Are US Colleges Losing Their Appeal to Chinese Students?

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In 2015, roughly half of the Chinese students who planned to study abroad wanted to attend schools in the U.S. By 2022, this percentage had dropped to 30%, signaling a shift within the largest international student body in the U.S. Higher education professionals suggest that gun violence, rising anti-Asian racism, rocky U.S.-China relations and friendlier immigration policies in other countries are some of the reasons Chinese students have been looking for education elsewhere. Han Chen examines the causes and the potential economic and political implications behind this trend for Axios. (May 2023) …

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Chinese Students in DC Establish Safe Space for Dissent to Counter Beijing

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A group of Chinese international students studying in Washington has established an independent student union, hoping to provide a safe space and platform for other Chinese students and scholars at their university to express political dissent without harassment by pro-Beijing students and organizations. Students from George Washington University (GWU) call the organization Torch on the Potomac. A statement by the organization on April 25 said, “We want to provide Chinese students and scholars at George Washington University, as well as their peers in the diaspora, with a platform, social support and community independent from the Chinese Communist Party and itsmore

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How Can Universities Entice International Students?

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Consultant Iain Sloan’s recommendations for student recruitment are for the United Kingdom but could apply anywhere: Diversify beyond China and India, efficiently manage the visa process, focus on career guidance and not just academics and build hands-on curriculums. Weigh Sloan’s recommendations in the Times Higher Education. (April 2023) …

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Colleges Get Grades, Too; Who’s Passing?

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The U.S. Department of Education released a College Scorecard based on student salaries, debt after graduation and racial diversity in teaching. This year’s reports analyze graduate programs for the first time and expand the data on earnings after undergraduate study. Read a summary by USA Today reporter Kayla Jimenez or check out the reports. (April 2023)  …

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International Students Speak Out About Issues at St. Louis University

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The University News, the student newspaper at Saint Louis University in the U.S. state of Missouri, recently interviewed international students on their experiences at the school. Some students said that some U.S. systems, notably the health care and tax systems, were difficult to navigate. One student said she felt the school’s international support services tended to be STEM-focused. (April 2023)   …

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Republicans Subpoena FBI for Biden Records

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A top House Republican subpoenaed FBI Director Chris Wray on Wednesday for what he claimed are bureau records related to President Joe Biden and his family, basing the demand on newly surfaced allegations he said an unnamed whistleblower made to Congress. The White House said it was the latest example in the years-long series of “unfounded, unproven” political attacks against Biden by Republicans “floating anonymous innuendo.” Kentucky Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee and Accountability, is seeking a specific FBI form from June 2020 that is a report of conversations or interactions with a confidential source. Comer,more

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Biden to Meet with Congressional Leaders in Effort to Avoid Default

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President Joe Biden next week will meet with the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate in an effort to avoid a catastrophic default on the nation’s debts, which could occur in as little as one month. The United States government’s ability to borrow money is constrained by a limit on the amount of debt the U.S. Treasury Department can incur, known as the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is currently set at $31.4 trillion, which the government hit in January, forcing the Treasury to use what it refers to as “extraordinary measures” to continue paying the nation’smore

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Could Private School Be a Good Deal?

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Private colleges in the U.S. can be very expensive, and their costs have risen much faster than comparable public institutions. But few students pay the full “sticker price,” and a new survey suggests the savings are greater than ever. According to the National Association of College and University Business Officers, full-time, first-year students at private schools had their tuition discounted by more than 56% on average. Jeremy Bauer-Wolf of Higher Ed Dive summarizes the data. (April 2023) …

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Why Are Universities Hiring ‘Embedded Counselors’?

