The primary aim of the neo-conservatives who now have a firm control on the administration in Washington is to increase relative American power worldwide. However, within academia, current administration policies, especially restrictive immigration and open hostility toward other nations, are having the exact opposite effect. With a noticeable decline in foreign enrollment at American universities, the world is actually becoming less dependent upon American higher education, and more dependent on international institutions. This is not surprising,
but it is worrying:
The latest "Open Doors" report from the Institute of International Education says that foreign enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities was down 2.4 percent in the last academic year. The institute implements such programs as Fulbright and Humphrey fellowships to help American students study abroad and foreign students come to this country.
Viewed in context, a drop of 2.4 percent indicates a significant reversal. This is the first time since 1971 that American colleges and universities have seen any drop in the number of foreign students. And the percentage would be larger if it weren't for graduate schools, which experienced a 2.5 percent increase. Undergraduate schools, on the other hand, showed a decline of 5 percent in enrollment of students from abroad, and first-time international enrollments in graduate schools fell by 6 percent.
A major reason for this reversal is fallout from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Heightened security has made it more difficult and time-consuming for international students to obtain visas to study in this country. Some foreign students feel that they are not welcome in this country.
The consequences of this downturn in foreign enrollment are significant. In addition to the relative decline in international power that this trend represents for America, it is also an economic and education setback here at home:
Americans should be worried about these changes. Foreign students bring an estimated $13 billion a year into the United States. Also, some specialized graduate programs depend on top-notch foreign students to have sufficient enrollment. And many of the best foreign students pursue their careers in this country after graduation.
A decline in foreign enrollment results in fewer dollars brought into the country, a decline in educational opportunities for Americans, and a decline in talent from which local businesses are able to recruit. But hey, who cares!
Let's run ads urging the expulsion of the U.N. from America! That is exactly the sort of thing that will really help our country!
