2008 Woodie Awards
Study abroad changes suggested
Megan Munroe
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: News
Originally published: 2/21/08 at 4:05 PM EST
Last update: 2/21/08 at 6:59 PM EST
Maintaining national security while still being welcoming to the thousands of visitors who travel to the U.S. each year has proven to be a challenge for our national government in the wake of Sept. 11.
In late 2006, a committee was appointed by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security and charged with overcoming that very problem - how to ensure public safety while keeping the U.S. relatively "open."
Last month, the committee released a report entitled "Secure Borders and Open Doors: Preserving Our Welcome to the World in an Age of Terrorism."
The report makes many recommendations, and includes suggestions to increase international students' interest in studying in the U.S., and to make getting Visas faster and easier so that it is less of a hassle for international students to travel here.
The report also focuses on improving the outside world's image of the U.S., citing statistics that show opinions of the U.S. abroad to be growing more and more negative in recent years.
Co-chairs of the committee, John Chen; chairman, CEO and president of Sybase Inc., and Jared Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University, wrote in the opening report that its title was meant to reflect "the goal of our federal government charged with interviewing, assessing, processing, analyzing, and welcoming hundreds of millions of international visitors while finding the small numbers of people - the needles in the haystack - intent on using our openness against us."
The report consists of several categories - Public Diplomacy and International Outreach, Visa Policy and Processing, Ports of Entry and Metrics and Critical Success Factors.
Under Public Diplomacy and International Outreach, the report suggests that "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 this policy." It also charges the federal government and the private sector to work together in building a positive image of the U.S. in other parts of the world.
In late 2006, a committee was appointed by the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security and charged with overcoming that very problem - how to ensure public safety while keeping the U.S. relatively "open."
Last month, the committee released a report entitled "Secure Borders and Open Doors: Preserving Our Welcome to the World in an Age of Terrorism."
The report makes many recommendations, and includes suggestions to increase international students' interest in studying in the U.S., and to make getting Visas faster and easier so that it is less of a hassle for international students to travel here.
The report also focuses on improving the outside world's image of the U.S., citing statistics that show opinions of the U.S. abroad to be growing more and more negative in recent years.
Co-chairs of the committee, John Chen; chairman, CEO and president of Sybase Inc., and Jared Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University, wrote in the opening report that its title was meant to reflect "the goal of our federal government charged with interviewing, assessing, processing, analyzing, and welcoming hundreds of millions of international visitors while finding the small numbers of people - the needles in the haystack - intent on using our openness against us."
The report consists of several categories - Public Diplomacy and International Outreach, Visa Policy and Processing, Ports of Entry and Metrics and Critical Success Factors.
Under Public Diplomacy and International Outreach, the report suggests that "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 this policy." It also charges the federal government and the private sector to work together in building a positive image of the U.S. in other parts of the world.
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