If you are planning to become an IT professional, you have the scope for growth in diverse areas such as systems integration, software engineering, information management and software development. In all these areas, you can make a firm entry if you have knowledge of Systems Design, programming and development. Thus, it will be beneficial for you to enroll in a formal IT course specializing in the same. Several institutes abroad offering Master of Science in Information Technology-System Design and programming through an online mode of education. As a result, you can now choose a suitable institute abroad and acquire this online degree program without stepping out of your room.

About MS in Information Technology-System Design and Programming Online Course

:

As you enroll in the online Master programme in System Design and Programming, you will learn to design and enforce high-performing applications. You will also gain expertise in using various parts of the applications in a business-specific and effective manner. After completing MS in Information Technology-System Design and Programming online course, you can be hired for managerial roles such as a team leader, principle software developer or business analyst.

> Scope of Studying online Masters Degree in System Design and Programming abroad

:

Many institutes offering an online MS degree program in Systems Design and programming are available abroad. Students willing to study a Masters course with specialization in System Design and Programming, are considered eligible if they have a Bachelors degree or an equivalent degree from a reputed institute. There are also some eligibility criteria specific to the institute offering the course.

Institutes offering Master of Science in Information Technology-System Design and Programming Online Courses Abroad

:

You can apply for an online Masters program in Information Technology-System Design and Programming in Capella University. The application can be made online. For more details on the application procedure, you can contact the university.

If you are interested in synthesizing and designing of mechanical tools, you can opt for a degree in Mechanical Engineering and pursue a career in the same field. With the developments made in the industrial sector, there is always a demand for the mechanical engineers. Some of the universities and institutes abroad offer online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Scroll down the page to learn more about Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

About Online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

The online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering covers the advanced studies in statistics, thermodynamics, mathematics, physics, energy conversion, measurement and instrumentation, drafting, dynamics and fluid mechanics, heat transfer, solid mechanics and more. Students of mechanical engineering can also choose a specialty program from the courses available.

Scope of Studying MS in Mechanical Engineering online from Abroad

An online mechanical engineering course from a foreign university enhances your job opportunities. After completing your Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, you can join various industries like manufacturing, aeronautics, medicine and bioengineering, the defense sector. The job prospects in this field are likely to increase in the coming years.

Institutes offering Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Online Courses Abroad

Columbia University, Florida State University, Iowa State University, Michigan Technological University and North Carolina State University are some of the best universities offering online Master of Science program in Mechanical Engineering. While selecting an institute, students should collect detailed information about the accreditation and the course structure.

With the ever-rising development of software industries across the globe, a career in Software Engineering assures you growth and prosperity. Having a formal training in this subject can come of help to you in the development and management of software. You can enroll in an online associate degree in Software Engineering to enhance your career prospects in this field. Some of the prestigious institutes abroad offer online courses in Software Engineering to produce skilled professionals matching the standards of the industry.

About Online Associate Degree in Software Engineering

Having an online associate degree in Software Engineering opens up a wide spectrum of job opportunities for the candidates. This course is designed for the students to learn implementing and designing computer software. Moreover, the program features a perfect blend of general and technical education which enables the students to acquire technical expertise and develop their communication skills. The course also prepares the students to join various companies in the roles of database analysts, computer programmers, web site developers and software developers.

Scope of Studying Online Associate Degree in Software Engineering Abroad

Several reputed colleges and institutes abroad offer online associate degree program in Software Engineering. As the students pursue this course through online education, they don't need to travel abroad stepping out of the comfort of his or her home.

Institutes offering Associate Degree in Software Engineering Online Course

Some of the institutes which offer online associate degree in software engineering are Westwood College Online and Champlain College. Westwood College Online is recognized by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). It offers a course in Associate of Applied Science in Software Engineering. Students can also look for admission in Champlain College at Burlington in Vermont. It is recognized by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

If you want to make a career in the field of computer networking then it is essential for you to go through a formal training in the same. In-depth knowledge and advanced technical skills acquired in Computer Network engineering technology can come of help to you in becoming successful in this field. You can enroll in an Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering Technology course to gain expertise in this field. Interestingly enough, several reputed universities and institutes abroad offer online courses in the same discipline.

