The Indian academic community has voiced concerns regarding the one-sided nature of the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GAIN), an exchange that only incorporates Indians hosting Americans but not the other way around, according to The Chronicle Of Higher Education. GAIN is an Indian program that will host 1,000 American scholars annually.
Dovetailing with the White House’s focus on the important role played by two-year institutions in American education, the Department of State and the Fulbright Program are seeking to involve community colleges more in exchanges, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Thirteen young professionals from 12 European countries, ranging from Turkey to Russia, were profiled in a new documentary called “Connecting Cultures, Impacting Lives: The IVLP Experience.” These professionals were engaged in the State Department sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), participated in youth leadership events throughout their five-city, 22-day program.
Secretary of State John Kerry honored seven influential American artists one month ago for their contributions to U.S. cultural diplomacy, presenting them with the Art in Embassies (AIE) Medal of Arts Life Time Achievement award. In his opening speech at the awards ceremony, Kerry explored the weight art and multimedia have on cultural diplomatic pursuits:
An increasing number of high school graduates in the United Kingdom are interested and/or enrolling in universities outside of the U.K., according to The Independent. A survey of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) found that ninety per cent of its administrators had noticed increased student interest in universities outside the U.K. over the past three years.
In a podcast (in German) on the German government website, Chancellor Angela Merkel discusses current transatlantic issues, including her concern over funding cuts to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program. Katherine Lindemann, a political science student from Maine who is currently studying at Humboldt University in Berlin, conducted the interview.
The U.S. Department of State is celebrating 75 years of state-sponsored exchange programs this year. Launched today is a social media campaign using the hashtag #ExchangesAre and comprising an array of videos that will explore the historical impacts of such programs. The 75th anniversary of State Department exchanges coincides with today’s launch of a new, informative website and will also be accompanied by a series of events throughout 2015.
Several veteran members of Congress are urging their colleagues to travel abroad more, according to Roll Call. Frequent Congressional travelers make the case that international travel is vital for Members to do their jobs effectively, and that there is great value in legislators better understanding the international context in which they govern. As Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) explains:
The President’s FY16 budget, released earlier today (see pages 31-33), requests $623.079 million for Department of State international exchange programs, a 5.6 per cent increase over current levels—a robust number in difficult budget times, and a concrete sign of the Obama administration’s support of exchanges.
Alumni of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) program have launched a “Save CBYX” campaign, in response to the decision to cut funding for the program by 50% for the 2015-2016 program year, the Atlantic Review reports. Through the campaign, alumni are “asking all supporters to sign an online petition appealing to the State Department to reverse its decision.”