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JANUARY 2005

Louis B. DeFleur

President Lois B.Defleur,
SUNY Binghamton
Speaks On International Ed

By Lois B. DeFleur

For many years, the United States has been a beacon for international education. In 2003, nearly 600,000 students from around the globe attended colleges and universities in the U.S. However, this traffic has largely been one-way, as that year, only 174,000 American students traveled abroad for study—a number that equals less than one half of one percent of American college students. Clearly, the U.S. must do more to ensure that students gain global knowledge and cultural understanding through classroom experiences, international internships, and opportunities to study abroad.

Moreover, there are indications that the U.S. may be losing its prominence in international education. Last year, international enrollment at colleges and universities in the U.S. declined by more than two percent. Among reasons cited are changes in visa regulations and rising college tuition costs. Australia, New Zealand and Canada are also competing hard for international students, while nations that have traditionally sent large numbers of students to the U.S.—such as China, Taiwan, and India—are investing heavily in their own higher education systems in order to keep their most talented students at home.

At Binghamton University, we offer a number of programs to attract and retain international students, to provide opportunities for U.S. students to study abroad, and to enhance international academic experiences. The most ambitious is a dual degree program with four Turkish universities, where students spend two years at Binghamton and two years at a university in Turkey, receiving degrees from both institutions. We have increased the number of overseas programs so that students can study on any continent. Students can earn an International Studies Certificate by taking courses that emphasize both foreign languages and cross-cultural comparisons and completing an international-oriented internship (either at home or abroad).

The campus commitment to internationalism is clearly understood, as we try to integrate an international outlook in every aspect of the University. Students who can’t travel internationally may utilize foreign languages in their science or history classes through our Languages Across the Curriculum program, and all students must fulfill a “Global Interdependencies” requirement. Students also organize international cultural festivals, attend music, dance, and theater presentations from around the globe, and participate in more than 30 internationally based student groups.

Certainly there is more that Binghamton and other campuses do foster international perspectives with help from local, state and federal sources. First we need to moderate the barriers for international students as well as provide incentives for American students and scholars to pursue international activities. We must improve the visa application and oversight processes to facilitate the education of legitimate students. State and federal governments also should provide incentives for the study of foreign languages and cultures by providing subsidized student loans and grants for language students.

I believe that developing these and other programs would strengthen international education and prepare our students for a future in which economies and cultures depend on global ties.#

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