About Online Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering Technology

Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering Technology online course offers the students detailed knowledge of design, configuration, installation and maintenance of enterprise networks. Candidates can also learn about Database Applications, Advanced Enterprise Administration and Desktop Computing. The course prepares the students to deal with various technical problems. You will also be made familiar with UNIX, HTML, Microsoft network operations systems and internetworking through the course.

Scope of Studying Online Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering Technology Abroad

Several foreign universities and institutes offer Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering Technology. However, it is essential for the students to collect detailed information about the accreditation and the course structure offered before making the final selection. After the successful completion of the course students may join IT companies or government agencies for a job profile in a related field. Students with a specialization in this subject generally bag jobs in repairing, installing, designing and maintenance of computer networks.

Institutes offering Online Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering Technology Abroad

Keiser College and Westwood College Online are some of the best institutes abroad which offer Associate of Applied Science in Computer Network Engineering course online.

Technology mediated learning seems all set to enhance the accessibility of courses of like MBA. In fact, pursuing an MBA degree has become much easier now with the introduction of online MBA courses in various parts of the world.

In India, some of the leading business schools like IIM Ahmedabad, IIFT, IIT Delhi have taken the initiative of offering online MBA courses in India. Online MBA degrees have primarily captured the attention of the working professional who could not pursue a regular MBA course due to various reasons.

Online MBA Program Advantages:

The main advantage of the online MBA courses is that candidates can get all the study materials without going to an institute.

Moreover, most of the organizations providing online MBA courses in India make it a point to provide regular classes, which the students can attend from the comfort of their home.

Thus, regular interaction with the faculty members through various mediums of communication is made possible for the students who want to pursue online MBA education in India.

And even if you miss the class, the study material would always be available. However online MBA courses are not relatively cheaper than the regular courses. The cost of the course can be as high as the regular course or even more in some cases. As face-to-face interaction is not always possible in online education programmes, it is very important to attend the orientation programme to understand the course content and the method of teaching.

Online MBA Institutes:

Although it is possible to pursue online MBA courses from any where in the world, the introduction of online courses by some of the premier Management institutes have made online MBA education very popular in India. Reputed institutes like Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade are today offering online MBA courses in India.

On this page, we have tried to provide you the details of all the online MBA courses that are available in India. However if you come across any flaw in the information about the online MBA course in India, do write to us. We would appreciate any such move that would improve the quality of the site.

About Elearning:

ELearning or electronic eLearning in India is slowly gaining prominence, but indeed steadily. This is due to the fact that more than half-life the population of India today is below 25 years of age and the number of Internet users are growing continuously. The tremendous growth of the economy in the recent past has also helped in the growth of online education in India. ELearning in India is specially popular with the young professionals who have joined the work force quite early, but still would like to continue their education that may help them move up their career ladder quickly and safely. They find

online education

in India the very convenient, as the nature of the course work does not require them to attend regular character. Moreover reputed institutes like Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade are today offering eLearning courses.

Thus eLearning in India makes it possible for learners to pursue their education from reputed institutes without much hassle.

Online Education Scope in India

:

The scope of online education in India is actually much wider. Apart from proper function course works, some eLearning portals in India are also conducting mock tests for various competitive examinations like engineering, medical, management etc. For example, the group has introduced the Indiatimes Mindscape test center where one can appear for mock

IIT-JEE exams

online for making self-assessment.

