Nigerian-Born Political Newcomer Becomes Colorado City Mayor

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After a history-making victory, Nigerian immigrant Yemi Mobolade was sworn in on June 6 as mayor of Colorado Springs, the second-largest city in the western U.S. state of Colorado. Colorado Governor Jered Polis said he is inspired by Mobolade’s story. “Somebody who has dedicated his life to making Colorado Springs and America a better place, whose story we can all identify with, who came here, who started businesses,” Polis said at the inauguration ceremony. Mobolade moved to the U.S. 27 years ago as a student and became a U.S. citizen in 2017. He started a family, opened two restaurants andmore

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Are Declining Enrollments in the US a Hidden Opportunity for Students Abroad?

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Allen Goodman, CEO of the Institute for Higher Education, writes that empty seats at U.S. colleges could drive a boom in international education. The U.S. has lost market share among host countries, but unlike its competitors, its university system is so large and underutilized that it could easily recruit more students. Because international students become “friends for life” with the U.S., and bring valuable expertise (and tuition dollars), Goodman argues the U.S. should recruit 2 million students by the end of the decade. Weigh his argument for yourself in Times Higher Education. (May 2023) …

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What Could a Bitter Lawsuit Tell Us About International Education in the US?

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In 2010, the University of South Florida signed a 30-year contract with INTO, a company that provides support services for international students. INTO built a “pathway program” at the university that taught students English and basic academic skills before they began their higher-education degrees. But after years of enrollment declines, the university ended the contract, and now both parties are fighting an “acrimonious” court case. The news comes as many of INTO’s programs at other schools are being shuttered. While management and financial issues may play a role, so does the post-pandemic educational landscape: pathway programs can now be easilymore

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Biden Delivers Oval Office Remarks on US Avoiding Default

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President Joe Biden delivered remarks Friday evening on the Fiscal Responsibility Act, bipartisan legislation achieved following weeks of tough negotiations that suspends the government’s debt limit and avoids a potentially disastrous default. For the first time Biden spoke from the Oval Office, signifying the occasion’s importance. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …

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It’s Graduation Season – Who Might Speak at Yours?

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U.S. graduation ceremonies usually feature a public figure who offers advice to young people starting their careers. This spring, graduates have heard from President Joe Biden, actor Tom Hanks, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa and even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who became the youngest prime minister in the world at age 34, told her audience that change cannot wait, even at their age. “To change things,” she said, “you have to take over.” Read the story from Dan Friedell of VOA Learning English. (May 2023) …

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US Senate Approves Debt Ceiling Deal 

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The U.S. Senate voted Thursday night 63-36 in support of a measure that will allow the United States to continue to pay its bills. The U.S. had been on track to run out of cash in four days. The bipartisan legislation now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. “Tonight, senators from both parties voted to protect the hard-earned economic progress we have made and prevent a first –ever default by the United States,” Biden said in a statement. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted Wednesday night, with wide support from Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike, to allow themore

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What Did Justin, a Golden Retriever Mix, Do to Earn a Diploma?

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Justin is a service dog and accompanied his owner (who graduated with honors) to every single class for four years. The student’s university honored the dog’s hard work with his very own diploma, which he accepted, tail wagging, in front a cheering stadium of other graduates. See Justin’s walk across the stage in this story from Bill Chappell of NPR. (May 2023) …

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What Are US Diplomats Doing to Further International Education?

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken touted his department’s achievements in a recent address to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The State Department has relaxed student visa and study abroad requirements. In fact, it issued over a half-million student visas last year – the highest number in five years. Blinken, who spent part of his childhood in France, thanked educators for “helping us to see the world through another’s eyes.” Watch his remarks in this press release from the State Department. (May 2023) …

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Soon-to-Be Graduates Put COVID Behind Them

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, learning lagged for students around the world, including the U.S., where many had access to online learning. Now these soon-to-be graduates say they are behind in certain subjects because of time missed at school. VOA’s Laurel Bowman sat down with high school seniors on the cusp of graduation. Camera: Adam Greenbaum, Saqib Ul Islam. …

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Former New Jersey Governor Christie Expected to Join Republican Presidential Race

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Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign next week in New Hampshire. Christie, who also ran in 2016, is planning to make the announcement at a town hall Tuesday evening at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, according to a person familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm Christie’s plans. The timing, which was first reported by Axios, comes after several longtime Christie advisers started a super political action committee to support his expected candidacy. The Associated Press had previously reported that Christie was expected tomore

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Here’s What’s In, What’s Out of the Debt Limit Bill to Avert US Default

