NAFSA Testifies at House Hearing on International Students

Testimony of Lawrence H. Bell, Director, Vice President for Public Policy, NAFSA, Before the Subcommittees on Select Education and 21st Century Competitiveness, Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Bell's testimony emphasized the importance of international educational exchange—

• Important because of the contributions that international students and scholars make to education, teaching, and research;
• Important because of the contributions that international students make to the U.S. economy—some 13 billion dollars in the last academic year, our fifth-largest service-sector export--spending that trickles down to innumerable college and university communities across the country;
• But important most of all because of the contributions that international students and scholars make to U.S. national security and international leadership.