The Gurukul online Solutions, apart from providing various courses, set up a Jobs and Careers Centre (JCC), which, not only provides job-oriented vocational education in a variety of domains, but also provides career enriching courses via the eLearning Awards. They also offer Live Virtual Classroom connectivity to over 175 cities across India. Some eLearning portals in India are also providing tutorials for school students. Thus the reach of eLearning in India has expanded from adults to teenagers.The future of eLearning industry seems to be very bright in India as number of Internet users is growing in the country

at quite a satisfactory pace and more and more reputed players are showing their interest in the eLearning business. In fact, if prices of computers become affordable and Internet speed becomes tolerable, eLearning can work wonders for the country. Therefore, on this page, we would be providing information about all the online courses in India and the key players that are providing eLearning solutions in India.

What exactly is

online education

? As per definition on the web, it is basically credit-granting courses or education training delivered primarily via the Internet to students at remote locations, including their homes. The Online courses may or may not be delivered synchronously.

An online course may need that students and teachers meet once or periodically in a physical setting for lectures, labs, or exams, so long as the time spent in the physical setting does not exceed 25 percent of the total course time. Online education encompasses various degrees and courses. Through online education, one can opt for many

online degrees

or online courses from various online universities that provide this facility.

Online education Advantages

:

You don't have to hamper your present occupation. Getting an online degree may even assist in increasing your career prospects.

You can study in one of the top colleges in any state of the country or abroad. You don't even have to travel and pay for your boarding.

You get an accredited degree from universities recognized worldwide.

For those with financial constraints studying online is a good option.

On this page, we have tried to list those institutes and universities providing online learning. We have in fact decided to have two sections- online education in India and online education abroad. Though online education in India is still on its way in gaining popularity, we have listed those few online degree courses and online universities in India that provide online education.

While online education in India is still in its infancy, online education abroad is quite a hit among the people. The main attraction of online education is the flexibility through which education is imparted-through the Net.And more appealing is the fact that a person can pursue an online course within the comfort of his home or any other place that he chooses.

Should the OFT warn potential chapter leaders of the pitfalls?

My latest fad is reading Philip Kerr Berlin Nair novels featuring
Bernie Gunther, an anti Hitler detective/policeman in Nazi Germany.
Taking place in 1936 and 1938 the first two novels provide some
interesting insights into what it might have been like to be living in
Germany in those years. i will go into other details another time,
but the point i want to make has to do with the heart of "The pale Criminal"
where young girls are being horribly murdered by a serial killer.
Rather than warn the populace, the Nazi regime keeps everything
under cover so as not to appear weak or suffer a propaganda defeat
over the inability to solve the crimes. Thus, without being warned,
parents allow their children to go about and face the danger.
The official reason they give to anguished parents is that they
want to prevent copycat crimes.


Thus it is with chapter leaders in some very dangerous situations.
I will be reporting more on the IS 216Q situation where the OFT
recruited a very competent teacher to run for chapter leader because
the principal had chopped up every previous CL and promised to have
her back. They didn't. She has been removed from the school and
faces 3020a dismissal charges.


A longtime chapter leader who gave up the position last fall sent me the
email below on May 21. The story told here goes well with some of the
stories Jeff Kaufman is telling on his new ed law blog - see side panel.
I have so many stories of how teachers are being railroaded. But
the worst are the chapter leaders who have been attacked due to
their defense of teacher rights. You will hear none of these stories
in OFT commercials defending LIFO and seniority rights. Why?
Instead of blasting these stories out, the OFT unable to protect
the basic lifeblood of the union, chooses to keep them undercover.
If you ask them you might get a similar answer the parents of the
dead girls got - in this case to prevent copycat principals from
feeling free to engage in nefarious activities. It might make
sense but we know that principals don't need this spelled out
since they have a much better network than teachers. The other
reason is to keep the membership from understanding just how
far the situation has slid. The lack of publicity - see Peter
Lamp here* case at Bronx HS of Science - leaves people "out there" with
little preparation for what might be coming when push comes to shove.
Sort of like the parents in the Philip Kerr novel who never
knew there was a serial killer due to press blackout for the express
purpose of "good news" propaganda. Go forth and read the NY
Teacher and all the wonders of the OFT.

