The ACE has just issued an excellent, hard-hitting brief entitled Students on the Move: the Future of International Students in the United States . The conclusion of the brief says it all:
"The United States continues to receive the largest number of international students. However, recent trends indicate that this position is significantly challenged and may not be sustainable if current trends continue. Although potential demand is high, a redistribution of international students among host countries is underway. This change may be due to perceptions that the United States is unwelcoming, vigorous competition from other countries, and successful national strategies from competitor countries to recruit international students. As the student marketplace becomes increasingly globalized and competition intensifies, it may be difficult for some institutions to begin recruiting international students, if they have not done so already, and for others to substantially increase their numbers,particularly if there is no coordinated support at the national or regional level.
U.S. well-being is increasingly dependent on innovation and competitiveness in the global knowledgebased economy. International students and scholars have historically provided a source of new talent for innovation in the United States. Although the demand for education abroad is increasing, so is the global competition for the “best and brightest.” Declines in the number of international students, especially in the science and engineering fields so critical for innovation, will affect the ability of higher education, business, and government to engage in research and development. Additionally, international students represent an important means for strengthening U.S. cultural diplomacy around the world."
This report covers much of the same ground as was covered in the recent NASFA report Restoring US Competitiveness for International Students and Scolars . I discussed that report in some detail in Are we losing the competition for international students? June, 21, 2006. The ACE report contains considerably more detail and data that help to define the situation than does the NASFA report, making this a very valuable addition to the discussion.
This is an excellent report. I note, however, that concerns I raised with respect to the earlier report hold for this one as well. In particular, the issue of shifting global technological and economic leadership is, in my opinion, likely to have a large impact on the future attractiveness of education in the US, and this is not considered.
Finally, it must be noted that concerns raised in these two reports are not unrelated to the concerns raised in the Spellings report regarding the dominance of American higher education ( see e.g.Spellings and transparency, Oct. 3, 2006). Ultimately, the only chance we have to continue to attract the best and brightest from around the world to our universities is if we continue to have the best universities in the world.
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