatekeepers to that. We know who our students are, and we know the challenges they have and this includes international students that are interested in coming, be it exchange or otherwise. How do we in higher education create more opportunities for talented students to be able to take advantage of these opportunities that we're very clear the benefits to them? And so from an exchange standpoint, looking and saying are we building exchanges—do we have the infrastructure, are we investing in the infrastructure so that we can have more exchanges with the Global South? Because many times exchanges, while not always cost neutral, is usually much more cost neutral than a paid study abroad or otherwise. So are we creating those kind of opportunities? Again, realizing that that benefits the student—the international student, the domestic student. It benefits our campus community and our broader community as a whole when our international students are out and engaging with the broader community around the universities and otherwise. So are we investing in that? And then when it comes to fully matriculated students, whether at the undergraduate, graduate, or doctorate level, are we doing enough? Is there more we should be doing to ensure that if funding is a challenge that the funding is—funding schemes that are available to better create opportunities for students to be able to come, and then also like we've mentioned in the last question is our campus infrastructure—our campus set up in such that our international students feel like they belong, the campus is thinking about them, and this is a place where they want to, frankly, stay and contribute their knowledge or insights, their experience, and otherwise, which, again, benefits them, benefits the campus, and benefits the community and the nation as a whole. Q: Next we have a comment from Pamela Waldron-Moore, a professor at Xavier University of Louisiana. You have touched on this topic but you might want to go a little deeper. She writes, as a professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, I know that this is a helpful conversation. One area of global education that does not seem to have had much exposure is the opportunity for national institutions to provide exchange opportunities that allow low-income students to appreciate diverse education. For example, students can learn much from institutions located in naturally global environments—New York, DC, California, et cetera. Many U.S. institutions are teeming with international students who are happy to interact with a wider body of learners. GORDON: Yeah. I'll just comment on that briefly, and I know Xavier does great work with our national exchange as well as with international. But your point is right on. When we think of the globally diverse cities that exist in the U.S., they're learning labs. I'm from the Bay Area. I like going to San Francisco. I go to places in Oakland and otherwise. These are learning opportunities. I think when you think of the flow of migration to certain areas within the country, there's so much to learn there for our domestic students as well as for our international students. And so when we think of global learning holistically, as much as—I started Diversity Abroad based on study abroad. I'm a fan of study abroad, absolutely. But I think when we think about global learning, we have to get—mobility from the standpoint of getting on a plane, crossing an ocean, and using your passport is not the only way. And when we think about the institutions, where our institutions exist, what does the community look like? How globally diverse is our local community? Are there opportunities for us, thinking of co-curricular activities, to better engage with our local communities as well, because part of the broader goal that we talked about, the benefits of global learning, those benefits can be gained—different benefits, different places, in different ways, but can be gained locally but also can be gained abroad. So, an excellent point. CASA: Again, as a reminder, please click the raise hand icon on your screen if you would like to ask a question, or write it in via the Q&A icon. Andrew, can you talk a little bit about the specific activities that Diversity Abroad engages in as an organization? GORDON: Yeah. Absolutely. Happy to. So Diversity Abroad founded in 2006. We're a member-based consortium, around three hundred and fifty colleges and universities. As I mentioned, it ranges from small liberal arts to community colleges, Ivies to R-1s, and, really, we—our focus is looking at diversity, equity, and inclusion within internationalization and global education. And so what does that mean? We look at four key areas of our work. It's education abroad, international students, global learning at home, and then career and organizational advancement, and we—the actual practices of the work that we do focuses heavy on learning and development. So everything from our annual conference, Global Inclusion, to our DEI certificate for folks who are engaged in global education or are interested in global education, as well as a leadership certificate for student leaders who want to embed DEI, global, into their leadership. We publish a set of good practices called the Global Equity Inclusion Guidelines, it's a set of policy practices for embedding DEI into a campus's global education operation, and then there's a ton of thought leadership that we do, collaboration with organizations. We have a phenomenal team that is always working to continue to push this conversation forward, and maybe more than moving the conversation forward, to push forward resources, learning opportunities, and otherwise to ensure that, frankly, as a field a decade from now we're not having this same conversation but that we've made some real tangible progress in going forward. So, much harder to execute on a daily and weekly basis than to kind of go over in a couple of seconds. But I'm really proud of the work that we're doing and always interested in collaborating with professionals and institutions that share—frankly, share our vision of equitable access to global educational opportunities. CASA: Great. Our next question comes from Krishna Garza-Baker from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She's assistant director of experiential learning. Q: Hello, Maria and Andrew. Thank you so much for this conversation. I'm actually a current member of Diversity Abroad and absolutely love all their resources. I'm there on a daily basis. So I would like to reflect back to the idea on promoting the benefits of global learning. As much as I promote the benefits of global programs to my students—I work specifically with business students at the Alvarez College of Business—what are some ways in which you have seen or experienced navigating the topic of the financial investment into educational experience and what are some other barriers to global learning that you have seen for domestic students? GORDON: Krishna, thank you for that comment and happy to have you as part of the Diversity Abroad community. So finance is interesting. Without question, finances can be a barrier to students engaging in global educational opportunities, particularly mobility-based ones. What's interesting, though, is that at times when you ask a student, are you interested in studying abroad, for example? They say, no, I can't afford it. And I was, like, well, do you know how much it costs? Well, I'm not actually sure. Are you sure how your financial aid works and how your financial aid can support? It was, like, no, I'm not actually sure. So you have students sometimes that see study abroad and there's an interest, but for a variety of other reasons, maybe they're becoming a little bit more hesitant, and finance is an easy one to go to say, oh, I can't afford it. And so I think it's important for, one, us to understand, from a financial standpoint, A, is the students—can they really not afford it? How are we addressing that? Or is this a question of, I'm interested and I'm on the fence and so on and so forth and I'm just kind of saying financial. I think for the aspect of students not being able to afford it, as an institution, again, we have to go back and say what's the value of global educational opportunities. We know that students who are statistically—we're saying that students who study abroad graduate sooner, graduate with higher GPAs as well. So that is hitting part of a broader goal that we have of higher education about persistence and completion. And so as an institution are we investing in the kind of activities like global education opportunities that are supporting the broader goals that we have as an institution around persistence and completion, and that is something that's strategically at institutions that—are questions we have to ask ourselves. We say, you know, yes, global, you know, the importance of all these opportunities to study abroad and so on and so forth. Are we investing in it in a way that any of our students that are interested finance is not going to be the barrier that pushes them back? Now, I think, on the other aspect of it with respect to finance and being able to talk with students and their families, students and their families who are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. They're on campus, and they're on campus, in a way, because they've seen being a student at your campus as an investment, something that is valuable enough to either, personal finances—going out and fundraising in a variety of different ways because they see the value in that. The question, I think, that we have as—in higher education and particularly in international education are we positioning global education as this is an investment? And this goes back to a comment that was made a little bit earlier about, hey, you know what, we're sending these students abroad. They're not really engaging with the populations. It's kind of like it's just vacation. OK. Well, if I'm a serious student and I'm concerned about finances, and I have to make choices about what I invest in, if study abroad is positioned as, you know, go have fun abroad I'll say, well, listen, I'll go on vacation at another point in my life. I'm focused on getting in school, doing the kind of things that's going to position me to be able to thrive, support family, and otherwise. So in education abroad and study abroad, the onus is on us to make sure that the way we're talking about these opportunities, the way that opportunities are actually taking place, is such that a student that has to make that decision looks at study abroad or other global opportunities and says, you know what, this is where I want to invest my time, my resources, and otherwise because this is something that's going to help me continue to grow with the broader goals that I have. CASA: Our next question comes from Maggie Mahoney, director of global engagement at the University of Houston. Q: Good afternoon, Maria and Andrew. Nice to talk with you. Hello from Houston, Texas. Andrew, my question is about our teams, because we want to bring the best of our teams to our students. We know that burnout is an ongoing issue. We've had the pandemic. We've had the murder of George Floyd that kind of shifted things even more for the bigger focus of DEI and that has become exhausting, not to mention in Texas we face our own Texas state issues and now inflation changing. So there's a lot of stress on our teams, and in institutions of higher ed we should have offices that mirror the diversity of our students. But we don't always have that. Do you have any recommendations for our diverse staff team members and their self care in the face of this burnout and too often being turned to in the support of DEI efforts whenever we should all be doing the work? And do you have any recommendations for team leaders on how to continue doing our work while supporting our diverse team members, as we know they're overwhelmed? GORDON: Yeah. Thank you for that comment. And that's—I think a very important point is that we can't ignore—when we think of—we think of some of the organizations that we've looked AT and say, hey, these are great companies or great organizations that I'll support. The folks who are at the table many times come from incredibly diverse backgrounds, and in international education if we want the work that we do to have