Greetings,

My name is Deb Butler and I too am in my last semester of the Higher Education Administration program. I work as an Administrative Assistant at the front desk at the GCMC (Graduate Career Management Center) in the Zicklin School of Business here at Baruch. I interact with many international students and I have learned a lot from them, which has sparked my interest for this class. I look forward to learning more about the whole process from both sides on all levels.

After reviewing the readings for this week, I have been thinking about the need for the United States to keep up with Internationalization in order to stay in the forefront of being the leader in Higher Education. Although the United States is currently the most popular country for international students to come to, the number is declining as other initiatives are being introduced in several other countries. Globalization is challenging the Higher Education system in the United States. Students from China and India, which account for the majority of international students in America, will have other options as other countries step up Higher Education with programs such as cross border student mobility and academic integration. But the question will remain, will these students remain in their home country or will they continue to come abroad and if they do, what is their real motive. Is it the education they receive in the United States or is it the opportunities they will receive by being educated in the United States. One of the benefits of studying in the United States is securing a job and a work visa to stay here. Will other countries be as inviting? I am guessing it will depend on the job market and opportunities available to students in each country.

Another interesting point from the readings was the research done on the skills students learn from studying abroad and how employers are looking for students with international experience. Employers today want students who are not just educated formerly but who are ready for new challenges and have problem solving ability. These skills can be achieved from studying abroad. The skills one learns from studying abroad cannot be taught in the classroom. They are gained from experience and the experience of studying abroad is more than the academics one receives from studying abroad.

The United States needs to keep up with the globalization of Higher Education from both viewpoints of securing the demand for international students wanting to study here as well as increasing the demand for students wanting to study abroad.

1. Hi, All! My name is Melissa Parsowith and this is my last full semester in the Higher Education Administration program at Baruch College. I graduated in 2012 from Pace University’s Pforzheimer Honors College and returned to my alma-mater in 2014 to work as a Program Coordinator in the Lubin School of Business, aiding and advising Accounting students. I absolutely love what I do and look forward to earning my Master’s so I can move up in the Higher Education field. Although I am originally from Central NJ, I work and live in New York City now and feel very lucky to call the best city in the world my home. Looking forward to a productive Spring semester ahead!
2. I greatly enjoyed this week’s introductory articles to International Higher Education. When first selecting this course, I was not sure if there would be a lot of information on how Higher Education has been studied on an international level. After reading these articles, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much research has been done on the topic. Altbach’s “Internationalization and Global Tension” piece highlights the aspect of International Higher Education that I feel myself and many of my peers are concerned with: the global scale. The article begins by acknowledging the 2015 Paris attacks and the current global turmoil our world is facing. It goes on to review the history of International Higher Education, from the wars of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, all the way to todays global climate. Personally, I found this article intriguing because there are great concerns with the danger and/or safety associated with international relations. Although international business can broaden one’s world views and scope of knowledge, this article drives home the important fact that the world is not always without political tension, and it is important to acknowledge this before choosing to leap outside of your comfort zone. In Madeleine Green’s “Is The U.S the Best In the World?” I was not surprised to read that the United States is not the #1 nation in support of institutional internationalization. As explained in the Oxford article about International trends, the U.S “remains the most popular country for international students” (Oxford, 2015, p.5). With this in mind, I find it highly probable that the worlds most desirable destination for international students should be less occupied with promoting internalization of their own students. In short, if the U.S is a wonderful place to learn, it is understandable that many of our own students are happy to stay here for their education, rather than pursue it internationally. I also found it extremely interesting when the Oxford article discussed the value of study abroad among international employers. Assessment is something Higher Education professionals constantly aim to achieve. The European Commission found that the skills and employability of international students yielded a positive outcome. I wonder what variables were considered when making this determination? Lastly, I found the “International Trends” article to highlight the extremely important notion of technology, and the many ways in which it is changing our world. As they mention, open access to information, online classrooms and MOOC’s are just a few of the many ways which technology has allowed education to grow accessibility of information across the world. It is delightful to see the many ways which technology helps our nations succeed, and something which I believe will remain a trend for many years to come.

Welcome to the Spring 2016 course on International Higher Education (PAF 9399) at Baruch College.

This hybrid course provides a comparative perspective on international higher education at two primary levels-policy developments and institutional practices. At the policy level, students will be able to identify and analyze diverse contexts and approaches for education systems. At the institutional level, students will understand the constraints and choices that define various internationalization strategies.

My name is Rahul Choudaha, and I specialize in research and consulting on global higher education at DrEducation. I’m the principal coach of interEDGE.org, a training and coaching service focused on global talent development. I’m a frequent contributor to Huffington Post and University World News. I’m actively engaged with the profession of international education, and I have chaired or presented over 100 sessions at professional conferences and has been quoted in global media including the BBC, Time, NPR and The Wall Street Journal.

Previously, I worked for over seven years at World Education Services (WES) in New York City. As the Chief Knowledge Officer and Senior Director of Strategic Development, I raised organization profile, built research capabilities, deepened institutional relationships and launched innovative services. Before Baruch, I had taught a graduate courses in International Higher Education at New York University. I’m serving as the Past-Chair of NAFSA’s International Education Leadership Knowledge Community of senior international educators.

I hold a doctorate in higher education from the University of Denver. Before coming to the US, I had earned a master’s degree in management and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from India.

For the first week, we will start with introductions about the learners and the context of the course. You will write your first blog post combining two aspects:
1. Brief introduction about yourself (education, experience, professional interests, etc.)
2. Blog post based on following three readings available on BlackBoard. Some of the questions to think while writing reflection blog post are–what concepts and definitions have been discussed here? Do you agree or disagree with the readings? Why or why not? What sparked your interest and curiosity?
– Altbach, Internationalization and Global Tension
– Green, Is the United States the Best in the World
– Oxford, International Higher Ed Trends

Please note the timelines for Week 1:

Online blog post#1, due Monday, Feb/01 by 12 noon, 4 points

Online response, due Thursday, Feb/04 by 12 noon, 3 points

Look forward to an engaging learning experience for the class.

Rahul
Dr. Rahul Choudaha