Senator Lugar's Remarks at International Education Breakfast

Sen. Lugar announced his and Sen. Kerry's intention to introduce the resolution at a breakfast meeting of members of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange who participated in Congressional Education Day on Tuesday, January 30, 2001. More than 200 members of both organizations visited the offices of their congressional representatives later that day to urge congressional support for international education.

Thank you very much. I applaud your advocacy and I share your enthusiasm for international education.

More needs to be done in both the private and public sectors to expand opportunities for American students, scholars and citizens to study and travel abroad and for foreign students, scholars and citizens to visit and study in the United States.

Ask any American Ambassador in any U.S. Embassy what their most valuable programs are and many will respond by citing those programs which promote international cooperation and understanding. Educational and cultural exchanges typically rank high on their list because they are integral to our foreign policy and national security interests and build enormous good will abroad.

This is one of the reasons why Senator Kerry and I are introducing a concurrent resolution that reflects the same high priority we assign to international education. The resolution expresses the need for an international education policy that enhances our national security, advances our foreign policy and strengthens our global competitiveness. Many of you had a hand in developing the resolution.

Our resolution states:

1. that all college graduates should have knowledge of a second language and another geographic area of the world;
2. that we should enhance and streamline our educational infrastructure to strengthen international expertise -- this should include our employment practices, our tax laws, visa and immigration procedures, educational advising and other area for improving of international education programs;
3. that we should increase U.S. student participation in study abroad programs. For now, only about one percent of our college population study abroad. Last year, I was pleased to be the principal Senate sponsor of legislation to augment Pell Grants for American undergraduates students choosing to study abroad but who lack the financial means to do so -- the so-called "Gilman Scholarships";
4. that we should increase the diversity of countries, languages, and subjects in our study abroad and exchange programs; and
5. we should promote and expand the number, diversity and educational levels of citizen and international professional exchange programs.

We are introducing this resolution because we believe that improved international education and global literacy are important elements of a sound foreign policy. They help:

• build a foundation of trust and knowledge on which the conduct of international affairs must take place;
• narrow the distance with other cultures and societies with whom we increasingly interact and share burdens;
• our competitiveness in international commerce and trade in an increasingly global economy -- 95% of the world’s population live outside the United States and are potential customers and knowing the language, the culture, and the customs of other countries helps improve doing business abroad;
• develop skills to manage our political relations with other countries as we address diverse challenges to stability, national security and economic growth; and
• in sharing our values (e.g. democracy and freedom) and know-how with others and to acquire values and know-how from others.

We know that international cultural and educational programs played a key role in helping to end the cold war and build the post-Cold War era through inter-personal contacts, grass-roots exchanges and other forms of international engagement.

Success in promoting international education programs today and in the future will help promote democratic values and international cooperation. They can serve to reduce poverty and injustice and promote new leaders and new leadership skills in the U.S. and abroad that are essential to a better world.

That is why I was so enthused with the Ford Foundation announcement last year when it created a $330 million Ford International Fellowship program for developing leadership and leadership skills around the world. Many of the recipients of these graduate-level grants will study in the United States and many, no doubt, will someday become part of the leadership of their countries.

Forty six years ago, I traveled to study at Oxford University, England where I had the unique opportunity to meet and study with student leaders and scholars from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of the world. Those two years made a difference in my life and I have been indebted ever since to the experiences and the idealism I learned at the time.

So, I’m here to cheer you on, wish you good luck and to collaborate with you in an endeavor which is important to the quality of American education. But, your efforts are also important to the quality of our foreign policy, national security and the ability to compete effectively in an globalized economy.

Thank you and good luck.