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.#
