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James Manning
Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education
U.S. Department of Education
June 29, 2007
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight

Thank you, Chairman Delahunt, and Chairman Hinojosa, for the opportunity to testify today on the topic of international students and visiting scholars at American colleges and universities.

In the post- 9/11 world with an increasingly competitive global economy, it is as important as ever that we seek ways to build relationships with those in other cultures to foster mutual understanding and to share our values of freedom and democracy. Our nation's schools and universities should teach all of us to see beyond our borders and boundaries, to overcome stereotypes, and appreciate cultures other than our own. Our nation's schools and universities can also help with the broader mission of sharing our values with the global community, advancing freedom, opportunity and understanding.

Last fall, a group of Chinese students studying in America told Secretary Spellings that some of the things they enjoy most about studying in our country are our diversity and creativity; our focus on critical thinking; and our unparalleled access to world-class research. They also told her that they found our country to be very open and welcoming to them. These students will return to China not only with a world-class education, but also with a greater understanding of American values that they can share with their neighbors.

America's 4,000 higher education institutions remain prime destinations for international students seeking a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Let me provide some data from the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report. In the 2005-06 school year, 564,766 international students were studying in the United States, nearly the same amount as the year before and forty-six percent more than in the 1989-90 school year. Forty-two percent of these students came from India, China, Korea and Japan, and the leading fields of study were business and engineering. Total net contributions of these students and their families to the U.S. economy totaled nearly $13.5 billion last year. And even while we are facing stiffer competition from other countries, new international student enrollment increased eight percent between the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years.

Our higher education institutions also are a prime destination for international scholars. The number of international scholars teaching or conducting research in the United States in 2005-06 was nearly 97,000, an increase of more than eight percent from the previous school year and sixty-two percent over 1993-94. And, as with international students, the leading countries of origin were China, Korea, India and Japan, with China providing more than twice as many scholars as any other country. More than two-thirds of these scholars are specialists in science and engineering.

President Bush and Secretary Spellings recognize the important contributions that international students and scholars bring to our campuses, whether it's through conducting scientific research or helping other students understand more about their home country while learning more about ours. To this end, in 2006, Secretary Spellings and Secretary Rice co-hosted the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education, where they highlighted the importance of attracting more international students and scholars as well as encouraging more American students to study abroad.

Following the summit, in a joint trip with the State Department, Secretary Spellings led the first ever high-profile delegation of U.S. college and university presidents to Japan, Korea and China during International Education Week to promote America's higher education system.

I now want to briefly discuss U.S. Department of Education programs related to the topic of international students and scholars. First let me note here that the Department of Education is a domestic agency and our programs are focused primarily on providing funds to American students and universities to study both at home and abroad. For example, our Fulbright-Hays programs provide grants to graduate students, elementary and secondary school teachers, and higher education faculty to conduct research and study abroad. But, the Department does fund small student exchanges with specific countries through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Other programs at the Department related to international education are under Title VI of the Higher Education Act. Title VI funds the study of foreign languages and world areas at universities across the United States. To aid American students' learning of foreign languages, select Title VI grantees are using a portion of their funds to help bring in instructors in critical and less commonly taught languages from foreign countries. For example, using Title VI funds, the University of California, Berkeley's Southeast Asian Studies Center has hired a Cambodian doctoral student to teach Khmer and the University of Florida's Center for African Studies has hired African graduate students as Teaching Assistants in order to expand their African language offerings.

I also believe it is pertinent to note that the Department is a key partner in the President's National Security Language Initiative-a collaborative effort between the Departments of Education, State and Defense and with the Director of National Intelligence. This initiative is focused on dramatically increasing the number of Americans learning critical need foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Farsi, and others.

As part of this initiative, the President's FY 2008 budget request includes $24 million for the proposed Advancing America Through Foreign Language Partnerships program, which would make grants to institutions of higher education to partner with school districts for K-16 critical language instruction. As Secretary Spellings has said, learning foreign languages "is not just an education issue; it's an economic issue, a civic issue, a social issue, a national security issue, and it's everybody's issue."

American institutions of higher education provide a wide range of options, from community colleges to the world's leading research institutions. And to ensure that these institutions serve our students, promote diplomacy, and bolster our economic competitiveness, America must remain the primary destination for international students. We must work together to make sure our nation's institutions of higher education continue to be open to students from around the globe. Thank you.