the kind of impact, we want to make sure that we're drawing the best and brightest, most diverse folks that say, hey, higher education, international education, specifically, this is a place where I want to go work. Our faculty members who may potentially be leading programs abroad, there's a lot that our faculty members can be doing over the summer when we say, you know what, I want to lead a study abroad program because this is—not only the impact this could have on students, but I know I'm going to be supported by the international office and otherwise as I'm going abroad. So what I would say is a couple of things. One is from a team leader perspective, and I think what you pointed out being something that is really a very salient topic. You know, DEI work cannot fall on folks of color or folks who we look at and say, OK, well, you represent XYZ identity so, yes, diversity worked for you. All that does, as stated, is it leads to burnout and it doesn't lead to us moving the needle. So, organizationally, are the practices or the policies in place. So, operationally, DEI is just embedded into what we do and regardless of what your role is, the DEI tasks that are there, is there for you to do. So regardless of what your background is, whatever the DEI tasks are connected to your role, those are there for you to be able to do. And so that'd be one aspect of it, really looking operationally from that perspective. But then another question is asking ourselves whether it's at the department level within an office, like a global education office or whatever it may be, are we building a climate of belonging. Are we building a climate where our staff that come from historically marginalized backgrounds feel like, hey, we can come—we can come here. We can be ourselves. When we're having challenges we're being supported and otherwise because, again, then we're able to be able to do the work that's needed to increase participation in global educational opportunities, being able to work with the faculty members to think through how do we better embed global themes into the curriculum, being able to support our international students. Which is saying none of this happens automatically. It is run by people, on people power, and we've got to take care of our people. If we don't take care of our people, all the other things that we want to do, ultimately, we won't be as successful as we'd like. CASA: We have a question now from Professor Waldron-Moore from Xavier. She says—she asks, how can we generate interest in study abroad from the classroom? Shouldn't we address seriously ways to motivate students to learn more about diversity in order to raise their awareness about higher education? We need to get the excitement about other countries and people going before we grow an interest in study abroad or a study exchange. GORDON: Yeah. So that's—I would say it's not an either/or but I would say they very much work in tandem. So the more—and to the point, the more that we—the more that global themes are presented to our students, the more interest that will start to generate with our students. If you have a population of students that from the time they set foot on campus they know they're going to study abroad and so and so forth, that's great. We want those students. But you have another population of students who maybe that's not the case, and so how are we embedding global themes into the curriculum regardless of what our fields may be? What are—are we finding opportunities to embed global themes into the curriculum so that, one, we're helping to promote the idea of there's a lot to learn outside of the shores of the U.S. as well, but, two, for our students—and every student's not going to study abroad. For our students who aren't going abroad are we finding opportunities to ensure that they still have access to global learning themes within the classroom. And so they very much play off each other, and I will say that now much more so for the students who, ultimately, decide not to participate in a study abroad or a formal study abroad program it's an opportunity for them to still get access to global learning opportunities. But I will say—one other thing I want to bring up and I started bringing this up in my earlier comments, I think when we're thinking about global education and diversity, equity, and inclusion, definitely thinking of it through, say, two lenses. One is the lens of what we've primarily been talking about of how are we supporting our historically marginalized students, supporting our staff and our faculty, our people, as they're engaged in global education, and that many times, again, are folks in historically marginalized populations. But when we think about learning global DEI competencies, all of our students need to access that. DEI is not just populations to support or competencies to be learned—to learn. So inside the classroom, when they're participating in study abroad or otherwise, are we thinking through how we position our students to learn the kind of competencies that can position them to be better citizens, to be better—that much more thriving in their professional careers and otherwise. And, again, that takes place—many times that takes place in the classroom. CASA: Our next question is also written and comes from Wendy Kuran, associate vice president for development and alumni engagement at Duke Kunshan University. Actually, she has two questions. The first is, following up on the earlier question and Andrew's great answer, is the career and self-development value proposition of study abroad clear to diverse students? Is there credible, accessible research about the value? What could we, at universities, including students, do to help make that case in new ways more effectively? And the second shorter question, do you ever work in secondary education intercultural exchange programs and, if not, are those in your ecosystems? Are there those in your ecosystems who do? GORDON: Yeah. So I'll start with the second question first. We work with some secondary institutions and organizations that support secondary students at that level. I would not say that that has been the traditional group of professionals or organizations or institutions that have come to us. But we are seeing some growing traction there. So I'm always interested in connecting with folks who have interest with that. With respect to career, I would say there are definitely institutions who have been at the forefront of centering the connection between global education and career, and I think as the field of global education that's work that's improving. But there's still work to do, I think, particularly for being able to make the case for students who, for a variety of reasons may be hesitant about study abroad. What we find in engaging with students, yes, research is important. Using more factoids are important. Firsthand experiences being important of students who embody similar identities and otherwise that can say, I had this kind of experience. I went from point A to point B to point Z. I know when I've had an opportunity to go to campuses and speak and otherwise telling a little bit about my own personal trajectory from doing accounting consulting to becoming an entrepreneur and otherwise and how study abroad impacted that, that's one of the things that attract students is really wanting to understand, OK, you look like me. You had a similar experience. How did you do that? So which is to say particularly with that—the part of your question asking about historically marginalized student populations, are we telling the stories of success? Are we telling the stories of how our students from historically marginalized backgrounds have been able to leverage global opportunities to advance in their career? For them to be able to say very concretely, I had this experience and then I'm working in this job and this is how this experience helped me and so on so forth. Again, that is intentional work, yes, by our global education offices but also, frankly, in collaboration with our career centers, our offices that are doing career development on campus. How are we working with them to be able to bring them back to connect with the students, the alum, and otherwise to be able to tell those stories, which, again, is part of the broader ecosystem of what does engagement look like to be able to increase participation and the success of students who are interested in study abroad? CASA: Have you been able to develop dedicated assessment and evaluation tools for success or gauging the success or the results of study abroad programs? GORDON: So we, ourselves, have not. There are some tools out there and some studies that are out there. Gosh, I'm trying to think of his name right now at the University of Georgia. There was a study in the early kind of 2000s called the Glossary Study. It was just recently built—they built upon that with a new study that showed the connection between academic success. I wouldn't say that for me, I'm familiar with a survey or research that goes as deep on the career success aspect of it. But I know there are some resources out there that talk deeper about the connection between career development and—study abroad and career development. CASA: And do you have thoughts on how global education and study abroad contribute to U.S. foreign policy creation and international relations? GORDON: Yeah. Well, in part, I mean, I think there's an aspect of just civics that's connected to every time you get on a plane, you travel, and you flash that green—I always say green—that blue passport, why is that so easy? Because even being able to understand the ability that you have to travel to the vast majority of the world without having a visa, without—and, frankly, other countries aren't able to do that. So almost, certainly, encourage deeper appreciation for the privilege that we have as U.S. citizens, being able to travel as freely as we do for most of the world, but also being able to engage, I think, for students of—U.S. students to be able to engage in other populations, hear their perspective. You know, sometimes there's perspectives that are critical to the U.S. Sometimes there are perspectives that are wildly in love with the U.S., and that's great. It's important to hear all of that, to hear how you're perceived, and then you bring that back home with you. Now you're thinking about your role as a citizen, what that does to you to be able to understand positionality of the U.S. and the rest of the world and what role that you personally want to take with that. And so I—and I guess I say for myself having a deeper appreciation for the, frankly, benefits of being a U.S. citizen by traveling and having had the opportunity to travel as much as I do and interact with folks all over the world. And so I think for all of our populations I think the populations that maybe haven't been as civically engaged or as deeply civically engaged it creates that many more opportunities to have that appreciation for. CASA: Yes. GORDON: And then, frankly, just people-to-people. I would just say—this is the last thing I'll say. It's funny, I mean—I mean, people-to-people exchanges, what they say it's hard to hate someone you know. (Laughs.) I mean, it's true. I mean, and I think that it's easy to turn on the news and hear XYZ about any number of people and locations in the world. I think when you sit down you break bread and you have coffee, whatever it may be, with folks from other parts of the world it does develop, I think, a deeper appreciation, really helping push us down that road of embracing difference and, I think, developing a deeper empathy, which we could all use more of that. CASA: Great. Well, we've come to the end of our time and, Andrew, thank you so much for sharing your insights with us, and to all of you for your questions and comments. You can follow Diversity Abroad on Twitter at @DiversityAbroad. You will be receiving an invitation to our next Higher Education webinar under separate cover. In the meantime, I encourage you to follow at @CFR_Academic on Twitter and visit CFR.org, ForeignAffairs.com, and ThinkGlobalHealth.org for research and analysis on global issues. I hope you're all having a great summer, and thank you again for joining us today. We look forward to your continued participation in the Higher Education Webinar Series. (END)

