White House Calls for Renewed Commitment to International
Education
April 20, 2000 -- In an executive memorandum on international
education issued by the White House yesterday, President Clinton
announced the federal government's policy to renew and strengthen
its commitment to international education. The memorandum states
that "a coherent and coordinated international education strategy
will help us meet the twin challenges of preparing our citizens
for a global environment while continuing to attract and educate
future leaders from abroad."
The memorandum calls for the heads of executive departments and
agencies, in cooperation with educational institutions, state and
local governments, non-governmental organizations, and the
business community, to work together on increasing and broadening
the United States' commitment to international education. The
President directed the heads of executive departments and
agencies, working in partnership with the private sector, to take
several specific actions. The recommended actions include
encouraging students from other countries to study in the United
States; promoting study abroad by U.S. students; strengthening
support for foreign language learning at all levels; creating new
efforts to make sure that international education is an integral
component of U.S. undergraduate education; and advancing new
technologies that aid the spread of knowledge throughout the
world.
The White House issued the memorandum following U.S. Secretary
of Education Richard Riley's major address earlier in the day
calling for a renewed emphasis on international education.
Speaking to approximately 250 audience members at the French
Embassy, Riley suggested that Cold War imperatives had defined
international education for much of the past 50 years. He added
that the U.S. must define "a new set of principles for
international education that respond to the contemporary
challenges of our time," principals such as intellectual freedom,
democracy building, human rights, the peaceful resolution of
disputes, cultural diversity and a willingness to see the advance
of education for the good of all.
Riley observed that the world is increasingly keen on fostering
greater faculty and student exchanges, noting that the G-8 adopted
a goal of doubling exchanges in the next 10 years. In his speech,
he recommended that the United States meet the newly established
G-8 goal which would require the U.S. to find new ways of sending
and recruiting students. He also called for the United States to
become a much more engaged member of the international community
by once again becoming an active member of UNESCO.
For a complete copy of the White House memorandum and Riley's
address:
