Representatives from 16 nations gathered Sept. 11 in Washington, DC, for the annual International Education Roundtable, hosted by ACE’s Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement (CIGE). Participants discussed issues common to the global higher education community, identifying the current U.S. political climate—with its potential chilling effect on internationalization—as the most pressing.
ACE President Ted Mitchell provided an update on U.S. higher education, highlighting issues that directly affect the countries represented at the roundtable. Despite the current environment, he noted, the United States is fortunate to still remain a destination of choice for international scholars, which can be attributed to its strong bilateral partnerships.
Mitchell also discussed ACE’s recently announced 3-year strategic plan, which identifies several challenges that can be addressed in partnership with the roundtable participants.
Representatives from the Mexican Embassy revealed that the lack of visa information and the anecdotal nature of information that is available is affecting some Mexican students when they are deciding whether to study in the United States. Rather than sacrificing their families’ well-being, they decide to study elsewhere.
The Mexican Embassy also noted that some Mexicans are studying elsewhere because certain European countries have agreements with large international businesses that allow a student to study in that nation, then come home to Mexico to work at that company. Brad Farnsworth, vice president of CIGE, noted that there are similar arrangements in the United States and promised to share more information with the group. Such interactions point to the necessity of these roundtables in promoting closer cooperation in international education.
To give the roundtable a better idea of how ACE serves its members, Farnsworth summarized how ACE works with institutions to help them develop comprehensive internationalization strategies through programming, resources, and collaboration such as the Japan-U.S. COIL Initiative, Internationalization Laboratory, and Executive Forum for Leading Internationalization.
Read a summary of last year’s International Education Roundtable, which focused on CIGE’s Global Attainment and Inclusion Network.