Live from the NAFSA Conference Expo Hall floor in Denver, Colorado, Girish speaks with fellow international educators.

Conversations around sustainability in international education have increased in recent years, and there is a growing contingent of international educators who are mobilizing for action to address the climate crisis.One key voice is Ailsa Lamont, who is the director of Pomegranate Global, an international education consulting group that offers a range of climate action services. Based in Australia, Ailsa currently serves as president of CANIE, the Climate Action Network for International Educators, which she co-founded in 2020. She is also one of NAFSA's 2020-2021 Senior Fellows, a group that wrote the white paper titled Sustainability in International Education.In this episode of the IE Podcast, we spoke with Ailsa about: her background in international education and interest in climate change, and how they intersect; the biggest misconceptions and assumptions people in international education have about the climate crisis; the challenges when it comes to sustainability in international education, as well as the opportunities to address those challenges; and practical ways international educators can make a difference in addressing the climate crisis on their campuses.More information and resources:CANIEPomegranate GlobalSustainability in International Education“Environmental Sustainability and Internationalization: Challenges and Opportunities”“Creating a Path Forward: International Education, Climate Change, and Sustainability”

IELTS believes a community where international students are integrated into the learning process and social environment is beneficial for everyone. IELTS wants to know, what does an inclusive higher education organization look like, and how does an organization foster and grow a sense of belonging, which is vital for everyone invested in these efforts? - - - - - - - - - - -One expert panelist will discuss the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign, a message from U.S. higher education to international students around the world. Speakers from the International Association for College Admission Counseling (International ACAC) and NAFSA will discuss efforts to create more inclusive campuses and programs, meaningful cross-cultural experiences and communication and how they’ve instituted efforts to develop inclusive learning and social environments for international students, where all feel equally welcome and engaged. A student contributor will discuss their experience from an international student perspective. Additional topics include financial aid for international students, housing and cultural factors of international student life, innovative integration programs that have been successful, and where higher education institutions have more room to grow. https://www.ielts.org/usa https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month on the International Educator podcast is a two-part episode featuring conversations with contributors to NAFSA's recent book, Engaging International Alumni as Strategic Partners, and other experts on this topic.In Part 2 of the episode, Maria Gallo and Kevin Fleming discuss the intersection of transformational philanthropy and international alumni engagement. Maria and Kevin co-authored a chapter on this topic in Engaging International Alumni, and their conversation covers: the difference between transformational philanthropy and traditional philanthropy;why institutions should involved international alumni in philanthropy efforts;examples of success in this area;how the pandemic changed the way institutions leverage their international alumni networks; andtheir personal experiences that contributed to their expertise in this area.Register now!NAFSA is proud to offer a workshop around this topic at the NAFSA 2022 Annual Conference & Expo in Denver, Colorado.  Learn more about "The Hidden Power of International Alumni Relations," which will take place Wednesday, June 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.Resources and links:Engaging International Alumni as Strategic PartnersKeep in Touch EducationThe Alumni Way: Building Lifelong Value from Your University Investment Prosper Nonprofit Advisors“The Pots of Water Framework for Alumni Engagement” 