Establishing Trust in the World of Social Media -- Relevance for U.S. Higher Education

EDucation in Abroad: The social media gurus over at Mashable.com are one of the best resources out there for those looking to keep their finger on the pulse of new media. If you aren't a regular visitor to their site, I encourage you to do so. At the very least, subscribe to their RSS feed.

Greg Ferenstein wrote a fantastic blog today that I feel is so compelling that it is worth repeating in this forum. His post entitled The Science of Building Trust with Social Media cites the need to understand the "psychology of trust," the importance of responsiveness in the digital age, and understanding the hierarchical value people attribute to various forms of communication--text v. email v. typed "emotion-free" messages v. audio clips v. personal video--as well as the judgments people make when viewing material online without necessarily knowing all the relevant information. The examples Mr. Ferenstein explains center on some of the more effective uses of social media to build or rebuild trust centered on video responses to calls to action or, in the case of Domino's, apologies.

Implications of Building Trust through Social Media for Higher Education

My message today for my colleagues in higher education, particularly those involved in international student recruitment, is to be cognizant of how social media can be used to help not only get your message out, but also how you can use it to reestablish trust if things go south in a hurry. At a previous institution of mine, the decision was made four years ago to not simply use social media (student blogs on our website) but to take the risk of embracing the uncensored, unfiltered reality that these students let loose into the wide world about their experiences on our campus. The authenticity of those students' posts, vod/podcasts, and conversations online was consistently rated by incoming students, and, surprisingly, parents as one of the most attractive features about the school. These students spoke honestly and openly about their experiences, and our prospective student audiences valued that significantly. Applications and the quality of enrolled students increased as a direct result of these efforts.

Examples of Institutional Efforts

Today, student blogs, iTunes podcast (iTunesU), YouTube.edu, as well as Facebook fan pages & groups are increasingly seen as must haves in any admissions office's arsenal of reaching their prospective student audiences. I'll share a couple of stories from our friends at MIT. Last spring, some of the newly admitted students to this prestigious institution decided to create a Facebook group on their own, and within a few weeks over 80% of the incoming class of 2013 had signed up as members of this group. MIT's admissions office has also turned its main site into student blogger central. These are paid student employees who tell their daily stories about life at MIT to all visitors to the institutional admissions site. Other institutions rely more on video content, photo slideshows, or audio podcasts (or combinations of these) to help get their messages out from their websites. It is essential to have visually appealing information available on these sites, and to use these tools to provide an online community for your audiences.

Importance of Trust for International Students

Internationally, this last point rings truer than ever. For the lion's share of international students considering colleges and universities in the United States, they have to trust, sight unseen, the institutions they choose to enroll in. Think for a moment about the implications of that decision. The financial ramifications alone of choosing a school that will have a final price tag of anywhere from $32,000 to $250,000 or more over a four-year period without physically visiting campus are staggering. How many of us would buy cars or homes without ever taking them out for a test drive or having them inspected? International students trust their advisers and counselors in their countries that they are getting the most accurate information about the schools they are considering, but are also taking a huge leap of faith that what the college they select is telling them is what they will experience. That trust is an extremely valuable, yet fragile commodity.

Rebuilding Trust, a Hopeful Wish

Each year, particularly in wintertime, after reading season is done at U.S. institutions, there are inevitably one or two stories that pop up where a university admissions offices mistakenly send acceptance letters to a pool of candidates who have been denied. With this year's news of two well-known institutions (one in Tennessee, one in DC) encountering this regrettable faux pas, wouldn't it be interesting and refreshing to see, not just a quote in a newspaper saying that the individuals affected were being contacted to clear up any misunderstanding, to actually see a YouTube clip of an institution's dean of admissions accepting responsibility and apologizing for this embarrassing incident? Maybe next year.

Marketing U.S. Higher Education Abroad in the Social Media Milleu

Rare moments of lucidity and inspiration we have in life where the light bulb truly goes on should always be shared.


A year ago when I was just getting my feet under me as marketing coordinator for EducationUSA, I knew social media would be an integral part of what I needed to do--but how exactly I'd go about that task wasn't quite clear. We are a network of 400+ centers in 170 countries under the EducationUSA umbrella. We share a common mission to be the official source on U.S. higher education for millions of students and their families each year. We also knew that our continued success would be largely dependent on providing our advisers, some of the hardest working individuals I've ever met, the tools they needed to better connect with their students and with our friends in the U.S. higher education community that are so vital to our success. How to use social media was one of those lights for me.


A year ago, the extent to which most (not all) of our advisers were using social media began and ended with Skype and other IM tools. In our entire network, we had only about 4 active Facebook profiles/groups/pages while Twitter was not even in our vocabulary. Some intrepid, forward-thinking centers had undertaken video projects they made available out in cyberspace, but there was no central collection point for this content.


Today, we have 80 different EducationUSA Facebook fan pages, profiles and groups, 35 Twitter feeds, and over 70 videos on our YouTube channel. Over 900 higher education members in the U.S. now subscribe to our HEI eNews (now published bi-weekly). Most significantly, we have a new vehicle for getting the word out about EducationUSA - our new website which brings all of these tools together and makes them shareable in the new world of social media.


Ultimately, these new tools, or new media allow us to reach out in more interactive ways to key audiences. Moreover, 2009 will certainly be remembered as the year "Social Media" became key buzzwords for institutions looking to counteract shrinking recruitment budgets, as well as global networks to share their message. The real rub here is how U.S. higher education and EducationUSA can work together to utilize these tools to encourage more and better qualified international students to come to America for their studies.


Over the last twelve months, I've compiled a list of 5 guiding principles for how we are approaching our task in this new and ever-changing world of social media:

1. Get Connected, Be Relevant, Stay Involved.
2. Live Where Your Audiences Live.
3. Keep Them Coming Back for More.
4. Listen, Listen, Listen.
5. Your Name Matters.

Get Connected, Be Relevant, Stay Involved


When just starting out in your use of social media, the best advice is always to start small with one maybe two different tools. That first step really is the most important -- to commit to using one or more new media. That being said, all the commitment in the world does you no good if your content, your posts, your comments are not relevant to your intended audience. Make an effort to use any market intelligence you have to create content that resonates with your audiences. As much as I love the film, Field of Dreams, social media is not a "if you build it, they will come" environment. To be successful in this medium you must dedicated time and personnel to monitor, post, and respond to questions and comments received.


Live Where Your Audience Lives


Part of a successful social media strategy is to be present where your audiences -- e.g. your prospective students -- spend their time. If you're targeting students in Japan or Korea, do you have your information available on mobile sites? For the first time in 2008, worldwide, the internet was accessed more from mobile phones than from computers.* Those mobile numbers will only grow larger. If 2009 was the year of social media, 2010 will mark the rise of mobile social media. Believe me when I say that "there's an app for that" could not be a more appropriate for the future of mobile social media in many countries.


That being said, if your goal is to enhance your outreach to African students, mobile is as important but more along the lines of SMS text messaging as opposed to the wide world of social media accessible through smartphones and other similar devices.


If you are targeting a particular country through social media, let's say Brazil, recently identified as one of the, if not the #1, most social networked country in the world, Facebook might not be the only place you want to have a presence--Orkut has been top dog there for some time (though Facebook has expanded over 1000% in the last year there).


Keep Them Coming Back for More


Part of the success of social media is the viral nature of sharing content that reminds me of an old shampoo commercial--where someone has a great experience, loves the product, and then he/she tells two friends and so on and so on--as the old word of mouth concept takes exponential growth to a whole new level. Success is not only in spreading your good news, but also keeping that audience connected to you. How do you do that? Send updates to fans, followers, or contacts that directs them back to new content on your website, or on your social media presences or both. Repeat customers, just as in the real world, are what sustains your success. Ideally, social media allows you to create and maintain an online community of supporters to keep your message out there and understood.


