University World News recently compared two surveys describing the trend of international student admission yields to U.S. colleges and universities. The surveys were conducted in response to widespread concern in the education industry of how recent developments in U.S. visa and immigration policy could affect international enrollment.
It has been a busy summer for those of us who promote the growth and impact of international exchange programs. In May, the White House released a detailed budget that called for an unprecedented 32 percent cut to the Department of State, and a 55 percent cut to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), which funds and oversees a wide range of critical international exchange programs which enable people-to-people diplomacy. If enacted, these cuts would greatly damage the United States’ soft power diplomacy and put our nation at risk.
More than 160 Former U.S. Ambassadors Oppose Cutting Funding for State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
International exchange programs got a huge boost of support this week as 163 former U.S. ambassadors sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to support full funding in fiscal year 2018 for the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
On Monday, June 26, the Supreme Court granted partial approval for President Trump’s second Executive Order issued in March, which stopped the inflow of refugees for 120 days and blocked travel for 90 days from six countries: Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, and Somalia.