(begin fact sheet)
U.S. Department of State
And U.S. Department of Education
November 13-17, 2007
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK FACT SHEET
• International Education Week (IEW)
was first held in 2000 and today, is celebrated in more
than 100 countries worldwide. The Departments of State and
Education initiated IEW as part of their efforts to move
ahead on the issue of implementing U.S. international education
policy.
• IEW is an opportunity to celebrate
the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.
This joint annual initiative is part of an effort to promote
international understanding and build support for international
educational exchange, as well as encourage the development
of programs that prepare Americans to live and work in a
global environment and attract future leaders from abroad
to study in the United States.
• Exchanges are critical in developing
mutual understanding and respect, building leadership abroad,
fostering an appreciation for the U.S., and investing in
the future relationship between Americans and citizens around
the world.
• International education prepares
U.S. citizens to live, work, and compete in the global economy.
• More than 565,000 international
students from over 200 countries study in the U.S. each
year.
• International education is also
a vital service industry, bringing more than $13 billion
into our country annually.
• 88% of American college students
believe international education will give them a competitive
advantage in the workplace.
• Almost 90% of American college students
believe having international students on campus enriches
their own learning experience.
• The more than 32,500 students, scholars
and other exchange participants that the Department of State's
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs supports are
in the vanguard of the hundreds of thousands of students
and scholars who come to the U.S. each year and the 191,000
Americans who study abroad.
• International cooperation on education
contributes to education reform and education solutions
for the U.S. and for our partner nations.
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