As a leader, how do you establish a cutting-edge advantage in the global business world? In this episode we discuss with Dr. Maja Zelihic the power of perception and how you can use it to eliminate boundaries and become a successful global leader. Dr. Zelihic co-authored the book, The Power of Perception with Dr. Diane Hamilton, and both women were recently listed in Global Leaders Today - Global 100 Inspirational Leaders of 2022 alongside Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Oprah, for their global leadership impact. Dr. Maja Zelihic is a Fulbright Specialist, Full Professor, and a Department Chair of the Advanced Management Studies at the Forbes School of Business and Technology and a co-founder of Dima Innovations.  Dr. Zelihic is also a Global Dialogue Partner at NAFSA, the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. She serves on the Board for multiple global organizations, has published in over 20+ peer-reviewed journals, has received several honored awards and grants for her studies, and has spoken in 20 countries. What We Discuss with Dr. Maja Zelihic in This Episode The power of perception in leadership and everyday life Factors that shape our perception Differentiating between our perception vs reality How perception ties into developing global leaders Communicating effectively to diverse audiences The 4 components of the Perception Index Distinguishing between a leader and a manager Gender differences in perception Why diversity is essential in global conversations Leveraging the strengths of women in business Shifting the way others perceive us Transforming the perceptions in your organization Full Show Notes: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/leadership/421-the-perception-index-with-dr-maja-zelihic

SHOW NOTES This episode explores how the arts serve as a window into issues of race and social justice, and how artists have always been instrumental in helping us understand other cultures and the world at large. Today's guest is Dr. LaNitra Berger, Senior Director of Fellowships at the Office of Undergraduate Education at George Mason University. A highly-regarded international education leader, LaNitra is known for her work on diversity and social justice issues, for being a tireless champion of fellowships and scholarships for under-represented students that enable them to study abroad, and is the current President of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. Of most relevance to today's conversation is that LaNitra is also a scholar of African and African American art history and an author of multiple books. Her most recent book is Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of Color. Episode Themes: LaNitra's early influences and how they led to a professional and creative life that fuses international education, the arts, and a commitment to diversity and social justice The arts as a vehicle for raising social consciousness and awareness of social justice issues The South African artist, Irma Stern, and how her work and legacy challenges assumptions about race, gender, and religious identity, and why she is often seen as being controversial. South Africa's multi-racial society in the early-mid 20th Century, and the interactions and power dynamics between different racial and ethnic groups, as also reflected in Stern's work and other art from that period LaNitra's personal 20-year journey of researching and writing her book, and the authors and writers who have influenced her along the way. The relevance and timeliness of her book and how it relates to broader conversations about art, gender, representation, and identity Why LaNitra's NAFSA presidency is important at this particular moment in time, and her hopes and aspirations for NAFSA's future and the field of international education. Resources: LaNitra's website: www.lanitraberger.com LaNitra's recent books: Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of Color and Social Justice and International Education Be sure to check out these other resources! My book: America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility Newsletter sign-up: www.rajikabhandari.com Twitter: @rajikabhandari LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari Facebook: @authorrajikabhandari

This month on the International Educator podcast is a two-part episode featuring conversations with contributors to NAFSA's recent book, Engaging International Alumni as Strategic Partners, and other experts on this topic.In Part 1 of the episode, Gretchen Dobson, who is one of the co-authors of the book, talks with Serge Sych from Central European University about partnering with international alumni to advance marketing, branding, and student recruitment goals. Their conversation covers:why institutions should leverage alumni in brand-building efforts and how to build a program to do so;successful tactics to engage alumni;the keys to creating a sustainable recruitment strategy;where to begin when starting from scratch; anda few do's and don't's Serge has learned along the way.Stay tuned for Part 2, a conversation about transformational philanthropy with Maria Gallo and Kevin Fleming.Register now!NAFSA is proud to offer a workshop around this topic at the NAFSA 2022 Annual Conference & Expo in Denver, Colorado.  Learn more about "The Hidden Power of International Alumni Relations," which will take place Wednesday, June 1, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This episode is a conversation with Margaret Wiedenhoeft and Corrine Henke, the two co-editors of the forthcoming book NAFSA's Guide to Education Abroad, Fifth Edition. Given the changes in the field since the last edition came out in 2014, they discuss how those changes informed the contents of the new book, trends in education abroad, the chapters they think every international educator should read, and more.  

The National Football Supporters Association is organizing a march to the Soweto Derby on Saturday at Orlando stadium as they try to persuade the PSL to open the stadiums to the fans.”  

There is growing momentum in international education around advancing social justice, and these issues are rightly at the forefront of the important discussions happening across the field. Longtime NAFSA member LaNitra Berger, PhD, edited the book on it: Social Justice and International Education.In this episode of the IE podcast, Berger discusses how advancing social justice in international education became a passion of hers;changes she's seen in the field over the course of her career;the role international students play in the dialogue around racism; andbig and small ways to advance social justice in international education—from daily work on campuses to an overarching national strategy.Then, Berger answers questions from attendees at NAFSA's recent Summit for Diversity and Internationalization, and she shares more with us about the intersection of art history and international education.NAFSA Resources:Social Justice and International Education“International Students are Critical to Fighting Two Pandemics: COVID-19 and Systemic Racism” blog post“Centering Social Justice: NAFSA Resources to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”Additional Resources:Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of ColorIrma Stern book launch video“Art, Race and the Future: A Conversation with LaNitra Berger,” Parenting for the Future podcast A Conversation with Maaza Mengiste 

This episode of the IE podcast is a conversation with Bertha Anderson, who is the Chief of Public Engagement for the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman). Many international educators in the United States are familiar with the CIS Ombudsman's office, and NAFSA regularly liaises with this and other government agencies on behalf of advisers who facilitate the goals of international educational exchange while ensuring institutional and individual compliance with applicable laws and government policies. In this episode, Anderson discusses the mission of the CIS Ombudsman, how the office works with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and her office's policy priorities. She also shares about her own journey and experience in international education, what she enjoys most about her job, and what to expect from the CIS Ombudsman's office this year.More information:Office of the CIS Ombudsman Outreach page where DSOs can sign up to receive electronic announcements and find summaries and materials from previous engagementsOnline Filing for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training webinar

