Regular Session 2001

March, 2002

Executive Summary

• In 2000-01, 547,867 international students studied in the United States.

• The economic impact of international students and their families to the United States' economy in 2000-01 is estimated at over $11 billion.

• America is the leading destination for international students studying abroad.
  
  
• The U.S. sent 143,590 students abroad in 2000-01. Most U.S. students studied in Western Europe.

• The economic gain of international students for the state of Louisiana is estimated at over $112 million in 2000-01.

• Louisiana ranks number 28 among the United States and its territories, and 8 among Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states in both the number of international students and the amount of their economic contribution.

• The number of international students enrolled in Louisiana public colleges and universities has risen from 4,312 in fall 1994 to 4,947 in fall 2001.

• Louisiana State University and A&M College attracted the largest number ofinternational students in fall 2001 (1,698 students) followed by the University of NewOrleans with 804 students. The University of Louisiana in Lafayette followed in thirdposition with 725 international students enrolled in fall 2001.

• The countries of India (910 students), China (568 students), and Sri Lanka (146 students) were the biggest contributors of international students in the state of Louisiana in fall 2001-02.

• In 2000-01, a total of 397 courses were offered abroad by nine Louisiana public institutions serving 2,793 students (duplicated headcount) in 12 different countries.

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  Executive Summary, cont.

• The Board of Regents supports the following policy approach:al expertise
  addressed by individual campuses, area business and industries, the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Labor officials,

• policy to promote the international exchange of scholars by updating an earlierestablished database of faculty who possess a variety of expertise important to economicdevelopment; updating the database and the promotion of its content could be assistedby the Department of Economic Development and Department of Labor officials, andassisted by members of the Board of Regents' 8(g) staff,

• policy to enhance a globally literate society in Louisiana and cross cultural awareness promoted through the Lieutenant Governor's Office with the aid of a Board of Regents' Task Force comprised of members of the postsecondary education community which would help identify important points of cultural awareness, and strategies to communicate these points to the public,

• policy to better understand and meet the global challenges facing the state and the nation supported in theory by the Board of Regents, best determined by federal officials in keeping with Senate and House Resolutions recently introduced in the U.S. Congress.

• The Board of Regents recognizes the social importance of cultural awareness, the need to further study abroad programs that serve Louisiana students, and the economic significance of international students who come to Louisiana for the educational opportunities provided in the state.

• It is also expected that public colleges and universities work closely with immigration officials in accordance with federal and state laws to determine that international students fulfill all expected requirements of their visas to enter and remain in the United States as students.

  
  Purpose

• To urge and request the Board of Regents to study the importance of international education aseconomic development and the feasibility of establishing a state international education policy tofurther economic competitiveness and to promote the international exchange of scholars throughmutual understanding and cooperation among other countries" (Appendix A).

  
  Background

• For many years, the Board of Regents has recognized the importance of international education.In fact, the Board established an International Education Task Force in the early 1990's as part ofthe development of its 1994 Master Plan. At the time, the task force was charged with thefollowing:

• to identify and examine issues associated with preparing the state and its students toparticipate in a global economy, to suggest solutions to problems with current practices,and to recommend initiatives which the higher education community and the state mighttake to ensure that Louisiana and its higher education system are prepared for the 21stcentury.

• The Board of Regents remains committed to the recommendations made on its behalf by theInternational Education Task Force which can be found in Appendix B.

• To better understand the scope of international education, its worth noting that in 2000-01 alone,547,867 international students studied in the United States, representing 3.8 percent of totalenrollment in the U.S. This figure and others that follow come from the Association ofInternational Educators. The economic impact of international students and their families to theUnited States' economy in 2000-01 is estimated at over $11 billion. As well, 75 percent of allinternational students in the U.S. were "self sponsored or fully funded by overseas sources".

• America is the leading destination for international students studying abroad. California, NewYork and Texas lead the nation in the number of international students attending college in theU.S. The home countries of the largest number of international students in the U.S. were China,India, and Japan. The U.S. sent 143,590 students abroad in 2000-01, representing a 10.6 percentincrease over 1999-2000. Most U.S. students studied in Western Europe.

