For those of you who read my blog post from week one, you have come to realize that I am a bit of an idealist when it comes to the purpose of education. I am not naive enough to believe that there are no business components to it, but I would like to maintain the notion that money doesn’t solely drive policy. While the readings from last week saddened me, ACE’s piece has brought out in me a much more practical mindset. To be honest, I am mostly stuck on the Academic and Economic Policy Goals and Motivations.

When I read the first bullet points for academic goals, I immediately thought about developing nations. The compilers of this study note that international education can increase the capacity and improve the quality of education around the world. These benefits may be true to an extent, but I think they are deceptive. I say this due to an enlightening conversation I had with an international student. I told her my idea (which I was initially very proud of) to create sister schools, pairs of schools in developing countries as well as large metropolitan areas around the United States. People who want to come to the U.S. could attend the school in their home country first and learn English and other pragmatic things, such as cultural norms. They would also be taught and provided useful information about the city they wanted to live in (New York City, for example), like housing, work opportunities, and transportation. When they finally came to the American city, they would continue their schooling at the domestic location. I thought this idea was brilliant! If this country attracts so many immigrants, we might as well prepare them before they get here. Then, the international student burst my bubble. Who did I really expect to be able to do this? The poor? No, it would be the families with resources. She agreed it was an interesting concept, but it wouldn’t serve the demographics I intended to help. The same goes for a lot of the programs mentioned in these readings. Who can take advantage of these opportunities? Only the wealthy, really. I will always be an advocate for the underprivileged, and therefore skeptical of the supposed benefits.

The second notion that piqued my interest was that about economic goals, namely about developing a global workforce. The reading states that “In some countries, policies

to attract international students may also be seen as a way to build a skilled labor force when international graduates stay and gain employment” (pp. 7-8). That may be true, but I also believe the opposite is a reality- once international students study abroad, they can come back and help their home countries. They have new and valuable expertise and experience, and can use those qualities to improve the conditions of their home. Although contemporary literature is certainly not academic, after reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I realized that what I mentioned above is a real possibility. The protagonist, after an extended stay in the United States, goes back to her home country of Nigeria because she feels she can better serve the women there (not in any fiscal or medical way, but simply by promoting confidence and self-identity). This goal of hers was admirable, and is representative of what internationalization can do. Others, who study abroad in medicine or business or other influential careers, can have a significant impact on the development of a town, city, region, or country. Again, call me an idealist, but that is a type of internationalization I can get behind.

Hello! I’m Ben Levine, and this is my fourth and penultimate semester in the HEA graduate program at Baruch. Previously, I attended Binghamton University, but transferred and earned my degree in History and English from the University of Connecticut. While higher education wasn’t necessarily the field I intended to work in, I’m very happy that my first job after undergrad was at a college. Since then, I have worked at several colleges, and plan on working at one the rest of my career. Currently, I am an Academic Advisor at a CUNY community college. As far as career goals go, I am a bit torn; part of me wants to move up the administrative ladder and possess high-level responsibilities, but conversely, I would like to find a niche demographic to help. Only time will tell!

The readings for this week opened my eyes to international education, but not in the ways I thought they would. Throughout my years working in higher education, I have maintained a sense of idealism, partially because I do not have enough experience yet for that to change, and also because I think it is necessary to stay engaged and passionate about what I do for a living. While my idealism is slowly transforming into pragmatism, I would like to preserve a modicum of naïveté; however, the readings, especially the trends listed by Oxford, have removed any hope that people believe that education can exist for education’s sake.

Yes, I am being melodramatic. The readings did not suck my soul away or persuade me to switch careers. Still, the theme that I have gleaned from them is a little disheartening- international education always serves a larger, non-academic purpose. I suppose this is to be expected, for altruism and pure motives are rare. As an advisor, the majority of my students interested in pursuing nursing are doing it because they want to earn a good salary as quick as possible, and not because they want to help others. This mentality has always baffled me, but it is understandable. The same goes for international education- what tangible good does it do for anyone? Perhaps a few thousand people learn a new language or gain an appreciation of a different culture, but is that enough to fund these ventures?

Altbach provides an historical background of international education that goes back approximately one hundred years. At first, exchange and other international programs are depicted as beacons of globalization and peace. By sending students to other countries, there is a semblance of unity; on the contrary, intended or not, these exchanges had political motives. As Altbach notes, the Cold War drove the United States and the Soviet Union to vie for power around the world. International education was a perfect vehicle to push their ways of life on developing nations. Yes, many people probably received educational opportunities they wouldn’t have had otherwise, but was it just a side effect of propaganda?

Green’s discussion of international education focuses on something less nefarious- the new obsession with being as internationally-driven as possible. Based on surveys conducted by the IAU, the United States directs considerably less attention to internationalization that many other nations. I personally say ‘so what?’ This country doesn’t have to be the leader in everything. There are many great study abroad and exchange programs here, and plus, so many international students want to come here that there will always be a market. People are obsessed with rankings. Sure, it promotes competition and the improvement of quality, but it can also be a distracting factor and force institutions to do things they might not do otherwise.

To me, the most depressing of the three readings was the list of trends by Oxford. There are many fantastic and exciting opportunities and programs that it mentions, but it also trivializes the educational aspect of… education. While it is written like an academic piece, the words are more business-oriented than anything. Even its content is business. It states, “The driver for international campuses in western countries (as with Imperial West, in London) has thus far been part of an institutional push towards globalisation and support for international collaborations, rather than a need to fill a significant gap in education, research and knowledge production in the host country” (p. 13). There is nothing wrong with collaboration, but not at the expense of education. There are so many places around the world that truly need more educational opportunities for their people, but these locations are being overlooked. Instead, institutions of higher education are looking for the most lucrative ventures.

Perhaps some of my statements are oversimplified, but over the course of the semester, I hope to develop a better understanding of how international education works and what drives it.