In November, during International Education Week, NAFSA released its annual analysis of the economic contributions of international students and their families to the U.S. economy. This year's analysis showed that the nearly one million international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities contributed  28.4 billion dollars to the country's economy and supported more than 300,000 jobs. NAFSA has been conducting this economic analysis for over 20 years, and Rachel Banks and Jason Baumgartner are the brains behind the operation. Rachel is the Senior Director of Public Policy and Legislative Strategy at NAFSA, and Jason is the founder of JB International.In this episode of the IE podcast, Jason and Rachel talk about COVID's affect on this year's data and notable findings, under reported takeaways from the Open Doors report and NAFSA's analysis, the history of the analysis, and how it's evolved over the years. More information:NAFSA's International Student Economic Value Tool

Host Melissa Nelson sits down with Becky Webster, Oneida farmer, seedkeeper and attorney. Their conversation explores the challenges and joys of being a Native farmer, cultivating recently rematriated crops, navigating both market and trade economies, and more. This episode is the third of three episodes focused on Seed Rematriation, and is a co-production of The Cultural Conservancy and Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance's (NAFSA) Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN). These episodes are part of a collection of Seed Rematriation media that we have co-produced with NAFSA and Rowen White of ISKN.This conversation was recorded on August 9, 2021.

In this episode of the International Educator podcast, we talk with David Di Maria, EdD, author of the recent NAFSA publication Achieving More With Less: Lean Management in the International Student Office.Di Maria discusses the eight most common types of waste found in most international offices; how to identify and eliminate waste; challenges to implementing new processes; how to know when the time is right to make changes; and how many concepts of wastefulness are consistent across cultures and industries.Learn more in  Achieving More With Less: Lean Management in the International Student Office, available in the NAFSA shop, and watch Di Maria's author talk about the book.

In this episode, Shelley Buffalo talks with host Melissa Nelson about the healing power of ancestral foods, feeding the community with rematriated crops and medicines, and her work with Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative, Red Earth Gardens and Seed Savers Exchange. They also explore the power of art and the beauty of seeds. This is the second of three episodes focused on Seed Rematriation, and is a co-production of The Cultural Conservancy and Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance's (NAFSA) Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN). These episodes are part of a collection of Seed Rematriation media that we have co-produced with NAFSA and Rowen White.

Like so many around the world, NAFSA has been watching events unfold in Afghanistan over recent months and weeks, as the United States has withdrawn from the country. This episode of the IE podcast features a conversation with a scholar from Afghanistan who is pursuing a master's degree at a university in the United States.  He shares his experience of watching developments in the situation in Afghanistan while studying in the United States, his concerns for his family and the Afghan people, his own encounter with the Taliban, his views on the future, and more.Regulatory updates, resources, and other information related to Afghanistan and Afghan students and scholars:NAFSA: "Information Resources for Assisting Afghan Students and Scholars"IIE: Afghanistan Crisis Response New York Times: "How to Help Afghan Refugees and the Relief Effort" Scholars at Risk letter to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenEditor's note: Due to security concerns, we have omitted the student's name and several other identifying details.

Host Melissa Nelson talks with Jessika Greendeer of the Ho-Chunk Nation in this first of three episodes focused on Seed Rematriation. Jessika and Melissa discuss this important growing movement, seed keeping and agriculture, and her work as Seed Keeper and Farm Manager at Dream of Wild Health. This episode is a co-production of The Cultural Conservancy and Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance's (NAFSA) Indigenous Seed Keepers Network, part of a collection of Seed Rematriation media that we have co-produced with NAFSA.

In this episode of the IE podcast, NAFSA's Director, Regulatory Practice Liaison Steve Springer breaks down the 2021 Spring Regulatory Agenda. In addition to giving important context for this edition of the agenda, we discuss five key takeaways, including the withdrawal of proposed changes to duration of status, SEVP fees, reforms to practical training, and more.  Overall, this edition turns away from restrictionist policies and is more supportive of international education, says Springer—changes that were not anticipated this soon from the Biden administration but are nonetheless worth celebrating. We also talk about the recent improvements and positive signs in stakeholder engagement from many government agencies. For more details about the regulatory agenda, visit NAFSA's Adviser's Manual.

Adam Julian, director of international student and scholar services at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and 2021 chair of the international student and scholar regulatory practice committee at NAFSA, discusses visa challenges for foreign students and international student enrollment with the return to in-person learning this fall. 

Networking, mentoring, and learning from peers are hallmarks of the field of international education. These elements also play an important role in career development and professional growth. Hear from two pairs of NAFSA members—one a mentor-mentee relationship, the other a peer-peer connection—about how the personal side of professional development has made a difference in their lives. Read more in the June issue of IE at nafsa.org/ie.

The CANIE Climate Dialogue Podcast returns after a short hiatus just in time for the mother of all conferences in international education: NAFSA and others coming up like Going Global and BCCIE's Summer Conference! CJ chats with returning CANIE Co-Host and virtual event master (and fan!) Evelien Renders about a recent article she co-published on what we've learned about virtual conferencing since our jump-into-the-deep-end first circuit as a result of the COVID19 pandemic. CJ and Evelien discuss the reduced carbon footprint of virtual conferences, the challenges and opportunities of virtual conferences, some tips for exhibitors, attendees, speakers, and planners, and wrap it up with their hope for the future of conferences in the sector! The presenting sponsor for the CANIE Climate Dialogues is the University of Auckland's International Office. Links mentioned: Evelien's article on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/steep-learning-curve-virtual-conferences-evelien-renders/?trackingId=1a4rHM%2BwSW%2BGmUyQFFwy9w%3D%3D Dutch University Report - Flying High but Flying Less: https://dejongeakademie.nl/shared/resources/documents/rapport-flying-high-but-flying-less-2020.pdf Virtual Networking Icebreakers Padlet: https://padlet.com/katharina_walch/virtual_icebreakers The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson - the book that CJ and Evelien mention at the end of the podcast

Dr. Maja (Maya) Zelihic is a Fulbright Specialist, Full Professor, and a Department Chair of the Advanced Management Studies at the Forbes School of Business and Technology. She is a co-founder of Dima Innovations. Dr. Zelihic is a Global Dialogue Partner at NAFSA, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. Dr. Zelihic serves on the Board of Advisors of the International Fellowship Program in Arbitration and Scientific Assessment, the comprehensive global academic review platform. She also serves as an industry advisory member at the Amity University Novel Communication Lab (AUNCL). She is the recipient of the Amity Academy Excellence Award. She is an expert in e-learning development and implementation in the developing world. Dr. Zelihic is a Board member at the Center for Women’s Leadership at the Forbes School of Business and Technology, launched in June of 2020. She was listed as Top 200 Global Leaders to follow in 2021 by PeopleHum.

