Ethnic Minority Students « DIVERSITY NETWORK BLOG

Archive for the ‘Ethnic Minority Students’ Category

International Education Issues to Watch During Obama’s 2nd Term

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

After nearly a year of intense presidential political campaigning, U.S. voters have officially selected President Obama for a second term in the White House. With a host of big issues to tackle, the Obama administration will not only be faced with challenges like handling an economic recovery and improving bipartisan relationships in Congress, they will also need to manage changes in education policies, immigration reform, foreign policy efforts and more. With so many priorities to manage, what could Obama’s second term mean for international educational professionals, especially for those interested in expanding education abroad opportunities for traditionally underrepresented populations?

Based on the most recent discussions about the impact that the election results would have on higher education, there are four areas that may be of particular interest for international education professionals to watch over the next few months. These issues have the potential to change, challenge, and improve the way education abroad experts pursue the goals of making international opportunities available to a wider audience of students and improving international student services on campuses.

Immigration Policies

DREAM Act Legislation

Maryland has become the 12th state to allow in-state tuition rates for undocumented students who qualify. This comes in the wake of the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act that allows many undocumented young people who arrived in the U.S. when they were minors the chance to remain in the U.S. Not only do these two examples suggest that people in the U.S. are interested in a more comprehensive reform on immigration policies, they also suggest that there will be a growing number of diverse students, particularly Hispanics/Latinos, who may begin to seek out other opportunities on campus to get engaged including education abroad programming. Advisers from all departments will need to know how to access resources and information to support these students on campus, especially if the federal DREAM Act legislation is re-introduced to Congress.

Enhancements to Work and Student Visa Requirements

There has been much discussion about offering a path toresidency in the U.S. for international students who graduate with advanced degrees. Though both parties favor policies that would allow these graduates to stay in the U.S. to increase the national competitiveness in research and development, passing legislation on these policies is often held up by a greater need to pursue comprehensive immigration reform. Should action be taken in this area, institutions of higher education may look to expand international student recruiting efforts and increase focus on research opportunities.

Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action

Affirmative action lawsuits have been around nearly as long as affirmative action policies were first set in motion in the 1960s. The latest case to be brought to the attention of the Supreme Court is that of Abigail Fisher vs the University of Texas, Austin. This case has the potential to completely eliminate race/ethnicity from consideration during the college admissions process subsequently challenging institutions to find alternative ways to recruit ethnic/racial minorities to their campuses. This is no easy feat, and should the case rule in favor of eliminating racial preferences in admissions decisions there is a strong possibility that colleges and universities will face several challenges in ensuring students of color are represented on their campuses. This may present new challenges for how international educators reach out to and retain students of color for education abroad opportunities.

Pell Grant Program

Threats to cut the existing Pell Grant Program and modifications in federal student aid in general have greatly affected the higher education community. Federal aid is imperative to making college accessible to low-income and first-generation students because it has provided the financial support needed to cover the basic costs of attending college. This has allowing a more diverse population of students to get engaged in activities outside of the classroom and limiting access to these resources could also limit the diversity of students on campus. If funding remains steady or even increases, this may mean new opportunities for education abroad professionals to get more underrepresented students involved in international programming. There are an increasing number of study abroad providers that now offer matching funding for Pell Grant eligible students and this may create more demand for additional programing.

Expansion of Community Colleges

In 2011, the Obama administration launched the Building American Skills Through Community Colleges an initiative that is intended to expand education and training opportunities for more US students. Now only has the administration committed to more support for community colleges to train students, it has places a particular emphasis on preparing the population in high demand technical jobs that are increasingly global in nature. This opens a unique opportunity not only to engage community college students in education abroad activities, it could open opportunities for STEM students to explore international programming also. Moreover, this and other federal initiatives are working on expanding opportunities to attract larger international student populations to these campuses. This not only could offer more funding opportunities for the institutions, it could also offer opportunities for on-campus dialogue and engagement between US and international students, in turn promoting more cultural exchange on campus.

These are but a few of the policies that could influence the direction of international programming and internationalization efforts on US campuses over the course of the next few years.

If you would like to share your thoughts, email us at members(at)diversitynetwork.org.

Tags: Diversity, Education Abroad Diversity, International Students, Obama, Outreach, Underrepresented Students
Posted in Community College Students, Education Abroad, Ethnic Minority Students, First Generation, International Students, Obama, Study Abroad | No Comments »

What’s The Point Of Study Abroad?

