October 12 - Careers in the US State Department

U.S. Department of State Careers

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
1:30-3 p.m.
S203 Memorial Union

Presented by Ed Wehrli, Diplomat-in-Residence, University of Oklahoma

·         Learn about a career opportunity unlike any other.
·         Discover how you can have a global impact.
·         Show the world a side of America it has never seen.


Sponsored by the MU International Center

How Segregated is Your City?

I stumbled across this post from Fast Company.  It shows striking maps of racial composition of the forty largest US cities. 

The maps say a lot about life in the United States. 

UK Universities in Tough Economic Times

Universities in the US can learn from how our partner (and competitive) institutions are responding to significant cuts in public funding.

The latest report released by Universities UK is definitely worth reading. 

Academic Outcomes of Study Abroad

Findings from a ten-year study of academic outcomes of study abroad in the University of Georgia System were just released at last month's NAFSA conference.

Research in this area is rapidly expanding -- and much needed.  This study may be the most comprehensive available to date.

A summary of findings was published in today's Inside Higher Ed.

For more detailed information on this study abroad research project (survey instruments, data, presentations, publications, partnership, etc.) check here.

How the World Views the EU

My good colleague, Gareth Harding has published this multimedia piece on how the world now views the institutions of the European Union.

It will take some time -- but I recommend that you check it out.

Globalization -- and Asia's Return to Economic Supremacy

This week, our study abroad program is visiting at University College Dublin -- comparing the response to global economic crisis in Ireland and the US, and assessing the long-term effects on these two countries.



Today, we had an excellent presentation by Dr. Niamh Hardiman (of UCD's Geary Institute) entitled Liberalism in Crisis. She showed well the magnitude of economic, fiscal and political challenges European countries now face.



Tonight, I read this essay by Michael Hennigan at Finfacts.



It will take time, but I think you'll find it worth reading.

Mexico Travel Warning - Expanded

The US State Department expanded its travel warning to several states or regions in Mexico.

If you (or your loved ones) are preparing for a trip there, please read this carefully.

Travel warnings issued by the State Department should always be taken very seriously.

For a list of current warnings, and for additional assistance, please see this page.

US branch campuses abroad: survey results

On GlobalHigherEd, I saw this post that summarizes research on US university branch campus-abroad initiatives. The post is contributed by Madeline Green at the Center for International Initiatives at the American Council on Education.

The introduction to this post provides links to useful resources for those considering branch campus ventures.

For a more complete report of research findings, check here.

International Graduate Student Admissions Increase in US

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) just released survey results that show international graduate student applications increased in the US for the fifth consecutive year.  Based on survey responses, totals are up by 7% over last year.

This increase has been fueled by double-digit growth rates in students from China.  Recent application declines from India and Korea stabilized this year.

Trends vary significantly by field of study and by type of host university. 

For more information see the media release and the full report.  the survey was on applications, not admissions. CGS' annual survey on admissions (and final application numbers) will be released in August.

Previous years’ surveys are posted here.

Minnesota Integrates Study Abroad Into the Curriculum

The Chronicle of Higher Education has this report on how the University of Minnesota integrates study abroad into its curriculum. 

Participation in study abroad there has grown steadily -- as a result of in-depth discussion between academic departments and the University's Learning Abroad Center.

Here's an excerpt from the Chronicle's piece, including an interview with Center Director Martha Johnson:

For engineering, studying in another country might be relevant because of the increasingly global nature of the profession, while for students of graphic design, the appeal could be the opportunity to explore the influence of foreign artists on their home turf.

Each department "defines in its own terms why it's important to go abroad," Ms. Johnson says.
The group then works together to pinpoint times when overseas study can best fit into the curriculum. And Ms. Johnson and her staff work to provide programmatic choices.
Over the last decade, Minnesota has added more than 50 programs to enable students in nontraditional disciplines to study abroad, says Ms. Johnson, who gets ribbed by colleagues from other colleges on visits to study-abroad sites when she asks about offerings in areas like soil sciences or volcanology. Some 200 Minnesota faculty members have also gone overseas in recent years to review programs.

Other study-abroad options include academic exchanges that grow out of professors' international research collaborations and short-term programs led by Minnesota faculty members. For example, professors affiliated with the university's health-careers center, which works with students considering jobs in medicine and other health-related careers, are planning a seminar in India, focusing on public health and primary care in tribal areas.
In all, the university has more than 300 options for students wishing to study overseas.
The common thread, Ms. Johnson says, is that all programs must be evaluated and approved by the department, not just her office.

For more information on Minnesota's approach to curriculum integration, check here.

Chinese PhD Students Stay in the US

This account published in the University World News...

More than nine in every 10 students from China who gained a doctorate in the United States in 2002 were still in the country in 2007, the highest percentage from any foreign nation. This compares with 62% of all foreign-born PhD recipients for that year, says a new report.

The figures come from a study by Michael Finn at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in Tennessee, published in the National Science Foundation's Science and Engineering Indicators 2010.

Five-year stay rates for students from other countries include 81% for India and 77% for Russia. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of PhDs in either physical or life sciences remained for five years after earning their degrees compared with 51% of those with PhDs in agricultural sciences.

The study found that while most foreign PhD students planned to stay in the US after graduation, among the 2004-07 graduates, about half had accepted firm offers of employment.

Between 2000-03 and 2004-07, however, the percentage reporting definite plans to stay on decreased among those with science and engineering doctorates from all top five countries - China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Canada. For all but Taiwan, the increases in the number awarded doctorates more than offset the declines in the percentage staying.

Read the full story here.