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International Education:
Policy, Merits, Purposes
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by Carolyn Maude White*

Reprinted here from EduServe Excellence, Vol. 1, No. 3, July, 2000
Article copyright 2000 by Carolyn Maude White. All Rights Reserved.
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What is "international education"? Why is it important? How does it benefit people and society, families, communities, the environment, education, public and private cooperation, economy, technologies, sciences, labor and employment, law and justice, health and medicine, agriculture, journalism, arts and culture, international relations, religion and spirituality? In the following article, the author draws upon extensive experience to respond to these and related questions.
National Alert

A recent U.S. White House policy statement on international education issued a serious alert. "To continue to compete successfully in the global economy and to maintain our role as a world leader," the United States needs to support an international education strategy that prepares its citizens for a global environment and that builds relationships with future leaders from abroad.

Throughout most of the twentieth century, it has been the continuing policy of the U.S. government to promote international educational exchange on behalf of increased understanding and cooperation among and between peoples and nations.

A U.S. Advisory Commission on International Educational and Cultural Affairs stated, “There is no other international activity of our government that enjoys so much spontaneous public approval, elicits such extensive citizen participation, and yields such impressive evidence of success” as international educational exchange. Its success has been called "a beacon of hope.”

As we pursue, debate, and fulfill the continuing and evolving international education strategy, we can be aided by an understanding of 1) what are the accomplishments of international education and international educational exchange to date, and 2) why these are urgent requirements for America and Americans past, present, and future.

Defining International Education

International educational exchange is defined as the exchange of people, information, media, education, and in certain cases products and services that enhance and enrich the international education and resulting greater understanding among and between people and nations. The exchange of people normally pertains to international students, teachers, scholars, specialists, and military personnel who become actively engaged in education at an educational institution abroad, and/or through educational travel and visits to specialists and related institutions abroad, in order to advance in a specific academic field of study and/or professional field of work.

This includes visitors between institutions, communities, and governments for the purpose of informational, cultural, and/or educational exchange. This includes independent students, scholars, and others who travel to a foreign country for the purpose of studying a foreign language, teaching, and/or carrying out independent research in their respective academic and professional disciplines. (Other exchanges of people, such as tourists, business people, scientists, and the like pertain to international tourism, business, and science, and are not a part of the international educational exchange process, unless specifically so engaged.)

In light of the above, it can be said that international education is the content of what is experienced and product or results derived from the process of international educational exchange, although in reality and current common usage, the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Significant Accomplishments

Some significant accomplishments of both International Education and International Educational Exchange ("International Education and Exchange") from numerous perspectives and specialized fields are the following.

With regard to People and Society, International Education and Exchange
- have provided opportunities for the advancement of people, cultures, and societies;
- have contributed to knowledge, experience, and mutual understanding among and between people/s, cultures, and societies worldwide;
- have benefited specific people, cultures, and societies hosting international visitors/students/grantees through everyday, as well as specially organized, study and/or event-oriented exchanges of information and cooperation;
- have enriched the specific skills and capabilities of visiting students and grantees through education, work experience, and personal contacts with students, teachers, people and cultures in host and visited communities and environs;
- have fostered unprecedented exchanges among and between people/s, cultures, and societies with respect to most every aspect of the human person and society, that have fostered and enriched individual and collective advancements;
- have contributed to the creation, documentation, and policies with respect to the advancement of human rights;
- have contributed to an appreciation of the unity-in-diversity of all peoples, cultures, and societies at home and abroad;
- have increased understanding, cooperation, and friendship among and between people/s, cultures, and societies worldwide.

With regard to Families and Communities, International Education and Exchange
- have contributed to a growing consciousness across all borders of the meaning, relevance, and importance of the family;
- have contributed to a greater understanding across all national borders of the basic-to-optimal norms required for the safety, well-being, and flourishment of families and communities;
- have enabled the required international/global literacy and understanding set forth in international instruments, such as the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" that recognizes that the "family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State";
- have stimulated a growing knowledge, consciousness, and understanding of the fundamental unity-in-diversity of the human family and community across all borders;
- have contributed through increased knowledge and understanding to an awareness and strengthening of the human family and community;
- have contributed to knowledge, understanding, respect, and cooperation among and between people and communities at home and abroad, along with the recognition that "Everyone has duties to the community ...." -- Universal Declaration of Human Rights

With regard to the Environment, International Education and Exchange
- have stimulated a growing international and global consciousness that has enabled leaders, environmentalists, and people in general to become more conscious of the local-to-global implications of environmental, and environmentally related, policies;
- have contributed to international and global linguistic literacy and cultural understanding, knowledge, harmony and friendship that have enabled the free flow of environmental data across national borders;
- have contributed to international, regional, and global understanding and friendship among and between peoples and nations that have enabled the creation, passage, and signing of international environmental treaties, such as the Law of the Sea Convention;
- have contributed to international understanding and cooperation among and between peoples and nations that have enabled the creation and passage of the World Charter for Nature;
- have contributed to scientific and technological exchange and progress that have led to the creation and production of global weather satellites.