Listen, Listen, Listen


Many marketing professionals have experienced a rude awakening with the rise of social media. No longer can a college or university (or any business for that matter) rely on their control of message. Colleges have perhaps learned this lesson in the past few years better than most with the rise of various student-driven blogs like College Confidential. There are simply too many places online that students can get information about what they are looking for that are completely out of the hands of those who have a product or an institution to promote. Just as we all hate spam emails, those business that throw out their tired sales pitches using these new media are committing the same cardinal sin: not listening to what their customers want. Customers, or students in our realm, can control the message and the conversation. In social media terms, success will be earned by those who listen first, second and third, before responding. This is the customer service taken to the virtual world. Marketing success in the use of social media is dependent more than ever to how service-oriented and responsive you are to the needs of your audiences.


Your Name Matters


Identity in the marketplace of ideas is everything. Knowing who you are first is important, no question. Everyone who is involved in promoting your brand must have buy-in to this identity. Additionally, to be remembered you must protect your name and be consistent with your name as much as possible. As marketing guru, Al Ries, indicated recently, "If you don't think names matter, yours may be forgotten." In the end, you want your name to be associated with a positive idea or concept in the eyes of your audiences.


Bottom line, the brave new world of social media is out there for the taking. Are you taking advantage of these new media in your work? Comment here or email me to continue this conversation.

U.S. Colleges & Universities: Join EducationUSA on YouTube

If there has been an important social media lesson learned over the past year, it would be that one size does not fit all. With EducationUSA we realize that there are many different audiences that we attract to our website, to our different Twitter feeds, our Facebook fan pages, this blog, and our YouTube presence wanting different information in a variety of formats. Information, particularly for our prospective students, needs to be of an interactive nature and visual oriented wherever possible.

To that end, we have been collecting a series of videos produced by our advising centers abroad and others that would be attractive to potential students looking to come to the United States for study. As we grow our EducationUSA YouTube channel, and hope to work more closely with all accredited U.S. colleges and universities looking to reach out to international students, we are offering a free opportunity to partner with EducationUSA to enhance your international recruitment efforts.

For your institutions to have either existing or future campus videos displayed as "Favorites" on our EducationUSA YouTube Channel, you are welcome to email Marty Bennett, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator, the url address (from YouTube) for institutional promotional videos, interviews with international students, international office personnel, or other related videos. If you have videos but have not created a channel on or made use of YouTube, it is a free service. The only requirements for posting videos to YouTube is that they be less than 10 minutes long, and smaller than 100MB in size. In submitting these url addresses to us for linking to our YouTube channel, we would ask that you provide in the email, a statement that consent rights of the individuals highlighted in the clip for use on your institution's behalf online have been secured, and could be made available should the need arise.

As more and more U.S. colleges and universities get their heads around how best to use various social media outlets to reach international (as well as domestic) audiences, we hope you can join us in this effort. Many campuses now have either their own YouTube channel or have taken advantage of YouTube.edu options that allow their institutions to showcase all sorts of related videos on campus life, lectures, events, as well as admissions-related content. By partnering with us, your institution will be able to reach a larger audience of potential students that may be attracted by what your campus has to offer them.

Deadline for Submissions: January 29, 2010. We hope that with enough submissions by that date, we can go live with this Playlist on our YouTube Channel by early February.

Join the EducationUSA Pavilion at the NAFSA Conference in Kansas City

Have you ever been to the Exhibit Hall at National NAFSA conferences and were perhaps a
bit surprised to see that the Germans, Australians, Chinese, British, Brazilians, Spanish, and a host of other countries had massive sections of the hall devoted to their countries and their higher education institutions?

Have you ever tried to arrange a place to have meetings with current or prospective exchange partner institutions abroad at NAFSA, having to settle at the last minute to meet under letter "C" on the message boards among the throngs of other lost souls looking for the same thing?

Is the country fair just too short of a time to meet our EducationUSA staff, REACs, and advisers?