• The economic gain of international students for the state of Louisiana is estimated at over $112million. Louisiana ranks number 28 among the United States and its territories, and 8th amongSouthern Regional Education Board (SREB) states in both the number of international studentsand the amount of their economic contribution (Table 1). The economic impact methodologyprovided by the Association of International Educators is contained in Appendix C.

  
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• The number of international students enrolled in Louisiana public colleges and universities hasrisen from 4,312 in fall 1994 to 4,947 in fall 2001. Louisiana State University and A&M Collegeattracted the largest number of international students in fall 2001 (1,698 students) followed bythe University of New Orleans with 804 students. The University of Louisiana in Lafayettefollowed in third position with 725 international students enrolled in fall 2001 (Table 2).

• Between fall 1994 and fall 2001, the enrollment of international students at public colleges anduniversities in Louisiana increased by 14.7 percent. By comparison, domestic student enrollmentincreased by 4.6 percent. International student enrollment has grown at over three times the rateof domestic student enrollment.

• Table 3 illustrates the economic contribution made by international students at respective publicand private colleges and universities in Louisiana. Tulane University is ranked first, LSU A&Mranked second, and University of New Orleans ranked third.

• Appendix D lists the country of origin of international students enrolled in college courses inLouisiana in fall 2001. It is worth noting that men represented 63.2 percent of the internationalstudent body in fall 2001, and that 53.6 percent of the international students were enrolled at the
  graduate level. This compares with 40.0 percent and 13.3 percent respectively for fall 2001enrollment overall. The countries of India (910 students), China (568 students), and Sri Lanka(146 students) were the biggest contributors of international students to the state of Louisiana infall 2001-02.

• Table 4 illustrates the number of international student completers by select majors. The tableshows that business and engineering are predominant.

• Table 5 illustrates the extent of international off-campus course offerings provided by publiccolleges and universities in Louisiana in 2000-01. The table lists the public colleges anduniversities which offer courses abroad, the countries in which the courses are offered, thenumber of courses, and the number of students enrolled in 2000-01. The data come from theBoard of Regents' Off-Campus Report which is produced annually. A total of 397 courses wereoffered abroad serving 2,793 students (duplicated count). Nine public institutions offeredcourses in 12 different countries.

• Public Opinion on International Education

• According to a 2001 study entitled, A Report on Two National Surveys About InternationalEducation conducted by the American Council on Education (ACE), there is considerablesupport for international education on the part of the American public. In fact, 86 percent ofthose surveyed believed that the presence of international students on campus, enriched theeducational experience of American students. Over 90 percent of the American public surveyedbelieved that it was "very or somewhat important to understand other cultures and customs tocompete successfully in a global economy."
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• Unsurprisingly, it appears that educational levels, income, and knowledge of a foreign languagecorrespond closely with an individual's interest in international education.

• Also unsurprisingly, is the fact that Spanish and French are the most popular foreign languagesamong the American public studying abroad. As well, most American students prefer to study inWestern Europe.

• College-bound students considering study abroad programs listed the following as the mostcommon reasons for pursuit of international education:

  -- exposure to the culture (90 percent),

  -- language proficiency (78 percent),

  -- learning from international faculty (73 percent), and

  -- learning about international issues (66 percent).

  
  

• Paradoxically, while 75 percent of the public believe that college students should study abroad,with 48 percent of college bound students expressing an interest in such, only 3 percent ofstudents actually participate in study abroad programs at some time in their undergraduatecareers. Ultimately and primarily, many students simply do not wish to leave the United States.Others are concerned about the expense of traveling abroad, delay of graduation and careerexpectations, and limited foreign language abilities.

• While there is significant support for international education, most Americans have a bleakunderstanding of the rest of the world. In a 2000 study conducted by ACE, 71 percent of thosesurveyed were able to name Canada and Mexico as countries bordering the United States. To ourbetterment, this figure was up from 50 percent from a previous study of freshmen conducted at aMidwestern University in the 1980s.

