International Education Matters

A Forum for Issues Pertaining to
Intensive English Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Secretary of Education Rod Paige have called for the celebration of International Education Week, November 17-21, 2003. International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

IN OBSERVANCE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK, THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAMS (AAIEP), AND THE CONSORTIUM OF UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAMS (UCIEP), WITH THE SUPPORT OF TESOL AND NAFSA, ARE LAUNCHING A NEW, INFORMATIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE WWW SITE TO ASSIST YOU!

• Learn about the economic impact international students have on each region of the country.
  
  
• Learn about why industry professionals are worried about declining enrollment and market share.
  
  
• See profiles of international students.
  
  
• Read about international student volunteer efforts and the contributions they make to their communities and beyond.
  
  
• Review recent relevant legislation and testimony.

INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAMS & STUDENTS
"International students do more than contribute nearly $13 billion to the American economy each year; they provide a personal connection that is essential to achieving peace among nations. For decades, international students at our colleges and universities have fostered a greater understanding among cultures, strengthening our image around the world and generating greater trust among peoples. Intensive English programs are a critical part of these interactions, easing entry into American culture and encouraging further enrollment from abroad."

Congressman Earl Blumenauer -- Oregon

ECONOMIC IMPACT & ENROLLMENT STATISTICS

• Although international students comprise over 4% of America's total higher education population, Open Doors 2002 reports they contribute nearly $12 billion dollars to the U.S. economy in money spent on tuition, living expenses, and related costs.
  
  
• Department of Commerce data describe U.S. higher education as the country's fifth largest service sector export.  Open Doors, IIE
  
  
• Estimated foreign student expenditure in the U.S. 2001/2002: $11,952,000,000   Open Doors, IIE

LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & POLICY
“We are particularly concerned with the Department of State’s new policy, announced in a worldwide cable May 21 and codified in an interim final regulation published July 7, to strictly limit the waiver of personal appearance for nonimmigrant applicants.

Simply put, the State Department does not have – and cannot realistically look forward to having in the foreseeable future – adequate staff and other resources to take on this burden. Moreover, the new regulation reverses a sensible and long-standing State Department practice of allowing ambassadors and their staffs to make the crucial, on-the-ground judgments about which applicants need to be interviewed.”

Testimony of The Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators Submitted to Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, July 10, 2003

CONTACTS

Scott Stevens
Website Committee Chair & Past President, UCIEP
Director, English Language Institute
University of Delaware
Tel: 302-831-2674
e-mail: sstevens@udel.edu

Karen Decker
Vice-President, Advocacy, AAIEP
President, International Center for Language Studies
Washington, DC
Tel: 202-639-8800
e-mail: kdecker@icls.com

Bill Fish
President, Washington International Education Council, Inc.
North Potomac, Maryland
Tel: 301-947-0015
e-mail: wfish@washcouncil.org

Rhona Genzel
Past-President, AAIEP
ATESL Representative to NAFSA's Council on Public Affairs
Director, English Language Center
Rochester Institute of Technology
Tel: 585-475-6684
e-mail: rbgelc@rit.edu

Alan Juffs
Chair, Advocacy, UCIEP
Chair and Associate Professor
Director, English Language Institute
Department of Linguistics
University of Pittsburgh
Tel: 412-624-3750
e-mail: juffs+@pitt.edu

Terry Simon
Past-President, AAIEP
Director, Texas Intensive English Program
Texas International Education Consortium
Tel: 512-477-4511
e-mail: terry.simon@tiec.org

Peter Thomas
Past-President, AAIEP
Director, International Programs
University of California, San Diego Extension
Tel: 858-534-6784
e-mail: pthomas@ucsd.edu

For more information
http://www.internationaleducationmatters.org

This file was updated on November 13, 2003