Is your institution part of a state or regional consortia for international education (like Study Washington, Destination Indiana, or One Big Campus (in the Philadelphia area) that would like to have a space in the exhibit hall?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, EducationUSA has a practical option for you. At the upcoming NAFSA Annual Conference in Kansas City, for the first time, EducationUSA will have its own pavilion. We are offering on a first-come, first served basis the opportunity for regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities as well as established state and regional international education consortia to reserve free of charge,1/2 day slots for table space within our pavilion to have meetings with potential or existing overseas partners, meeting with our advisers, and display your institution's literature.

These two options are available:

1. reserving a half-day's time in our booth with a table and chairs for your institution/consortia
2. having your literature on display for visitors to the booth to collect.

Please email Marty Bennett, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator, to the reserve space in our 1st EducationUSA Pavilion.

Keep Coming Back For More...

Since we rolled out our new EducationUSA website less than one month ago, we have seen a dramatic rise in the connections we are making with prospective students and members of the U.S. higher education community. Our Facebook fan page has jumped from under 800 fans to well over 1300 (an increase of over 63%) and the views on our YouTube channel have increased over 90% in that same time period. Additionally, we're averaging over 90,000 hits a day on our new site. We've also recently added our EdUSAtips Twitter feed to our Higher Education home page.


Today, we are announcing a new feature for accredited U.S. colleges and universities, as well professional association representatives. For those of you who have successfully requested a login to the secure section of the Higher Education site, you can now set preferences to inform you of developments (new stories, events, and resources) that involve EducationUSA and that are relevant for the U.S. college and university community. Much like Google Alerts or news digests that you can receive, once you have your login access you may set your "Preferences" to specify how you wish to receive news and updates on EducationUSA-related activities-as they happen, on a daily basis, or as a weekly digest.

In addition to indicating how you wish to receive updates about new content added to the News, Events, and Resources sections, you can also change your password using this Preferences screen. To access resources we make available for the U.S. higher education community, including past copies of the HEI eNews, conference presentations, and more, click on the "Resources" link on the top menu bar.


Please sign up now for your login access to take advantage of this new service!

2010 Campus Host Opportunities Request for Proposals (RFP) Now Available - deadline December 18, 2009

Has your institution ever wanted to host EducationUSA advisers on your campus? Now is your chance. The College Board receives a grant from the U.S. Department of State to conduct various U.S.-based professional development and training programs for our network of EducationUSA advisers. In 2010 there are four different opportunities to host our advisers.

Act now to host EducationUSA advisers in 2010!

The College Board has released the RFP for US institutions to apply to host advisers in the upcoming calendar year. More information and the proposal form itself are now available on our EducationUSA site.

• Option I Spring 2010 USBT Program (April 15-21) – Transportation, housing and meal per diem paid by grant funds; cost-sharing encouraged.


• Option II Fall 2010 USBT Program (October 31 – November 5) – Transportation, housing and meal per diem paid by grant funds; cost-sharing encouraged.


• Option III June 2010 post-NAFSA-conference campus tours (June 5-11, 2010 flexible dates) – Transportation to/from primary tour location covered; housing and meal per diem must be contributed by hosting institution(s) as cost-sharing.


• Option IV 2010 EducationUSA Explore program (August/September 2010) - Transportation covered; grant funds are available to cover some adviser/institution expenses; cost-sharing is encouraged.

Apply now!

New EducationUSA Website Opens New Doors for U.S. Higher Ed

Have you visited the new EducationUSA website yet? If you haven't and are having flashbacks to the old site--don't worry--you won't recognize the new site. To say it's a "complete overhaul" would not go far enough in describing the new site. Check out the video clip below that will introduce you to what's possible for our U.S. Higher Education colleagues.

