An International Education Policy for the United States 
 
Now more than ever, the critical importance of international education to U.S. leadership, prosperity, and security is clear.  Yet the United States lacks a coherent and strategic international education policy.

We must do more to:

• Support a strong, consistent federal approach to promoting global learning that recognizes the need to increase Americans' international skills and the importance of continuing to educate the world's future leaders.                  
• Articulate the contribution of international education to the national interest through congressional resolutions and hearings.                                                                               
• Mobilize state governments, higher education, business, and the nonprofit sector to do their part to advance international education.

"Our nation simply cannot afford to lead with an inadequate knowledge and understanding of the world in which we are engaged.

-NAFSA Executive Director and CEO
Marlene Johnson

"...the United States should establish an international education policy to enhance national security, significantly further United states foreign policy and economic competitiveness, and promote mutual understanding and cooperation among nations."

-Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 on an International Education Policy for the United States

International Student Access to U.S. Higher Education 

International students in the United States make significant contributions to campus learning, community diversity,and the economy.  Those who return home to become leaders in their countries represent a reservoir of goodwill for the United States, perhaps our most underrated foreign-policy asset.

We must do more to:

• Take a balanced approach to immigration reform by putting in place necessary security measures while maintaining our openness to international students and scholars.                  
• Develop a strategic plan to attract internationally mobile students to U.S. higher learning institutions.                
• Assess and address legislative and regulatory measures that impact international students and scholars.                  
• Develop a comprehensive web-based information system through which prospective international students can learn about their options in U.S. higher education.

"[International students and scholars] enrich our communities with their academic abilities and cultural diversity, and they return home with an increased understanding and often a lasting affection for the United States.  I can think of no more valuable asset to our country than the friendship of future world leaders who have been educated here."

-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell

Internationalizing Education For Our Citizens 

Today's global challenges demand international competence.  Americans who study abroad, participate in scholarly exchange programs, or study foreign areas and languages are far better prepared for the demands of the 21st century. 

We must do more to:

• Increase opportunities for all American students to study abroad.                
• Diversify study abroad locations, subjects, and languages, and promote ethnic, socio-economic, and gender diversity in study abroad participation.                            
• Integrate international, foreign language, and area studies into the U.S. higher education curriculum.                
• Invigorate citizen and scholar exchange programs.                       
• Increase opportunities for international internships and service learning.

"If we expect students to navigate international waters, we need to give them an international education that meets the highest standards...."

-U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige

"The accelerating pace of globalization and economic activity has created the need for a sophisticated workforce that is better educated, more mobile, more flexible, and more internationally attuned than ever before."

–Stephen G. Butler, Chairman,
KPMG International 

Advancing Global Understanding

International education builds respect and ties between nations, advances learning and scholarship, and is a powerful force in replacing myths and misinformation with knowledge and understanding.

The level of Americans' global skills and understanding will in large measure determine our ability to manage international conflict, promote peace, and exercise leadership in the 21st century.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators supports proactive public policies that ensure the safety, security, and prosperity of our nation by advancing international education.

“Educational exchanges are not a luxury — reserved for the few or pushed aside when other challenges preoccupy us. They are a matter of the national interest. While our nation properly continues the fight against terrorism, we also must develop a policy of educational diplomacy. It can be a key catalyst for a more peaceful world.”

- Former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley