U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will co-host
the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education,
a forum to renew partnerships to strengthen international
education, the State Department announced December 28.
The January 5-6, 2006, summit, organized
by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs (ECA), will initiate a dialogue with leaders of
U.S. higher education on the need for government and nongovernmental
officials to work collaboratively toward a national vision
for the future of U.S. higher education.
"Through this Summit, Secretary Rice
and Secretary Spellings and their respective Departments
want to reach out to college and university presidents to
reinforce a common interest in attracting foreign students
and scholars to U.S. institutions," Under Secretary
of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes
said in the announcement. "Of equal importance is seeking
investment in educating globally competitive U.S. students
to work in fields of international interest."
The summit will focus on how to attract
foreign students and scholars to study in the United States,
as well as how to encourage more U.S. students to study
in other countries, according to the announcement.
During the 2004-2005 academic year, 565,039
foreign students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions,
down 1.3 percent from the previous year's totals, according
to the Open Doors 2005, an annual report on international
academic mobility. (See related
article.)
Summit participants will mirror the richness
and diversity of the higher education system in the United
States, coming from all 50 states, and will include leading
public and private research institutions, as well as community
colleges, historically black institutions, Hispanic-serving
institutions, religiously affiliated institutions and women's
colleges, the announcement said.
Participants plan to discuss marketing of
U.S. higher education programs abroad, reaching out to underserved
populations, understanding visa and regulatory processes,
cooperating to meet exchange priorities and utilizing fully
the international education resources of community colleges.
For information on studying in the United
States, see ECA’s EducationUSA
Web site and the related article, “Global
Network Providing Resources on Study in United States.”
For more information on visa procedures
and traveling to the United States, see www.travel.state.gov
and the State Department electronic journal See
You in the U.S.A.
Below is the text of the State Department
announcement with further details:
(begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
December 28, 2005
MEDIA NOTE
U.S. Departments of State and Education
to Host U.S. University Presidents Summit
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will co-host the
U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education
January 5-6, 2006, in Washington, DC. The Secretaries will
engage leaders of U.S. higher education in a renewed partnership
to strengthen international education, emphasizing its importance
to the national interest. Secretaries Rice and Spellings
have called this Summit, organized by the State Department's
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, to initiate
a dialogue on the need for government to work collaboratively
with the non-governmental sector on the future of U.S. higher
education in a global arena.
"Through this Summit, Secretary Rice
and Secretary Spellings and their respective Departments
want to reach out to college and university presidents to
reinforce a common interest in attracting foreign students
and scholars to U.S. institutions," notes Karen Hughes,
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public
Affairs. "Of equal importance is seeking investment
in educating globally competitive U.S. students to work
in fields of international interest."
Summit attendees will represent the full
richness and diversity of the higher education system in
the United States, coming from all 50 states, the District
of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and will include leading public
and private research institutions, as well as community
colleges, historically black institutions, Hispanic-serving
institutions, religiously affiliated institutions, and women's
colleges. Also invited are the principal presidential higher
education associations and the heads of the federal science
and humanities bodies.
The Summit will focus on how to attract
foreign students and scholars to study in the United States,
as well as how to encourage more American students to receive
part of their education abroad. In addition, participants
will discuss marketing of U.S. higher education programs
abroad, reaching out to underserved populations, understanding
visa and regulatory processes, cooperating to meet exchange
priorities, and utilizing fully the international education
resources of community colleges. The Summit will also draw
attention to the key investments required to strengthen
international higher education for Americans, including
increasing access to study abroad, encouraging non-traditional
study abroad locations, strengthening non-traditional language
acquisition, developing dynamic international strategies
at U.S. universities and colleges, and engaging the public
and private sectors in a shared national vision for the
future.
For further information, contact:
Nicole Deaner, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
202-203-7613
Adam Meier, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
202-203-7026
Chad Colby, Department of Education, 202-401-1576
(end text)
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