American Association
of Intensive English Programs
AAIEP support
for International Education Matters website.
International exchange
has never been more important than it is in today’s world. Unfortunately,
legitimate international flow into the U.S. has probably never been
as imperiled, at least in modern times, as we find it now due to
recent unfavorable rulings and regulations by our government.
While
the need for national border security is obvious, it is vital that
the US continue to see the long-term interest and value in international
education. Thus, the American Association of Intensive English
Programs is keenly appreciative and supportive of the efforts to
launch the
new website INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION MATTERS. The launching of this
website to coincide with International Education Week (Nov. 17-21)
will, we hope, help our organization and others with similar interests
spread the word about the importance of continuing to welcome international
students to our programs.
Intensive English programs are often
the initial gateways to the US educational system. Not only do
prospective students and scholars often need more English training
to perform
successfully in academic degree programs, but many students first
came to the US perhaps years earlier as youth to participate
in short-term
summer programs established by their home universities or other
travel associations. Their love for the US formed during that first
trip
abroad is often the lure that drives students to come back to
this country years later. What a shame if, in the future, such short-term
study/tourism programs are steered towards other countries and
thus many potential students never develop the desire to spend
more
extensive
time in the US when they seek higher education or to share their
expertise with the world.
We see this happening already. Because
of more complicated and expensive procedures for visa issuance
and usage established by the US government across all nations (instead
of selectively, in countries where obvious security concerns
exist at higher rates), many of our AAIEP member programs report
that
their
enrollments have dropped precipitously, and that many short-term
program operators from friendly countries such as Japan and South
Korea have dropped plans for future study/travel programs in
the US, due to the extra expense and uncertainty of obtaining proper
visas.
With this background, we know that it is vitally important
for our neighbors and our entire nation to become more aware
of
the realities of international education and the importance of
our efforts
to the nation’s economical, political and social well-being. Thus
we are extremely pleased to see the website International Education
Matters and hope that it will be widely used to share information
about who we are and what we do.
Kelly Franklin
President,
American
Association of Intensive English Programs (2003-2004)
Director
of International Services
Maryville College
Maryville, Tennessee
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