U.S.
Departments of State & Education Announce International Education
Week
By
Marie Holmes
U.S.
embassies and consulates around the world, as well as other governmental
and educational institutions, will hold events to commemorate
International Education Week 2001, Nov. 12-16. U.S. Secretary
of Education Rod Paige encouraged schools and communities to participate
in International Education Week by coordinating activities that
highlight foreign language instruction, study abroad programs,
global studies and other related topics.
The week’s activities fall on the heels of House Resolution 207,
which proposes to establish an international education policy,
citing the need to better prepare students to work in the international
sphere as well as to attract more foreign students to study in
U.S. institutions.
According to the American Council of Education, enrollment in
foreign language courses in colleges has fallen from 16 pecent
to 8 percent since 1960, and the number of colleges and universities
with entrance and graduation requirements involving foreign language
study has also declined. While the number of U.S. students who
enroll in study abroad programs has been rising steadily, the
number of foreign students
choosing to study abroad in the U.S. has declined from 40 percent
to 30 percent since 1982, according to the International Institute
of Education.
International Education Week coincides with the annual release
of the Open Doors Report, published by the International
Institute of Education and partially funded by the U.S. Department
of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. The report,
which tracks data about international study, will be released
on November 13.
Each year, the U.S. State Department funds a number of international
scholars through the Fulbright Fellowship, as well as through
the new Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program,
which provides undergraduate students receiving federal Pell Grant
funding with up to $5,000 to enable them to pursue studies abroad.
Both programs are highly competitive; the Gilman Scholarship is
awarded based on financial need.
The sponsors of International Education Week hope to raise the
profile of such programs and of international education in general.
“Knowledge about the culture and language of our neighbors throughout
the world is becoming increasingly important in the daily lives
of all Americans,” said Rod Paige in a statement on International
Education Week. “The events surrounding the terrorist attacks
of September 11 underscore that point.” #
By Marie Holmes
U.S.
embassies and consulates around the world, as well as other governmental
and educational institutions, will hold events to commemorate
International Education Week 2001, Nov. 12-16. U.S. Secretary
of Education Rod Paige encouraged schools and communities to participate
in International Education Week by coordinating activities that
highlight foreign language instruction, study abroad programs,
global studies and other related topics.
The week’s activities fall on the heels of House Resolution 207,
which proposes to establish an international education policy,
citing the need to better prepare students to work in the international
sphere as well as to attract more foreign students to study in
U.S. institutions.
According to the American Council of Education, enrollment in
foreign language courses in colleges has fallen from 16 pecent
to 8 percent since 1960, and the number of colleges and universities
with entrance and graduation requirements involving foreign language
study has also declined. While the number of U.S. students who
enroll in study abroad programs has been rising steadily, the
number of foreign students
choosing to study abroad in the U.S. has declined from 40 percent
to 30 percent since 1982, according to the International Institute
of Education.
International Education Week coincides with the annual release
of the Open Doors Report, published by the International
Institute of Education and partially funded by the U.S. Department
of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. The report,
which tracks data about international study, will be released
on November 13.
Each year, the U.S. State Department funds a number of international
scholars through the Fulbright Fellowship, as well as through
the new Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program,
which provides undergraduate students receiving federal Pell Grant
funding with up to $5,000 to enable them to pursue studies abroad.
Both programs are highly competitive; the Gilman Scholarship is
awarded based on financial need.
The sponsors of International Education Week hope to raise the
profile of such programs and of international education in general.
“Knowledge about the culture and language of our neighbors throughout
the world is becoming increasingly important in the daily lives
of all Americans,” said Rod Paige in a statement on International
Education Week. “The events surrounding the terrorist attacks
of September 11 underscore that point.”
Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel:
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All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2001.
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