Is international education an issue today in the U.S.?
Today, people of all nations must understand the world from other people’s perspectives. No longer does it make sense to sharply separate European concerns from American or North American concerns. International understanding is crucial to Transatlantic cooperation, prosperity, and civic well being in the 21st century. But developing and sustaining this understanding will not occur automatically. We must nurture the universities and colleges in Europe and the United States that develop in citizens a broad appreciation of the world and proficiency in other languages. Many U.S. colleges and universities recognize the importance of international education and have emphasized study abroad, on-campus international courses, and the recruitment of students from diverse countries and cultures. Nevertheless, American higher education remains far from internationalized. Many institutions continue to regard study abroad, on-campus international programs, and foreign language study as “add-ons.” T