With regard to Education, International Education and Exchange
- have become established services of the United States government to qualified scholars and teachers;
- have become integral parts of the United States education system at numerous levels;
- have made foreign knowledge more available and more expected as preparation for a career in teaching and scholarship;
- are recognized as prime effective means of internationalizing American education;
- have stimulated the development of American studies abroad;
- have advanced knowledge, practices, and research with regard to comparative, regional, and international education worldwide;
- have contributed to the advancement of global understanding with regard to the role of education across all boundaries and its impact upon the survival, maintenance, development, and advancement of people, institutions, and nations.

With regard to Public and Private Cooperation, International Education and Exchange
- have created a worldwide bi-national exchange mechanism built upon private and public cooperation;
- have encouraged growth of advisory and related educational services for foreigners;
- have encouraged local hospitality and other visitors' services;
- have stimulated a contribution by the American people in general, volunteers, and is a unique example of private-public cooperation;
- have contributed to the advancement of international, regional, and global public and private partnerships and cooperation.

With regard to the Economy, Technology, and Sciences, International Education and Exchange
- have promoted learning and cooperation among and between economies, technologies, and sciences;
- have contributed to the economy, the balance of trade, and economic development of nations;
- have contributed to competitiveness of participating economies, technologies, and sciences that can in turn promote the common welfare and prosperity;
- have stimulated dialogue, inventiveness, and new products and services that have promoted productivity, inventions, and advancements;
- have facilitated the advancement of international and global business, economy, technology, and sciences;
- have contributed to the advancement of prosperity, well-being, and scientific truths across national, regional, and international borders.

With regard to Labor and Employment, International Education and Exchange
- have facilitated informational exchange about labor and employment practices and standards across all national borders;
- have contributed to fairness and solidarity in labor standards and practices worldwide;
- have facilitated preparedness and access to just and equal safety and employment practices worldwide;
- have facilitated mutual understanding and thereby contributed to cooperation and solidarity among and between all workers;
- have contributed to the advancement of international and global labor and employment.

With regard to Law and Justice, International Education and Exchange
- have contributed to international communications and understanding with respect to legal policies and practices that contribute to lawfulness of individuals, communities, institutions, and nations;
- have facilitated knowledge and informational exchange that advance law and justice worldwide;
- have contributed to learning, research, legislation, and international legal statutes that promote the advancement of lawful societies and civilizations;
- have contributed to knowledge of the world’s diverse legal systems, laws, statutes, and treaties;
- have contributed to the advancement of comparative, regional, international, "foreign," and global law.

With regard to Health and Medicine, International Education and Exchange
- have contributed to the exchange and advancement of knowledge about health, disease-prevention, diagnosis, and treatment;
- have facilitated informational exchange and tracking of epidemics and diseases;
- have increased the availability of knowledge- and materials-transfer to diseased individuals, sectors, and nations;
- have contributed to the advancement of health and medical research and information across national borders;
- have contributed to the advancement of comparative, regional, international, and global health and medicine.

With regard to Agriculture, International Education and Exchange
- have facilitated international research, production, and distribution of agricultural knowledge and products;
- have facilitated informational exchange and transfer of agricultural techniques and advancements;
- have contributed to the development and accessibility of agricultural standards and resulting practices;
- have facilitated "revolutions" in food research, production, and practices that have contributed to higher productivity (e.g. rice) and higher nutritional value (e.g., corn) in foods farmed worldwide, thereby contributing to the reduction and elimination of hunger and malnourishment;
- have contributed to the advancement of comparative, regional, international, and global agriculture.

With regard to Journalism, International Education and Exchange
- have contributed to greater understanding, fairness, and accuracy in the interpretation of foreign individuals, peoples, cultures, and political regimes;
- have facilitated international understanding and encouragement of the free flow of information worldwide;
- have facilitated advancement in standards of international journalistic responsibility;
- have contributed to the advancement of comparative, international, and world journalism.

With regard to Arts and Culture, International Education and Exchange
- have facilitated cross-national exchanges in creativity and the arts;
- have increased understanding and awareness of foreign peoples and cultures through the exchange of arts;
- have facilitated understanding and awareness of the arts and cultural traditions and practices of the world’s peoples;
- have increased the exchange of media products to foreign nations;
- have facilitated the development of new media for the arts and culture;
- have contributed to the advancement of comparative, international, and world arts and culture studies.

With regard to International Relations, International Education and Exchange
- have become an established, important, and effective component of relations with foreign countries;
- are increasing understanding, cooperation, and friendship among and between people and nations;
- are reciprocal benefits extended by nearly all countries to one another;
- are established as a valuable means of assisting developing countries in educational development;
- are today nationally recognized and supported as essential means of strengthening the competence of the United States and its citizens to meet their responsibilities in other parts of the world;
- have fostered the advancement of peace and better relations among and between peoples and nations.

With regard to Religion and Spirituality, International Education and Exchange
- have contributed to an appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures and the ways in which these adapt to indigenous and world religious traditions and spiritual disciplines;
- have facilitated linguistic literacy that has enabled translations of scriptures into the languages of common usages in all nations;
- have facilitated formal and informal education and evangelism of and by the world’s religious and spiritual institutions through exchanges of missionaries, clergy, theologians, and practitioners;
- have contributed to the advancement of understanding with regard to the role of religious and spiritual disciplines across all boundaries and their impact upon the advancement of human rights with regard to freedom of religion and conscience;
- have facilitated understanding among and between practitioners of diverse faiths that has advanced harmony and cooperation among and between the world's religious and spiritual disciplines;
- have facilitated progress toward goals espoused by religious and spiritual individuals and institutions, including, but not limited to, purity, holiness, godliness, and other religious and spiritual norms.
Transcending Goals & Purposes

In conclusion, it is clear from the policy, definitions, and accomplishments set forth above that international education and international educational exchange have become a dynamic extension of people, institutions, and nations and impact positively upon almost every field of endeavor. As long as there are:
-curiosity about foreign peoples, cultures, societies, and nations,
-information and knowledge about foreign peoples and countries,
-motivation within people to travel and learn about the world and its people,
-freedom of lawful passage and trade across national borders, as well as
-peace and justice on a bi-national, international, regional, and/or global scale,
international education and exchange most probably will flourish.

When people travel abroad to study in a foreign country, they observe and experience a foreign culture in depth. They learn to live with foreign people on an everyday basis. They learn to read foreign literature and read and listen to foreign news media written and produced from the perspectives of others. They learn to see and experience through daily living and contacts this new culture and their own culture and country and people from others’ eyes. They become totally immersed in a new environment twenty-four hours a day, where they must either learn a new language, a new culture, a new society, a new civilization, or remain as "outsiders."

Thus, the incentives and environment for learning abroad are optimal, offering endless opportunities for learning inside and outside the classroom, during which one can become awakened as never before to the everyday--indeed, almost every moment--celebration of discovery, learning, knowledge, and truths all around one. Simultaneously, one learns to see one’s field/s of study, work, interests, and endeavors from new perspectives, which can lend new and enriching insights, and even unanticipated inventiveness, inspiration, enlightenment, and power.

Thus, we discover that the individual, institutional, and national goals and purposes of international education and exchange are most often surpassed by the actual experiences, benefits, rewards, and accomplishments resulting therefrom.

In brief, international education and the international educational exchange process are extraordinary human experiences of benefit to people/s, institutions, and nations. Moreover, their impact and benefits can bring new skills, knowledge, breakthroughs, advancements, enlightenment, empowerment, and friendships that can last a lifetime and collectively contribute to the advancement of universal peace, cooperation, and friendship for all humankind.
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*Carolyn Maude White is Chairperson, CEO, & Director of EduServe, Inc. "International Education: Policy, Merits, Purposes” is copyright 2000 by Carolyn Maude White. It is reprinted here from EduServe Excellence, Vol. 1, No. 3, July, 2000, pp. 2-4.
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EduServe
Excellence
quarterly
review
Vol. 1,
No. 3,
July,
2000

Copyright 2000
by EduServe, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.














































EduServe
Excellence
quarterly
review
Vol. 1,
No. 3,
July,
2000
Copyright 2000
by EduServe, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.






















































EduServe
Excellence
quarterly review
Vol. 1,
No. 3,
July,
2000

Copyright 2000
by EduServe, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.






















































EduServe
Excellence
quarterly review
Vol. 1,
No. 3,
July,
2000

Copyright 2000
by EduServe, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.