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About a fifth of surveyed colleges have at least one mental health counselor embedded with a specific group, such as athletes or international students. Now, Virginia Tech is trying something new – counselors who live in the dorms with students, to build trust and provide around-the-clock support. Kate Hidalgo Bellows of the Chronicle of Higher Education investigates. (April 2023) …

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Political Prisoners Share How Jimmy Carter Saved Their Lives

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Jimmy Carter tried like no president ever had to put human rights at the center of American foreign policy. It was a turnabout dictators and dissidents alike found hard to believe as he took office in 1977. The U.S. had such a long history of supporting crackdowns on popular movements — was his insistence on restoring moral principles for real? After Carter, now 98, entered hospice care at his home in Georgia, The Associated Press reached out to several former political prisoners, asking what it was like to see his influence take hold in countries oppressed by military rule. Theymore

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AP Interview: Ukraine, Democracy ‘Must Win,’ Says Pelosi

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“We thought we could die.” The Russian invasion had just begun when Nancy Pelosi made a surprise visit to Ukraine, the House speaker then the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to lead a congressional delegation to Kyiv. Pelosi and the lawmakers were ushered under the cloak of secrecy into the capital city, an undisclosed passage that even to this day she will not divulge. “It was very, it was dangerous,” Pelosi told The Associated Press before Sunday’s one-year anniversary of that trip. “We never feared about it, but we thought we could die because we’re visiting a serious, serious war zone,”more

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Former US Security Adviser Calls for Closer Ties With Taiwan

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A former U.S. national security adviser called for deeper interaction between the United States and Taiwan during a visit Saturday to the self-ruled island, which has seen increasing military threats from China. John Bolton, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, said at a pro-Taiwan independence event in Taipei that national security teams from both sides must develop contingency plans on how to respond to actions Beijing might take, warning it would be too late once an attack occurs. “We have to tell China and Russia what the consequences are if they take actions against Taiwan,” said Bolton. “Not justmore

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Disney Sues DeSantis, Claiming Unlawful Retaliation 

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ very public feud with the Walt Disney Co. entered a new phase this week, when the entertainment conglomerate filed a lawsuit claiming that the governor and his administration violated the company’s First Amendment rights. Disney, which employs 75,000 people in a cluster of theme parks and hotels in central Florida, said that a series of new restrictions placed on the company were meant to retaliate against it for public criticism of one of DeSantis’ key legislative initiatives. The legislation, commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, restricts the ability of teachers in Florida schools tomore

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Why Do Democrats Believe Biden Will Win Again?

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Various polls show that American voters, including Democrats, do not want President Joe Biden to run again in 2024, citing his age as one of the primary reasons. Yet he is almost certain to be the Democratic nominee, and the party appears to have little doubt he will win again. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara explains the reason behind their confidence. …

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Parents of Kenyan Students Stuck in Sudan Want Faster Evacuations

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Distressed parents of Kenyan university students stuck in Sudan converge in a house in Kenya’s Wajir County while they wait for news of their stranded children in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. The imminent end of a 72-hour cease-fire between Sudan’s warring forces has left many Kenyan parents extremely apprehensive, including Osman Mohamed. “My son is among those still stranded in the university, and he confirmed to me that they are several of them who are waiting for communication from the embassy and they are yet to receive that information,” he said. The first group of Kenyan evacuees arrived home aboard amore

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Biden Notecard Raises Question of Collusion Between White House, Media

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The White House and a newspaper are denying there was collusion this week when a reporter asked U.S. President Joe Biden a question very similar to what was written on a card Biden held while facing journalists in the White House Rose Garden. “We do not have specific questions in advance. That’s not something that we do,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded when asked at Thursday’s briefing about the president’s pocket card, titled “Question # 1,” which contained the name and photograph of Los Angeles Times correspondent Courtney Subramanian, along with a question: “How are YOU squaring YOURmore

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Is the End of Race-based Affirmative Action Near?

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In June, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on two cases that claim that the affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina discriminate against Asian American applicants. While the court has upheld the legality of such preferences in admissions three times, the past is no guide to the future – and colleges must now plan for one that could be race-blind. Henry Gass and Ira Porter of the Christian Science Monitor dive into the history and law behind the case. (April 2022) …

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Yoon to Congress: South Korea Will Stand With US to Support Freedom

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In a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told American lawmakers the 70-year-old alliance between their countries was stronger than ever. Earlier this week, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen nuclear cooperation in the face of increasing regional tensions. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. …

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