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

“I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one…there are lessons that you can’t get out of a book waiting for you at the end of that flight.” – Henry Rollins

Study abroad is one of the most beneficial experiences a college student can have. It offers the opportunity to experience another culture and alter their perspective about the world in a way that is simply impossible in a traditional lecture hall. However, in the wake of an economic downturn and a growing student loan bubble that is beginning to mirror the 2008 housing market, many are seeing study abroad as an unnecessary expense. Study abroad, to them, is wonderful in theory but ultimately impractical.

In an era of increased global competitiveness, this notion could not be more untrue.

Many young people are raised to think of a college education as a preparation for their future career, if, of course, college is financially attainable for them. With increased competition, higher tuition and the ever-present threat of budget cuts, students are under increased pressure to optimize their education, choosing a path that helps them obtain a degree and enter the world of work in the most expeditious manner possible.

For many, study abroad is nothing more than a flight of fancy. The added expense of passport fees, visa costs and plane tickets is unfathomable. In addition, the idea of taking time away from their rigorous curriculum to spend four months in another country? Outrageous. This is especially true if your time spent abroad does not directly connect to your area of study. Why spend that money on a glorified elective course?

The fact that study abroad is cost-prohibitive to many students is an unfortunate reality. However, it is the duty of universities, colleges, advisors and organizations such as Diversity Abroad to help these students understand the tremendous value of leaving your home country and experiencing the culture of another.

Peer-reviewed studies have shown that studying abroad has a significant impact on the continued use of their language of study, their levels of academic attainment, intercultural and personal development and personal career choices. While researchers see the most profound effects in students that study abroad for a year or more, significant benefits are apparent even in students who opted for summers abroad.

In a time when the world continues to shrink, students cannot ignore the benefits of studying abroad. In the words of President Obama, speaking to the United Nations,

“We have sought — in word and deed — a new era of engagement with the world.”

It is abundantly clear that studying abroad is an important experience, for any student. The most important issue, however, is convincing administrators, students and parents of the value of an international education. After that, we need to make sure these students can get there.

The Diversity Network sends its sincere thanks and appreciation to Tara Matthews for sharing her thoughts on the most pressing issue facing international education today. If you would like to share your thoughts, email us at members(at)diversitynetwork.org.

Tags: Diversity, Education Abroad Diversity, Underrepresented Students
Posted in Education Abroad, Ethnic Minority Students, First Generation, International Educators, International Students, Obama, Study Abroad | No Comments »

First Lady Michelle Obama Encourages Study Abroad to China With 100,000 Strong Initiative – Special Emphasis Put on HBCU’s & HSI’s

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

With China’s President Hu Jintao in Washington for a State Visit, First Lady Michelle Obama used the occasion as an opportunity to encourage American high school, community college and university students to pursue study abroad. Speaking at Howard University, Mrs. Obama pressed the importance of American students pursuing study abroad as a whole, and specifically study abroad in China.

“Studying abroad isn’t just an important part of a well rounded educational experience,” Mrs. Obama said. “It’s also becoming increasingly important for success in the modern global economy.” She also emphasized that study abroad does not just help individual students, but also the United States as a whole. “Studying in countries like China is about so much more than improving your own prospects in the global market… When you study abroad you’re actually helping to make America stronger.”

While the First Lady did an excellent job in highlighting the individual student and national benefits to study abroad, she was also keenly aware of the challenges we face in increasing the number and diversity of students studying in China. “There are too many students here in the United States that don’t have that chance (to study abroad) and some that do are reluctant to seize it. Maybe they feel that study abroad is something only rich kids do or maybe kids who go to certain colleges.” The Diversity Network agrees with the Obama administration that not only is study abroad to China important, but also that it is essential that diverse and underrepresented students take advantage of international education opportunities to China and other countries.

Reaching the goals of the “100,000 Strong Initiative” to increase the number and diversity of students studying in China will require that we as international educators accept the challenge and work to be more effective in recruiting and advising underserved students for study abroad to China. To be successful in this endeavor, we must do a better job in communicating to diverse students and their parents the positive impact a study abroad experience can have on their future academic and career goals. Reaching the 100,000 Strong goals will also require the nation’s Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to increase capacity to provide more of their students with international education opportunities to China.

The 100,000 Strong Initiative’s goal to increase the number and diversity of American students studying in China is exciting. To fully realize this goal will require innovative approaches for reaching underserved students who traditionally have not taken advantage of international education opportunities. The Diversity Network and its members are committed to supporting the 100,000 Strong Initiative and any other initiative, which aims at diversifying the locations and the students who pursue international education.

