A pair of alumni from the University of Pennsylvania have donated $10 million to support international students, reported the student newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian. The funds are intended to help international students in the School of Arts & Sciences. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentEach year, U.S. News and World Report ranks U.S. undergraduate and graduate programs. But recently, many prestigious medical and law schools, as well as undergraduate colleges, have opted out of the rankings, claiming they are inaccurate and don’t capture the nuances of each school. The newest rankings address this by prioritizing student outcomes over test scores and reputations. Jeremy Bauer-Wolf of Higher Ed Dive analyzes the changes. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentThe Chronicle of Higher Education reviewed data from the U.S. Department of Education for almost 4,000 schools. Scroll through their findings to see how schools stack up on racial and gender diversity, as well as their proportion of “nonresident foreign” students. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentThe U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday that Illinois can, for now, keep in place a new law that bars the sale of certain semiautomatic guns and large-capacity magazines. The high court denied an emergency request from people challenging the law, which bans so-called assault weapons. The law’s opponents had asked the court to put the law on hold while a court challenge continues. The court did not comment and no justice publicly dissented. The high court’s action comes at a time when gun violence has been heavily in the news. Since the beginning of the year, 115 people have diedmore
Leave a commentA Ghanaian student at Central Michigan University who has spent his academic career studying ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis is ready for the next step: a job at a U.S. drug manufacturer that will let him continue his work. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentFirst came the good news. After taking classes at a community college, Ricki Korba was admitted to California State University, Bakersfield, as a transfer student. But when she logged on to her student account, she got a gut punch: Most of her previous classes wouldn’t count. The university rejected most of her science classes, she was told, because they were deemed less rigorous than those at Bakersfield — even though some used the same textbooks. Several other courses were rejected because Korba exceeded a cap on how many credits can be transferred. Now Korba, a chemistry and music major, ismore
Leave a commentThe dominance of Western universities in global rankings is often cited as a kind of “soft power,” which allegedly makes elites around the world think and act like liberal democrats. But is this really true? Some leaders such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary or Bashar al-Assad in Syria, are illiberal, despite their extensive Western educations. Yet others seem to hold more liberal values than their educators did, like the anti-colonial Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi in India or Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya. Ultimately, we can’t predict how leaders will turn out based on their schooling. But international education can, andmore
Leave a commentIndia recently became the world’s most populous country, and 25% of the world’s population under the age of 25 live there. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the biggest sources of international students in the Western world. But India’s government questions the value of this “one-way traffic,” arguing that the country loses valuable talent and should be attracting international students of its own. One member of India’s Economic Advisory Council said there are “too many university campuses on the planet,” since digital education is cheaper and more sustainable. Read the analysis from Viggo Stacey, editor of The PIE. (April 2023) …
Leave a commentThe monthslong impasse between the White House and congressional Republicans over raising the debt ceiling to keep the U.S. from defaulting on its obligations could derail Joe Biden’s upcoming meeting with allies in Japan and Australia. The U.S. president is scheduled to depart Washington for Hiroshima on May 17 to attend a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders. On May 22 he is to continue to Sydney for the Quad Summit with a brief stop in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to meet with Pacific Island Forum leaders. The meetings have been billed as opportunities to deepen cooperation onmore
Leave a commentIndia sent more students to study in the U.S. in 2022 while China sent fewer, the Hindustan Times reported. In 2022, California hosted 225,173 international students, the Times reported, the largest percentage of any U.S. state. Read more about the trends and the numbers in the Times story. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentNot exactly, according to a new survey of the two groups conducted by the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management (NAGAP). Compared to students, the managers overestimated the difficulty of the application, while underestimating how hard it is for students to find the “best fit” school for them. Maureen Manning summarizes the findings for The PIE News. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentIn many countries, undergraduate degrees focus on one area of study and take three years. But in the U.S., students are expected to take a series of courses across the arts and sciences before they choose their major. This process is supposed to take four years, though many students need more time. An op-ed in Inside Higher Ed reviews the history of the three-year degree, and argues that U.S. students would save money, get better grades and receive better teaching under such a system. Lou Matz offers an argument in Inside Higher Ed. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentThe Eastern Michigan University International Student Association has revved up, increasing its community involvement as the coronavirus pandemic wanes. EMU Today, a university publication, writes that recent activities include a cultural talent show, a clothing drive for local community shelters and an event that highlighted food from around the world. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentThe New York Times spotlights a Kenyan student whose commitment to music and creative writing won her a spot at the prestigious school, where she is studying to be a journalist. Despite such stories, countries around the world are spending less on the subject, and many have no official arts programs for students at all. The reason? Societies still don’t understand the intellectual and emotional benefits. Ginanne Brownell has more. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentDuring a tense CNN town hall Wednesday, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted a woman in response to a civil jury’s finding this week that he was liable in sexually assaulting her. During the contentious back-and-forth in early voting New Hampshire — where moderator Kaitlan Collins sometimes struggled to fact-check his misstatements in real time — Trump continued to insist the election had been rigged, even though state and federal election officials, his own campaign and White House aides, and numerous courts havemore
Leave a comment“The fee for a master’s degree at University College London is more important than the price of fish,” writes Alan Beattie, referring to the fisheries debate that stalled Brexit. Beattie claims that in a globalized world, Britain, along with other English-speaking countries with prestigious schools, must recognize that education is another service to trade. Enrollment could increase if governments began treating it as an “educational export.” Read more in the Financial Times. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentThe College Post offers 15 tips for international students in the U.S. Among them: take up extracurricular activities, prepare for the weather, learn local laws and set realistic academic expectations. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentDebating helps students advance their public speaking skills. But the benefits do not end there. From improving research skills and critical thinking, to better time management and empowering international students, rigorous debate preparations have a positive impact on many facets of student development. Andrew Smith and Caty Weaver explore the story for VOA Learning English. (May 2023) …
Leave a commentTop U.S. lawmakers emerged frustrated and empty-handed after a tense Tuesday meeting with President Joe Biden over the nation’s debt limit. Biden sought to calm global financial jitters, saying he thought the meeting was “productive” and that the group would meet again Friday as the U.S. stares down the possibility of defaulting on its financial obligations for the first time in history. Biden met Tuesday afternoon with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a bid to ensure the government canmore
Leave a commentU.S. Representative George Santos, who faced outrage and mockery over a litany of fabrications about his heritage, education and professional pedigree, has been charged with federal criminal offenses, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The charges against Santos, filed in the Eastern District of New York, remain under seal. The people could not publicly discuss specific details of the case while it remains under seal and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity. Reached on Tuesday, Santos said, “This is news to me.” “You’re the first to call me about this,” he said in amore
Leave a commentFormer Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was taken off the air by the network last month, said on Tuesday he would relaunch his show on Twitter “soon.” Fox News Media and its top-rated host agreed to part ways last month, shortly after parent company Fox Corp. settled for $787.5 million a defamation lawsuit in which Carlson played a starring role. The outspoken Carlson embraced conservative issues and delivered his views with a style that made his prime-time show, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” the highest-rated cable news program in the key 25-to-54 age demographic on the most-watched U.S. cable news network.more
Leave a commentU.S. President Joe Biden sought to calm global financial market jitters on the looming debt limit weeks before the nation is at risk of defaulting on its financial obligations for the first time in history. Biden met Tuesday afternoon with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a bid to ensure the government can borrow more money to pay for spending it has already incurred. “We’re going to get started and solve all the world’s problems,” Biden said as the Ovalmore
Leave a commentU.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday discussed border security measures as they prepare for a potential migrant wave when a key U.S. border policy ends this week, the White House said. The Biden administration and Texas state authorities are sending reinforcements to the U.S.-Mexico border to prepare for a possible increase in immigration when COVID-19 restrictions known as Title 42 end on Thursday. The order, in place since 2020, allows U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants to Mexico without giving them the chance to seek U.S. asylum. The policy shift is expected tomore
Leave a commentRepublicans in the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would cancel President Joe Biden’s proposed forgiveness program. Supporters of the plan, which would forgive up to $20,000 for qualified applicants, say it’s crucial to alleviate the massive student debt burden. But opponents claim the program’s $500 billion price tag is excessive, and that it does nothing to rein in costs and will benefit many people who are already well-off. Democrats and Republicans agree the system needs fixing. Who has the solution? Education writer Collin Binkley breaks down the debate for The Associated Press. (April 2023) …
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