Welcome to Friday’s Child the podcast, formally known as Life School ME. When I started Life School back in June 2019 my vision for where I wanted to take the podcast and how it would grow was not 100% clear. I knew I wanted to interview inspiring women and share their stories, but there was no grand plan. And that’s ok. I’m a firm believer in starting before you’re ready! But after falling pregnant with my beautiful daughter Mavia, and deciding to focus on the world of #BumpsandBabies for Series 2, I discovered a new passion for all things related to pregnancy and birth. The things I learnt about the female body and birth during my pregnancy journey have changed me forever and ignited a new found passion and love for this subject matter. So Life School has now been reborn as FRIDAY’S CHILD and during this Series I will be talking to First Time Mums, Childbirth Educators and Industry Experts on all things Motherhood. Whether you’re newly pregnant, a first time Mum or maybe you just want to find out more about the world of babies and Motherhood, I hope you enjoy listening to my wonderful guests and that hopefully you can take away some helpful information and insights. My guest today is a remarkable woman who is on a mission to revive, reclaim and restore sacred and ancient Moroccan Postpartum Medicines and Traditions. I am talking about Layla B. Layla is an entrepreneur, mother, soulful changemaker and business mentor, traditional Moroccan postpartum trainer, writer and philanthropist. It was truly fascinating to learn how in Morocco the Nafsa, also known as The New Mother, is completely supported, provided for and honoured. I wish every woman was made to feel this safe, protected and understood during the 4th Trimester. P X Guest Website & Social Media Handles: www.laylab.co.uk www.instagram.com/laylabrachid Friday's Child Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/xfridayschildx/ https://www.facebook.com/xfridayschildx https://www.facebook.com/groups/667893360579008/?ref=share

Tonight, we welcome CEO and Executive Director of NAFSA, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Affairs in President Obama's administration, holder of many other preeminent titles and also, the best Mom in the world: Esther Brimmer! We talk music, movies, cats, and diplomacy - the four essential elements of life. It's Playing Favorites, episode 10! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nathaniel-brimmer-beller/support

Following a challenging 4 years for international education in the United States and a contentious election season, many professionals in the field were relieved when Joe Biden was sworn in as president. In his first few weeks in office, there has been a steady stream of executive orders and other actions from the White House. What do they mean for international education? And what else does NAFSA hope to see from the Biden administration and Congress? To put the news in context, International Educator spoke with Jill Allen Murray, MPA, NAFSA's deputy executive director of public policy, about her team's to-do list for the new administration and signs of hope less than a month into Biden's presidency. (Read the interview here.)

Ravi Shankar has served as the president and chair of NAFSA's board of directors since January 2019, the culmination of decades of involvement as a NAFSA member and member-leader. Bringing his deep experience in international education, Shankar reflects on 2020 and what's in store for the field for 2021 and beyond—including how NAFSA's revised Strategic Plan frames the organization's vision for the future. Shankar says the updates, which center on three themes of educate, advocate, and innovate, were considered and made in real time as COVID-19 swept the globe, rendering profound effects on international education. Currently the assistant vice provost and director of international services at the University of Rochester, Shankar will end his term the president and chair of NAFSA's board of directors this month. (Read the story.)

The past several weeks have been tumultuous for international students registered to study at American higher education institutions this fall, as SEVP released much more restrictive guidance than had been issued in the spring. We talk with Steve Springer from NAFSA about the regular requirements for international students, and how the recently released (then subsequently rescinded) guidance affects those. We also hear from Jay Ligon, Director of International Student Scholar Services at Louisiana Tech and Rob Berwick, AVP and Registrar at Jacksonville University about their institutions’ responses.The saga continues! Part of this episode was recorded between July 6 and July 14 when the restrictive guidance was rescinded. Steve and I spoke after the rescission, but we both anticipated additional guidance being released, and as of Friday afternoon, July 24, there is updated guidance for fall. Key Takeaways: There’s a significant amount of uncertainty relating to fall 2020, especially for international students, as multiple rounds of sometimes conflicting guidance has been issued by SEVP. Registrars should be sure to check in with their ISSS offices to partner in any way they can.The role of the registrar is always expanded in a crisis, and the double-whammy of COVID-19 and restrictive guidance from SEVP relating to international students is no exception. Take a students-first perspective: reach out to your international students and listen to their concerns and their needs and see what you can do to provide some certainty for that population especially during these very uncertain times. References and Additional Reading:Student and Exchange Visitor ProgramMost recent SEVP guidance for International Studentshttps://www.ice.gov/coronavirusAACRAO InternationalCore Competency: Diversity and InclusionNAFSA Timeline of SEVP Guidance

Reported by Education Dive, a forecasting survey of 346 institutions from NAFSA suggests an estimated three billion dollar loss in international enrollment revenue this fall from coronavirus issues, travel restrictions, and exclusionary federal policies.

This episode of Immigration Law for Tech Startups was recorded before the Trump administration’s July 6, 2020 directive that requires international students on F-1 and M-1 visas to take at least one in-person class in the fall or lose their visa status and be forced to leave the U.S. As of this writing, the administration has yet to finalize this directive that prevents international students from entering the U.S. or remaining in the U.S. while taking a full online course load even as the COVID-19 crisis continues. In the spring, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which oversees the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), allowed international students to take a full online course load through the summer semester due to COVID-19 without facing deportation. The new directive requires colleges and universities to inform ICE about the educational format they plan to offer in the fall. Meanwhile, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the administration in federal court on July 8, 2020, asking the court to prevent the administration from enforcing the new directive and declare it unlawful. In addition, the University of California has also announced its intent to file a lawsuit against the federal government for violating the rights of the university and its students. In addition, many top universities, including Brown, Columbia, New York University, Stanford, and University of Pennsylvania, promised to protect international students. International students are critical to U.S. colleges and universities and the U.S. economy more broadly. International students often pay full tuition at U.S. colleges and universities many of which are facing declining enrollment and state funding cuts. International students make up more than than 20 percent of the student body at many top U.S. universities. They contributed $41 billion to the U.S. economy and supported or created 458,000 jobs during the 2018-2019 academic year, according to NAFSA. In this episode, we discuss what you should know about the F-1 student visa and obtaining a work permit for Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), and STEM OPT.   In this episode, you’ll hear about: What to expect with the F-1 student visa application process What to expect when you enter the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa, such as the F-1, and what that means The benefits and limitations of the F-1 visa The requirements for CPT, OPT, and STEM OPT  How your startup can sponsor you for OPT or STEM OPT How most tech employers work with OPT and STEM OPT students   Resources: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s original announcement about online classes https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sevp-modifies-temporary-exemptions-nonimmigrant-students-taking-online-courses-during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s subsequent message on the new directive https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/bcm2007-01.pdf Harvard and MIT lawsuit https://www.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/content/sevp_filing.pdf UC announcement about its forthcoming lawsuit https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-poised-sue-federal-government-over-new-visa-policy-international-students NAFSA’s report, Losing Talent 2020: An Economic and Foreign Policy Risk America Can’t Ignore, March 2020 https://www.nafsa.org/sites/default/files/media/document/nafsa-losing-talent.pdf Alcorn Immigration Law’s information page on F-1 Visas https://www.alcorn.law/f-1-visa-students/ Alcorn Immigration Law’s information page on OPT https://www.alcorn.law/opt-optional-practical-training/ Alcorn Immigration Law’s information page on STEM OPT https://www.alcorn.law/stem-opt-extension/ Get Alcorn’s Immigration Law for Tech Startups eBook https://witty-author-184.ck.page/56ccd401fc   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

