EducationUSA’s annual Forum convened members of the higher education community, EducationUSA Regional Education coordinators and advisers, and government officials, July 30 through August 1 in Washington, DC.
Common cause
The Forum is a bit of a “family reunion” with a large helping of opportunities for sharing and transferring knowledge and resources on global student mobility. It is an opportunity for international education professionals who work in student recruitment, enrollment, and support services to gain practical skills and explore strategies for using EducationUSA resources to improve engagement with international students and ensure student success on campus. The sessions and discussions demonstrated the commitment to promoting U.S. higher education overseas and maintaining America’s leadership as the top destination for international students.
The reunion aspect of the Forum comes from all the attendees whose passion is international education. Attendees come from posts around the world, all connected by their desire to share resources and information on future and current students and for engagement with representatives from higher education institutions and associations in the United States.
Global showcase
One of the highlights of the Forum was a Global Showcase in which advisors for 85 countries shared literature, updates, and interacted with attendees. EducationUSA is the U.S. Department of State's global network of more than 425 educational advising centers in over 175 countries and territories.
US-China relations
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce offered a plenary on Welcoming Chinese Students. The speech perplexed many attendees as it seemed more warning than welcome, presented as an opportunity by the Department to “clarify misperceptions people have on the US government’s stance on students and scholars from China.” The speech was a clear indication of the tension between the U.S. and China that has markedly increased in recent years.
For more information about the EducationUSA Network please visit https://educationusa.state.gov/