Federal Advisory Committee Issues Final Report; Includes Recommendations on Attracting International Students, Increasing Study Abroad

On January 16, the Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee submitted its final report to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State. The report specifically cites international education as a key component of public diplomacy and urges the U.S. government to undertake specific actions to leverage international education in an effort to build ties of understanding and collaboration between the United States and other countries.

The report outlines 12 priority recommendations (44 recommendations in total), focusing on the areas of public diplomacy and international outreach, visa policy and processing, ports of entry, and metrics. Regarding the importance of international education to public diplomacy, the report specifically recommends:

• The United States should articulate a comprehensive national policy for attracting international students and place a White House official in charge of coordinating implementation of the policy.
• Congress should enact legislation to facilitate the goals of dramatically increasing the number and diversity of U.S. undergraduates who study abroad to 1 million per year and increasing the diversity of locations they choose.

The committee was appointed back in December 2006 and its members consist of experts from business and academia, including NAFSA member Rose Mary Valencia (University of Texas Health Science Center). In July 2007, NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson made a presentation to the Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee (SBODAC) as a subject-matter expert of SBODAC's public diplomacy and international outreach working group. The Departments of Homeland Security and State will now undertake to review the recommendations and determine future implementation.