In This Issue Current Issue Archives

September 2004

Full September 2004 issue of International Education Report in PDF format
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How to Assess Study Abroad Programs:
Like other aspects of higher education, study abroad programs are coming under the scrutiny of funding agencies, legislators, faculty, students, and parents. While still in its early stages, study abroad learning outcomes assessment is growing in sophistication and will demand more attention of program directors. International Education Report spoke with Richard C. Sutton, senior advisor for academic affairs and director of international programs for the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, about the progress being made in study abroad learning outcomes assessment, what directors need to do to generate useful data, and the USG’s assessment project called GLOSSARI (Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative).

Explaining the New SEVIS Fee
By By Sylvia H. Kless
Colleges and universities across the country are facing a new hurdle in bringing international students and scholars to their campuses this fall. In addition to tightened visa rules which have been blamed for a 32 percent decline in graduate applications to U.S. schools, institutions must now grapple with the ramifications of the new $100 SEVIS fee which went into effect on September 1. The fee must be paid before each newly admitted student/scholar can apply for an F-1, J-1 or M-1 visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Any individual issued an initial visa document on or after 9/1/2004 (with a few minor exceptions for certain individuals in J programs) must pay the SEVIS fee in addition to the $100 visa fee. Neither fee is refundable if the visa is denied. There are a number of emerging issues involving the SEVIS fee that schools should consider.

In the News
University REACHES Study Abroad Rape Settlement; Visa Policy Changes Hurt Tourism, Too

Innocents Abroad? Student Health Behaviors Overseas
Parents of students abroad might worry most about terrorism or “exotic” diseases, but the real health risks their children face are much the same as those faced by students back home --the potential consequences of alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, and unprotected sex. (One travel doctor noted in a July 31, 2003 Wall Street Journal report, said, “My students aren’t getting malaria. They’re getting pregnant.”)

It’s Broke; How Do We Fix It? Reflections on the visa system
With the post-9/11 visa process locked in place, U.S. higher education is losing some of its traditional international pre-eminence. International Education Report got three experts talk about what is wrong with the visa process and what, if anything, can be done about it.

In Congress
Bills have been introduced in the Senate and House seeking to improve international students’ and scholars’ access to study and work at U.S. colleges and universities.

Resources
Intercultural Press; The New Country Index: Making Sense of International Credentials

Keep Your Study Abroad Program Accessible – and Legal
The issue of study abroad program accessibility and the legal implications that arise from it appeared on some colleges’ and universities’ radars only after a federal appeals court handed down a 2002 ruling.