By MEGAN ROONEY
The Chronicle of Higher Education
January 31, 2003, Friday

Colleges in the United States, along with the federal government, must work harder to recruit international students because of the greater competition from many other countries for top applicants and the political effects of September 11, says a report released this month by Nafsa: Association of International Educators.

The report, "In America's Interest: Welcoming International Students," was written by a panel that was created before September 11, 2001, to confront what was seen as a lackadaisical approach to foreign-student recruitment by American colleges and government agencies. "There has been a sense that international students will just keep coming to the United States because they always have," said Victor C. Johnson, associate executive director for public policy at Nafsa. "That is no longer true."

After the terrorist attacks, the tightening of national security, particularly with regard to foreign students, strengthened the panel's mandate. "We share the view that whatever we have to do to tighten our scrutiny of people who want to come here should be done," Mr. Johnson said. "But we're alarmed that, as a country, we have forgotten all the reasons that we have always wanted international students to come here."

The report argues that the presence of international students at American universities is "perhaps our most undervalued foreign-policy asset," generating goodwill toward the United States and creating ties between future American and foreign leaders that could prove useful in building diplomatic relationships.

The economic contributions of foreign students are notable -- Nafsa estimates that these students and their dependents contributed nearly $12-billion to the U.S. economy in the past academic year. What's more, the association contends, the educational benefits of including international perspectives and traditions in American classrooms are vital.

The report calls for pursuing four broad goals. It recommends the coordination of an international recruitment strategy by educational institutions and the federal government, especially the Departments of State, Commerce, and Education. Although the number of international students studying in the United States continues to climb, the country's share of the foreign-student market is decreasing, as growing proportions of foreign students choose to study in other countries, particularly Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.

"Once you lose a market, it's hard to get back," Mr. Johnson said. "We need a strategy to preserve our high numbers, particularly now, when we are acting in ways that are bound to turn people off to studying in the U.S."

That comment touches on the second recommendation in Nafsa's report -- the easing of government regulations that are not necessary for the national security. Acquiring student visas has grown increasingly difficult for many students, particularly Muslim men and applicants who intend to pursue science and technology degrees.

Mr. Johnson pointed out that top U.S. government officials have touted the importance of student-exchange programs with the Muslim world to improve relationships between the two cultures. Yet low-level immigration workers are routinely denying visas to students. "The political environment right now is one in which every visa decision is a potentially career-devastating decision," he said. "People need to make balanced visa decisions instead of thinking the only safe answer is 'no.'"

The report also calls for more financial aid for international students who cannot afford to attend American institutions, and for greater logistical assistance for students who are unfamiliar with the American educational system.