Welcome to the World news. World news keeps you updated news around the nations. Today's topic is "Foreign Students Must Leave US if Classes Go Online" International students will be forced to leave the US or find a different college if their schools offer classes entirely online this fall. The new guidelines from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) put more pressure on universities to reopen despite concerns about the spread of COVID-19 among young adults. Colleges were told the new rules on the day that many, including Harvard University, announced that all classes will be offered remotely. Under the new rules, international students must take at least some of their classes in person. And new visas will not be given to students who want to study at schools that are entirely online. The American Council on Education said the guidelines are "horrifying" and will result in confusion as schools look for ways to reopen safely. One big concern is that students won't be exempt from the rules even if an outbreak forces their school to go entirely online. It's not clear what would happen to a student in that situation if they couldn't travel to their home country either, said Terry Hartle, the council's senior vice president. The international education group NAFSA criticized the rules and said schools should be given the authority to make decisions that are right for their own students. It said the guidelines are "harmful to international students" and that they "put the health and well-being ... of the entire higher education community at risk.” President Donald Trump wants schools and colleges to return to in-person classes as soon as possible. Soon after the guidelines were released, Trump repeated on Twitter that schools must reopen, adding that Democrats want to keep schools closed "for political reasons, not for health reasons." "They think it will help them in November. Wrong, the people get it!" Trump wrote, referring to the upcoming US presidential elections.

The first episode from our “Chat from the field” series was phenomenal! In this episode we discuss Noelle’s early travel experiences to visit family in Jamaica and of course we debrief her experience studying abroad on a faculty led program to South Africa. We also dig into our early experiences in international education. Be sure to listen for the incredible moment we shared recognizing we experienced similar situations as new international educators. (The power of storytelling!) Lastly we discuss what life has been like as an international educator in the midst of COVID-19 and the role of virtual/remote learning opportunities. ___________________________________ Episode Resources Faculty-led Program - a study abroad program in which at least one faculty member from the home institution accompanies students abroad (Forum on Education Abroad, n.d.). NAFSA is the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. ______________________________________ Stay Connected Blog: STAMPED by Travel Gene IG: @TravelGeneLLC Facebook: Stamped by Travel Gene Twitter: @stampedbytrave1

When the novel coronavirus pandemic forced US university closures in March, Julia Jing, a sophomore at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, wasn't sure if she should return home to Beijing or to stay in the US. The journalism and art design student eventually purchased a ticket home to China, but that flight was canceled. Jing has since been hunkering down in her apartment near campus and taking classes remotely. But she's also spending a lot of her time contacting the US embassy in China and trying to figure out what she'll do next. “It's hard to connect with the embassies. They didn't answer my phone and they didn't reply to my email. And I don't know what to do right now.”Julia Jing, sophomore, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign“It's hard to connect with the embassies. They didn't answer my phone and they didn't reply to my email,” Jing said. “And I don't know what to do right now.”An estimated 1.1 million international students were enrolled at US universities during the 2018-19 academic year. And by paying tuition, renting apartments and buying books and supplies, they contributed an estimated $41 billion to the US economy, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. But those students have been forced to scramble as universities across the country closed in-person education this spring to slow the spread of the virus. Some who lived on campus had to find a new place to live, while others rushed to get back to their home countries before flights were canceled or national governments shut down borders. There is still uncertainty about what the coming academic year will look like for international students. Some, like Jing, aren't sure if they'll be able to return to campus in the fall. Related: International students displaced by COVID-19 face headaches with online classesHer student visa expires in June, and the US government requires her to return to China to renew it. But flight cancellations may stretch into the coming months, and services at US embassies may still be suspended this summer. And if Jing does go home and can't renew her visa, she's not sure if she will be able to return to Illinois and enroll in the fall.“If I cannot come back, I would just get a year off and stay in China,” she said. The American Council on Education predicts that “enrollment for the next academic year will drop by 15%, including a projected decline of 25% for international students,” according to letters it submitted to Congress. That could have serious effects on institutions' budgets. The organization is advocating for more financial aid for higher education institutions to mitigate the effects of the crisis.Related: COVID-19: The latest from The WorldThe potential decline is a troubling scenario for many in higher education. International students typically pay full tuition at colleges, which means they pay higher rates compared to most domestic students, said Dick Startz, an economics professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “Universities all use that money to help subsidize the education of American students. If we lost a whole lot of our international students, a lot of universities would have a really serious financial shock.”Dick Startz, economics professor, University of California, Santa Barbara “Universities all use that money to help subsidize the education of American students,” Startz said. “If we lost a whole lot of our international students, a lot of universities would have a really serious financial shock.”Already, since 2016 fewer new international students have been choosing to study in the US. Higher education experts attribute that decline to the Trump administration's stricter immigration policies and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Rachel Banks, senior director for public policy and legislative strategy with NAFSA, said the pandemic will only accelerate the decline. If the number of international students falls, Banks says, the impacts will not just be financial, but could also extend to research and the overall academic learning environment of universities.Related: Indians stranded in the US due to coronavirus face headaches for online classes“At the graduate level, a majority of international students are here studying ... in STEM fields, and they serve a role on campus as student teachers, supporting faculty and working in research labs,” said Banks.Universities say they are preparing for all possible scenarios and potential financial losses. But many questions remain unanswered. For example, it's unclear if international travel will still be limited in the coming months. The overall health of the global economy could impact international students' ability to enroll. And it's uncertain if US embassies and consulates around the world will be able to open up and issue student visas for those that need them in time for the fall. Another big question is whether the Department of Homeland Security will allow current international students to take classes online next semester.Another big question is whether the Department of Homeland Security will allow current international students to take classes online next semester. Typically, those with student visas can only count one online class to their full course to remain eligible. But the agency temporarily suspended the rule in light of the pandemic this spring. It's also unclear if newly admitted international students would be allowed to take classes remotely.“We don't know what it's going to look like in August,” said Martin McFarlane, director of International Student and Scholar Services at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign said. “But these things are going to be restricting for returning students, just like they're going to be restricting to new students, as well.”At the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, McFarlane said accepted international students still have a lot of interest in coming to the US.“I did speak to the admissions office very recently,” said McFarlane. “They say the number of international students accepting their offer remains on pace with what we've seen in recent years. Our incoming class at the moment are hopeful and believe they're going to be able to attend and fall.” Jing also wonders how new international students will fare in the fall, especially if classes are remote. She said she decided to study in the US for the experience of being on campus and meeting new people. “I like to experience the life here, how you join some clubs, hang out with friends ... having this experience is more special for me,” Jing said.She hopes to be able to continue studying in Illinois in the fall and to be with her friends, but if classes continue to be remote, she said she'll enroll to make sure she can graduate on time.  “I'm worried about my future,” she said. 