Tags: 100000 Strong Initiative, China, Diversity, First Lady Michelle Obama, HBCU, Howard University, HSI, Study Abroad
Posted in China, Community College Students, Education Abroad, Ethnic Minority Students, HBCU, Hispanic Serving Institutions, International Educators, Minority Serving Institutions, Obama, Study Abroad | 38 Comments »

Funding for International Education: Why It’s Important

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

With tuition rates on the rise and budget cuts to nearly all areas of spending in higher education, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that international education programming support has come under increased criticism and funding is at a serious risk of being reduced. Some political candidates have even stated publicly their intent to cut spending in the some “75 internationally focused programs that fall under the U.S, Department of State and U.S. Department of Education”. If nothing else has, this recent attack should mobilize professionals in the field to effectively communicate the importance of international education programming to the general public while ensuring that current support is being used effectively.

If we are to effectively defend against current threats to international education spending cuts, though, we must first take a serious look at the source driving criticism. We must face the reality that we are experiencing one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression. This crise has been felt in all sectors of society and many of our offices have already experienced cuts to staff, budget, travel, etc. However despite this reality we must also remind ourselves and others that we have an economy that is inextricably connected to global markets. That means we have to develop and train language -proficient, culturally competent professionals. Furthermore, we should better champion the message that proclaims the current funding for international education programs is crucial to maintaining the U.S. economic strength and security.

There are certainly people who will be skeptical in hearing this message, however it is clear that if we don’t fund opportunities that prepare U.S. students to be competitive in the global market, other nations will look to fill that void. There are 670,000 international students from across the globe studying at our institutions of higher learning in the U.S. alone. This number far exceeds the 260,000 U.S. students we send abroad annually (IIE 2009 Open Doors Report), a figure that clearly indicates the need to expand opportunities for students to go abroad.

As a nation, we need to encourage students to pursue language and study abroad that will prepare them for a globally-competitive job market. The current Open Doors figures highlight that we must also place particular focus on expanding these opportunities to underrepresented student groups. As a field, international education should not only expand how many students we send abroad, but also widen the types of students who have access to international opportunities. There is a vital need to send students abroad who represent the diversity reflected in our nation, and now is certainly not the time to reduce funding that currently supports those initiatives (ex. Gilman Scholarship, Rangel Fellowship, and Institute for International Public Policy Fellowship).

After we have spread the message of why funding for international education programming is important, next we have to re-examine how we are utilizing the current support we receive.

Similarly, to justify that the current spending is meaningful in these tough economic times, we need to make sure current funding is working efficiently and demonstrates that students are benefiting academically, socially and professionally from these programs. We need to provide concrete evidence, in the form of program analysis that highlight the real impact of these programs. Programs should be evaluated in a meaningful way that holds faculty and providers accountable for the successes and shortcomings of their programs, and not simply to produce data. If we are to protect the future of international education funding, we must take the necessary, sometimes difficult, steps to ensure that every dollar spent on such programs is effectively being used.

International education is critical to developing the next generation of leaders, and we as international educators need to support initiatives that protect current spending while promoting innovative approaches to attracting more public and private support in these areas.

Lily Lopez-McGee currently serves as Program Manager with the UNCF Special Programs Corporation in the Institute for International Public Policy division. Among her many duties, Ms. Lopez-McGee manages student internships, language institutes and social media outreach. She is fluent in Spanish and has traveled through parts of Latin America and Western Europe. She is a graduate of the University of Washington Evans School for Public Affairs, where she earned her Master’s of Public Administration.

Tags: Funding, International Students, Minority Students, Study Abroad
Posted in Education Abroad, Ethnic Minority Students, International Educators, International Recruiting, International Students, Minority Serving Institutions, Obama, Study Abroad | 1 Comment »

Changing the Face of International Educators

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

As the international education field strives to address issues of diversity and equity, what we cannot overlook is the lack of diversity among international education professionals. The demographic of international educators does not reflect the diversity of the students we aim to serve. Given that so many education abroad professionals are former study abroad participants themselves, the lack of diversity in the study abroad student population has a direct impact on the demographics of professionals in the field. The implications of this cannot be ignored. While we recognize that direct outreach to underserved students and their parents is essential to diversifying education abroad, it is equally clear that these students and parents may respond more favorably to advisors and education abroad representatives with whom they can identify.