• Administrators of postsecondary education policy, must either become immersed inglobalization as it relates to education and other issues, or become isolationists. As isolationists,postsecondary education will fail in its endeavors given the current extent of our national andstate economy.

• Louisiana is well placed given its historical and geographic uniqueness to capitalize on theburgeoning global economy, and the exchange of students internationally. To that extent, severalpolicy considerations are offered below.

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  Policy Recommendations

• In keeping with the goals of the Association of International Educators, the Board of Regentssupports the belief that international exchange fosters learning and scholarship, and an enhanced
  understanding and respect for persons of different cultures. The Board of Regents alsoacknowledges that heightened cultural awareness is critical to our national interests, and thatthose who study abroad become "a foreign policy asset".

• The Board of Regents recommends that colleges and universities survey international students todetermine factors about their educational experience in Louisiana that are both favorable andunfavorable. Information gleaned from the survey could help in developing additionaleducational opportunities for students who come to Louisiana. While the Board cautions that
  unnecessary regulatory barriers to international study should be eased, it is also incumbent uponinstitutions that the validity of a students' access to education in Louisiana be maintained.International students must meet appropriate academic qualifications and respect the process bywhich they enter and remain in the United States and the state of Louisiana.

• Since the Lieutenant Governor's Office oversees the Department of Culture, Recreation, andTourism which is largely responsible for promoting and marketing the "unique attractions of ourstate", it is recommended that information about educational opportunities offered in Louisiana,
  and educational opportunities offered abroad that might appeal to Louisiana citizens, bedocumented and promoted through the Lieutenant Governor's Office.

• In keeping with the recommendations of the Association of International Educators, the Board ofRegents supports the promotion of "ethnic, socio-economic, and gender diversity" in studyabroad programs. The Board also supports the closer linkage of international education toforeign language studies at public and private colleges and universities in Louisiana.

• Issues raised by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 129 which are consistent with earlierconsiderations identified by the Board of Regents' International Education Task Force are asfollows:

• A. Establish policy to further economic competitiveness for international intellectual expertise.

• Best addressed by individual campuses, area business and industries, Department ofEconomic Development and Department of Labor officials.

• B. Establish policy to promote the international exchange of scholars.

• Best addressed by the Board of Regents through the updating of the database of facultywho possess a variety of expertise important to economic development. The updating

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  of the database and the promotion of its content could be assisted by Department ofEconomic Development and Department of Labor officials.

  C. Establish policy to enhance a globally literate society in Louisiana and cross cultural awareness.

• Best be promoted through the Lieutenant Governor's Office with the aid of a Board ofRegents' Task Force comprised of members of the postsecondary education community
  which would help identify important points of cultural awareness, and strategies tocommunicate these points to the public.

  
  

• D. Establish policy to better understand and meet the global challenges facing the state and the nation.

• while supported in theory by the Board of Regents, this policy might best be conceptuallydetermined by federal officials in keeping with Senate and House Resolutions recentlyintroduced in the U.S. Congress (Appendix E).

• It is further recommended that in light of the September 11, 2001 tragedy, that campuses workclosely with immigration officials to determine whether international students actually enroll, andassist in tracking the whereabouts of international students while they are attending college (SeeAppendix F).

  
  Conclusion

• The Board of Regents recognizes the social importance of cultural awareness, the need to furtherstudy abroad programs that serve Louisiana students, and the economic significance ofinternational students who come to Louisiana for the educational opportunities provided in thestate. To these ends, the Board of Regents will explore policy options as outlined above.

• It is also expected that public colleges and universities work closely with immigration officials inaccordance with federal and state laws to determine that international students fulfill all expectedrequirements of their visas to enter and remain in the United States as students. It is furtherexpected that Board of Regents' staff continue to monitor change in the number of internationalstudents coming to Louisiana, Louisiana citizens who study abroad, the economic impact ofinternational exchange programs, and changing federal policy as it effects international students.

• The Board of Regents will participate in discussions with appropriate state agencies anddepartments to establish optimal policies and procedures that will enhance the attractiveness ofLouisiana educational opportunities to international students. Board staff will also update thedatabase of faculty who possess a variety of intellectual expertise important to economicdevelopment