- Hello, my name is Allison and I am in the HEA program, planning to finish this summer. I have a fine arts background, having earned my BFA in 2000. I have worked at the Fashion Institute of Technology since 2009. I first worked at the Registrar, where I was involved in international credential evaluation. Currently, I work in the International Student Services dept, which involves documentation for visa obtainment, work opportunities and maintaining lawful student status. Living in NYC and working at an institution with students from 70 countries sparked my interest in international education. I have been looking forward to this course and am excited to learn about what this topic involves beyond study abroad and student services.
2. The topics in Altbach article, Internationalization and Global Tension are especially timely during this election cycle, with multiple presidential candidates voicing anti-immigration and Islamophobic viewpoints. If such candidate were elected, how would this affect the demographics and experiences of international students in the US? The concept of international higher education as a means to expand or hold on to global power was interesting, as given in the examples of the US and programs like the Fulbright created as part of their strategy to become a world leader during the Cold War, and former colonial empires such as the UK using higher education as a means to maintain power in their former colonies.
I would like to know the history of the shift between the the mostly European focus in the Altbach article to the present, with most students studying abroad hailing from Asia. The sections on student mobility from the Oxford chapter were of the most personal interest to me, as the countries of origin reported match closely with the international student body at my institution. The discussion of the Russian government initiative to combat ‘brain drain’ by offering overseas scholarships in return for a commitment to work for the state brings up a separate topic of student intent. What are the long term goals of students who study abroad? How many intend to return home and pursue careers vs. those who want to remain abroad and work? Many of the students I work with pursue practical training in their field of study and wish to be sponsored for a work visa. Is this a common goal for the overall international student population in the US?
I would have liked for the Green article on US Internationalization to discuss the how and why US institutions are behind the rest of the world regarding the role of internationalization in institutional strategic plans and leadership. Unlike many countries, US public schools have no mandatory foreign language training at the primary level and limited training at the secondary level. Language is an important part of internationalization and US students as a whole fall short. Does the limited language training of the student body have any influence have any effect on how an institution ranks the importance of an international focus? Also, US internationalization of higher education appears to be largely the responsibility of individual institutions, in contrast to the national efforts listed in the Oxford chapter- government funding of an education hub in Qatar, and the German government initiatives and funding to increase the number of students studying abroad.
Hi Allison! Thank for you post!
I believe presidential candidates that have touched on anti-immigration reforms and Islamophobic viewpoints are already changing how international students view the U.S government. This can of course affect Internationalization in Higher ed. Green’s article and the IAU global survey revealed that there already is a low importance of Internationalization in the U.S. Personally, I don’t think presidential candidates think about higher education on an international level (especially those who have voiced Islamophobic viewpoints). As I mentioned on my post it seems like the U.S. government has a set of priorities for the country and higher education overall and the importance of Internationalization is left behind. Because of this, U.S institutions do not place much importance to Internationalization and in order for institutions to do so, the U.S government must enforce and discuss Internationalization. To answer your question reading students who wish to stay or leave I do think most students would stay, but in the U.S at least it can be difficult do so if their legal status and approval of VISA employment etc, is not approved.
Hi Allison,
You bring up some very interesting points. I work in admissions for CUNY and we run into the problem often where students come here from other countries hoping they can practice in the medical field on visa status. Unfortunately, I am the bearer of bad news and have to inform them those who wish to be doctors or nurses need citizenship or permanent resident status to practice. I wonder if other countries have the same regulations to ensure that after studying abroad in a different country they must come back and practice their craft.
In regards to your comment on the U.S public schools not having any mandatory language training at the elementary level, this is a slow but changing process. I have many family members in education and recently more and more teachers need to have specializations in bi-lingual education, ESL, or another language to be competitive candidate for a teaching positions. Many elementary schools are also starting to offer bi-lingual classes. I am not sure if the language training has an effect on how the U.S sees international focus and would be interested to find a study that shows some insight.