Although I do not subscribe to the notion that one has to share the ethnic background of a student to effectively advise them, I do believe that these connections can enhance the relationship between advisor, student and their parents. This is particularly true when working with parents of first generation students and of students from certain ethnic backgrounds. That said, the reality is that few institutions are in the position to maintain a professional staff that reflects the diversity of the students on their campus and despite recent growth in international education, the number of diverse applicants for new positions remains relatively low. So what can be done?

First, we have to look for opportunities to partner with professionals of diverse backgrounds at our institutions and leverage these relationships to assist in reaching underserved students for international education opportunities. Although this does not directly diversify the field, it does help encourage more diverse students to study abroad by identifying its importance among diverse faculty and staff with whom students trust. Thus this increases the diversity among study abroad participants, which in turn increases the pool of potential candidates from diverse backgrounds for future international education positions.

We also have new opportunities to diversify the field each time an international education position becomes available, be it study abroad, international student services or other international education positions. When our administrative budget allows for a new hire, who are we encouraging to apply? Are promoting these opportunities to the same audience that we always have? By proactively promoting these opportunities to professionals who enhance and are committed to diversity, we will increase the number of diverse applicants for international education positions and we send a strong message to our peers about our institutions’ commitment to diversity among international educators. Many institutions have a diversity office that is responsible for maintaining a diverse workforce on campus. Be sure that you’re liaising with them when new positions open. Our colleagues in these offices can lead us to resources for reaching diverse candidates. There is also the Diversity Network Career Center, which was created as a platform for institutions and organizations that are serious and committed to recruiting diverse candidates to fill international education administration, faculty, and staff positions.

By creating and supporting efforts to diversify the field, collectively we can change the face of international educators and the study abroad students. This is no small task; it requires us to be open to new ideas and approaches in order to reach more diverse communities. The field of international education is comprised of creative, cosmopolitan and compassionate professionals who do this work, in large part, for the intrinsic value that it brings. As we look to the future, we must continue to display these qualities in our approach to diversifying the field of international education.

Andrew Gordon is the founder and president of Diversity Abroad. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco, where he studied business, economics and Spanish. He has studied, traveled and worked throughout Europe, South America and Middle East. He started Diversity Abroad in 2006 with the focus of significantly increasing the number of non-traditional students who pursue international education opportunities.

Posted in Careers, Education Abroad, Ethnic Minority Students, First Generation, International Educators, International Students | 1 Comment »

“We have to find ways to extend (global) opportunities to as many young people as possible.”

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Michelle Obama gave a resounding endorsement of study abroad and global engagement during her recent commencement speech at George Washington University. The First Lady not only discussed the importance of study abroad and global experiences, but encouraged those graduates who had studied abroad to “convince the students behind you to try study-abroad programs — especially students from communities and backgrounds who might not normally consider it.”

What kind of students don’t “consider” study abroad? Turns out Michelle Obama (then Michelle Robinson) had been one.

“I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, where the idea of spending some time abroad just didn’t register,” the First Lady told the 2010 graduating class. “My brother and I were the first in our families to go to college, so we were way more focused on just getting in, getting through, and getting on with our lives. So I just never considered that I needed to take an additional journey or expand the boundaries of my own life.”

Michelle Robinson Obama’s story is not unique. Many first-generation college students can relate to her experience; the idea of studying abroad just isn’t part of their academic plan. But that’s generally not the students’ fault — many of them lack awareness about the benefits and opportunities that study abroad can bring, and many think that study abroad just wouldn’t be possible for them.

If no one is informing and educating the students about the opportunities, how would they know? And if they don’t know about the benefits of study abroad, why would they go?

At a time when global engagement is more important than ever for young people, we as academic professionals must do our part to ensure that all students have equal access to global opportunities.

This doesn’t mean that all students will take advantage of study abroad and other international educational opportunities. It means that we must do our part to ensure that students and parents know about the availability of study abroad, how it could impact their lives, and then make it accessible.

Mrs. Obama summed it up by saying “As quickly as the 21^st-century global economy moves, we have to find ways to extend those (global) opportunities to as many young people as possible.”

The “we” she speaks of includes all of the academic community. I invite all you to join me and Diversity Abroad as we work to increase diversity and access in study abroad and other global education programs.

Andrew Gordon is the founder and president of Diversity Abroad. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco, where he studied business, economics and Spanish. He has studied, traveled and worked throughout Europe, South America and Middle East. He started Diversity Abroad in 2006 with the focus of significantly increasing the number of non-traditional students who pursue international education opportunities.

Posted in Education Abroad, Ethnic Minority Students, First Generation, Obama, Study Abroad | No Comments »