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President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been working the phones in an intense push to sell Congress on the 99-page bill that would suspend the nation’s debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending. The Democratic president and Republican speaker have to win their respective parties’ support for the plan in time to avert a default that would shake the global economy. On Tuesday, lawmakers will begin scrutinizing and debating the legislation, which also includes provisions to fund medical care for veterans, change work requirements for some recipients of government aid, andmore

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Former US Congresswoman Liz Cheney Urges Graduates Not to Compromise With the Truth

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Former U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney implored new college graduates to not compromise when it comes to the truth, excoriating her House Republican colleagues for not doing enough to combat former President Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen. In a commencement speech at Colorado College, the Wyoming Republican repeated her fierce criticisms of Trump but steered clear of talking about his 2024 reelection campaign or her own political future. Cheney, who graduated from Colorado College in 1988, recalled being a political science student walking into a campus building where a Bible verse was inscribed above the entrance thatmore

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Debt-Ceiling Deal: What’s In and What’s Out of the Agreement to Avert US Default

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U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have reached an agreement in principle on legislation to increase the nation’s borrowing authority and avoid a default. Negotiators are now racing to finalize the bill’s text. McCarthy said the House will vote on the legislation on Wednesday, giving the Senate time to consider it ahead of the June 5 deadline to avoid a possible default. While many details are unknown, both sides will be able to point to some victories. But some conservatives expressed early concerns that the deal doesn’t cut future deficits enough, while Democrats have been worried aboutmore

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How Are Girls in Afghanistan Continuing Their Education?

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After the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, they severely limited access to education for girls. Yet a club founded in the U.S., Flowers for the Future, helps Afghan girls keep learning through Zoom meetings with U.S. students. Two students, one Afghan, one American, describe their journey with the program and what it’s taught them about grit, resilience and the importance of learning. Read the essays by Mahsa Kosha and Emily Khossaravi in the Hechinger Report. (May 2023) …

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Could Your International Degree be Financed by Goldman Sachs?

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Quite possibly, since the elite U.S. investment bank has been investing millions in educational startups. Students from countries like India, Nigeria and Indonesia have long struggled to finance their U.S. degrees due to limited access to loans, but these new startups could disrupt that. For example, in just the first quarter of 2022, one startup, Prodigy Finance, reported a 98% increase in the number of Indian loan applicants. Nick Cuthbert of the PIE News breaks down the financial projections. (May 2023) …

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Is It Possible for Vietnamese Universities to Find Ways to Attract American Students to Study Abroad?

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Vietnamese students now make up the fifth-largest group of foreign students in the U.S., according to the 2022 Institute of International Education’s (IIE) annual Open Doors report. The report found 20,713 Vietnamese students studied in the U.S. in the 2021-2022 academic year. But now some Vietnamese universities have recently begun trying to attract U.S. students to study in Vietnam, a goal that is challenging, some education experts told VOA’s Khanh An. (May 2023) …

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Is Your Dream School in Good Financial Shape?

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The global consultancy Bain and Company has released an interactive tool to measure the financial health of U.S. colleges. You can use it to see what might happen if enrollments decline, or if the U.S. enters a recession. Bain’s analysis suggests many schools are not prepared for future economic shocks. (May 2023) …

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Higher Education Is Worth the Cost; How Can Colleges Convince Students?

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Data show that completing an undergraduate degree improves your career potential, well-being and even your health. But the key word there is “completing,” and many students in the U.S. don’t – in 2019, four-year colleges graduated only an average of 51% of their students on time. How can the least successful schools adapt? Elizabeth Bradley, the president of Vassar College, proposes several solutions and argues that the “American dream” of social mobility is at stake. Weigh her ideas for yourself in The Hill. (May 2023) …

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No Signs of Progress From White House or Republicans in ‘Tough’ Debt Ceiling Talks

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Representatives of U.S. President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans ended another round of debt ceiling talks on Tuesday with no signs of progress as the deadline to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion borrowing limit or risk default ticked closer. The two parties remain deeply divided about how to rein in the federal deficit, with Democrats arguing wealthy Americans and businesses should pay more taxes while Republicans want spending cuts. White House negotiators Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and senior White House adviser Steve Ricchetti met with their Republican counterparts for about two hours. They leftmore

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How Much Is Tuition, Really?

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In the U.S., there’s often a big gap between the “sticker price” advertised on a college website, and what students pay after grants, scholarships and aid are awarded. The Hechinger Report’s Tuition Tracker tool uses historical data to estimate how much students similar to you have been charged in the past. (May 2023) …

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Could AI Decide If You Get Into College?

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Universities in the U.S. are beginning to experiment with using AI in admissions decisions. AI programs can already review transcripts, and one school is even training an AI program to accept or reject the same applicants as its admissions committee. While AI could lessen the workload for admissions departments, critics worry its reasoning could be biased or difficult for humans to understand. Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed sums up the debate. (May 2023) …

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