How will Covid-19 impact student housing?  This week we have seen universities cancel study-abroad programs, extend spring breaks, and implement remote study status.  How might this effect occupancy come this fall?  Could some universities actually experience strains on their housing supply?   In this special episode of the Student Housing Insight podcast, co-host Dr. Philip Badaszewski and myself sit down with down with Vincenzo Raimo, a Global Higher Education Specialist, to discuss possible impacts this pandemic may have on housing supply this upcoming summer and fall.  This will likely be an on-going series of episodes as we help industry professionals try and navigate this escalating and very fluid situation.   Resources mentioned in this episode: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov World Health Organization: www.who.int NAFSA Association of International Educators:  www.NAFSA.org   This episode is sponsored by LEAP. Find out how you can approve more applications and eliminate any financial risk of residents who skip out!

International student enrollment has been on the decline since the fall of 2016, and, according to estimates from NAFSA, has cost the US economy $11.8 billion and more than 65,000 jobs. In an interview with CNN from last November, Rachel Banks, the Director of Public Policy at NAFSA said, "There's many variables, but largely it's been the policies and rhetoric from the current administration that's really driven the numbers to move in that direction.” This current reality has been dubbed “The Trump Effect” or “The Trump Factor” by education professionals across the industry. On this week's episode, we sit down with Katie Beczak, who is the Associate Director of International Enrollment at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), to discuss the impact Trump's presidency has had on their bottom-line. Katie shares how the enrollment management team at RIT has been able to successfully attract, enroll, and retain graduate students during a time when many other institutions are struggling to do so. Throughout the conversation, we wrestle with questions like: 1. Have you heard any response from international student prospects after Trump became president regarding the idea of pursuing graduate education in the US? Were there any common sentiments or frequently asked questions or concerns? 2. Do you think there's been a change in the perception of value from the international stage for pursuing graduate education in the US? Why or why not? 3. What has been your marketing and student recruitment response to this? Can you talk in detail about any tactical or strategic shifts you've made? What strategies and tactics have you used in the past to attract international students and which are you using now? 4. What market factors do you think could be impacting your international graduate student enrollment BEYOND the Trump effect?

Our second episode of Season 2 continues looking at study abroad for students of color through the lens of the study abroad office at a well-known HBCU, Howard University. In this episode, MaRaina Montgomery gives us a look at the work she is doing at Howard University to prepare her students for their study abroad experiences. Our conversation covered the challenges she faces as well as her successes, a deeper look at some of her pre-departure workshops and advice for those preparing student of color for their study abroad experience. She also gives insight into the #studyabroadsoblack movement that has been named a Finalist for the 2019 GoAbroad Innovation Awards in the category of Innovation in Diversity. As a contributing thought-leader on theory and best practices within the field of International Education (IE), Maraina Montgomery’s area of focus is on the preparation and ongoing support of traditionally underrepresented students traveling abroad. She has 12-years of professional experience, domestically and abroad, as a teacher and administrator. Using a combination of in-group understanding and up-to-date theoretical standards, she works to support the holistic development of college students participating in overseas programs. Ms. Montgomery is as an active member of NAFSA, the Forum on Education Abroad, the Forum’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and on the 2019 NAFSA Local Arrangements Committee. She is committed to influencing change within the IE field that supports the increased employment and participation of culturally diverse professionals and students. Maraina has lived, studied and traveled in 24 countries and in her free time, she enjoys time outdoors with her dog, Sage, and playing the Japanese Taiko drum.

Last week, the Trump administration invited university, higher education association, and private company officials to the White House to discuss international students and post-college work. At the time of this recording, we aren’t sure what exactly was said or decided. But in an effort to provide some background on international student experiences in American Higher Education, Jenny Lee is with me today to discuss the underlying U.S. political climate for international students and scholars. In our talk, Jenny discusses the rise in discrimination and hate crimes since Trump’s election and the presence of neo-racism on campuses. Jenny J. Lee is a Professor at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Arizona. She is currently a NAFSA Senior Fellow, Associate Editor of the Review of Higher Education, and Co-editor of the book series, Studies in Global Higher Education. Her latest piece can be found in the NAFSA newsletter, Trends and Insights. www.freshedpodcast.com/Lee email: info@freshedpodcast.com twitter: @freshedpodcast

Surah Al-Furqan - Qawluhu {Wa Allazina La Yad'una Ma'a Allahi Ilahan Aakhara Wa La Yaqtuluna al-Nafsa Allati Harrama Allahu} Hadith 283-287

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This podcast explains NAFSA’s series of interactive online events featuring government agency officials and addressing topics of interest to international student and scholar advisors. It describes the format used, explains the purpose of the events, and details your role and how you may participate.

President Obama has called for an expansion of the OPT STEM extension, and DHS is at work on new regulations to accomplish the President’s goals. But a lawsuit challenging the legality of the OPT STEM extension could result in its demise. This podcast provides more detail about these two factors and describes NAFSA’s engagement with DHS concerning the OPT STEM extension.

Do you have suggestions or feedback for SEVP? If so, there’s an opportunity to share them with SEVP Director Lou Farrell and senior SEVP staff at the upcoming NAFSA annual conference. We’ve arranged an open meeting, “Trends and Issues: A Discussion with SEVP Director Lou Farrell,” that will take place on Wednesday May 27 from 1:15 to 2:15. It’s a chance for you to let SEVP management know how SEVP’s regulations, policies, and procedures are affecting you, your students, and your institution. This short podcast explains how the meeting will be structured and how you can prepare so that you’ll be most effective.

A NAFSA perspective on how plans for developing a shiny new "SEVIS II" have changed over time into a plan for continuous development of SEVIS.