June 2009
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale posted on the State Department’s DipNote blog on Monday, calling for “renewing America’s engagement with the people of the world”:
A House bill to increase aid and enhance partnerships with Pakistan—originally marked up on May 20 and recently tweaked again—includes language calling for an expansion of international exchange activities with that country. The Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act of 2009 (HR 1886) would authorize democratic, economic, and social development assistance for Pakistan, including implementation of “a more effective public diplomacy strategy in Pakistan.”
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued last week a report on “U.S. Public Diplomacy: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight.” The report highlights five “urgent issues” for the new administration and Congress:
At last week’s NAFSA conference in Los Angeles, John Hudzik, the current president of NAFSA, asserted that international education and study abroad are actually in a “growth market,” despite fears to the contrary provoked by the depressed economy. Hudzik, speaking in a conference session last Thursday, was quoted by InsideHigherEd.com as saying:
Progress through partnership and the recognition of a common humanity were two pervading themes of President Obama’s speech delivered in Cairo early this morning: “Whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.”
The State Department is taking steps to speed up the visa application process for foreign students and scholars, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Chronicle of Higher Education all reported. From the Chronicle:
As a reminder, the below notice on Exchange Visitor Program annual reports appeared in the Federal Register on May 26. Please note that comments are due to the State Department by July 15. To assist in preparing a formal comment from the Alliance, we encourage sponsors to forward their thoughts to us for inclusion by June 30.
Pollster John Zogby says that college students and young professionals are “more globally aware and less concerned about material wealth than were their predecessors,” reports the Chronicle of Higher Education:
The House Appropriations Committee moved forward in the FY 2010 funding process today, reported the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign in its International Affairs Budget Update:
The International Science and Technology Cooperation Act of 2009 (HR 1736), first introduced in March by Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), passed in the House by a roll call vote yesterday. The bill calls for “the establishment of a committee to identify and coordinate international science and technology cooperation that can strengthen the domestic science and technology enterprise and support United States foreign policy goals.” Once established, the committee would be co-chaired by senior leaders from the Department of State and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (in the Executive Office of the President).