Top 10 Reasons for U.S. Institutions To Visit the New EducationUSA Site:

10. Secure login access for accredited US institutions and higher education associations to more detailed information from our REACs and advising centers including most popular majors and a breakdown of center visitors (undergrad, grad, ESL/other);

9. Complete list of Scheduled Pre-Departure Orientations conducted by our centers to which institutions can refer their admitted students;

8. A comprehensive list of Higher Education Fairs in which our centers either participate or organize around the world;

7. A downloadable spreadsheet of mailing addresses for all centers, which items they can receive, and the maximum quantity of each item that can be sent to each center;

6. Links to our Social Media outlets on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and this blog;

5. Free advertising for any scholarships or academic program opportunites for international students through our Weekly Update which goes to every advising center;

4. Opportunity to request our new EducationUSA logo (via embed code) and descriptive paragraph for your international admissions website;

3. Sign-up for our Higher Education Institutions eNews;

2. A growing resource archive for U.S. institutions; and

1. Comprehensive information from our 14 REACs (regional educational advising coordinators) on Education Systems, Academic Calendars, Grading Scales, Country Statistics, Recent Trends, and Upcoming Events within their respective regions.

HEI E-News: International Education Week, Special Edition

Excerpts from the latest HEI e-News....

November 2009

Special IEW Edition

Celebrate International Education Week! November 16-20, 2009

International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

Discover how EducationUSA Advisers are celebrating International Education Week and explore ways for your institution to get involved with EducationUSA activities. View the planned events around the world at the International Education Week 2009 website. Thank you for your support of International Education Week.

EducationUSA Launches New Website: Connect with EducationUSA!

EducationUSA debuts a newly redesigned website for students interested in studying in the U.S. and the U.S. higher education community on November 16, 2009. Social media-friendly and engaging sharing features have been added to the website to allow students to find and share information about studying in the U.S. with their friends and family through their favorite social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter and link to the EducationUSA YouTube channel.

The new website will also grant the U.S. higher education community private access to a wide array of resources such as advising center profiles, country educational information, and international student recruitment opportunities. Find more ways to connect with the EducationUSA network at www.educationusa.state.gov.

EducationUSA Dialogue: We want to hear from you!

More than 20 representatives from Washington, DC area higher education institutions and associations attended the first EducationUSA Dialogue held on November 10th at the George C. Marshall Conference Center at the U.S. Department of State. After a welcome from Office Director, Paul Hiemstra, and introductions facilitated by Branch Chief Caryn Danz, Program Officers offered an overview of the services currently provided by the EducationUSA network. The participants then worked in four groups, sharing their insights and ideas about international recruiting and trends in internationalization. Participants also offered suggestions for how EducationUSA might more efficiently or effectively assist the U.S. higher education community. This time for brainstorming concluded with participants needing more time for discussion and looking forward to another meeting or event.

The State Department welcomes your comments, too. If you have a suggestion for us, please email Diane Weisz Young, Program Officer.

Record Numbers of International Students in U.S. Higher Education

The Institute of International Education (IIE) released the highlights of the 2009 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange Monday, November 16 in a briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, DC with Under Secretary of State Judith McHale and Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter. The Open Doors Report is published annually by IIE with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

International Students in the U.S. Open Doors 2009 reports that the total international student enrollment in U.S. higher education increased by 8% to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008/09 academic year. There was an even stronger increase -- of 16% -- in the number of “new” international students, those enrolled for the first time at a U.S. college or university in fall 2008. Open Doors 2009 reports increases in foreign student enrollments from seven of the ten leading places of origin, and 19 of the top 25, with increases of more than 20% from four countries. India remains the leading place of origin for the eighth consecutive year, increasing by 9% to 103,260. Students from China, once again the second leading sender, increased 21% for a total of 98,510.

U.S. Study Abroad

Open Doors 2009 reports that the number of Americans studying abroad increased by 8.5% to 262,416 in the 2007/08 academic year. This latest increase builds on decades of steady growth, with four times as many U.S. students participating in study abroad in 2007/08 than in 1987/88. And students are continuing to go to more diverse destinations.

On the following pages check out the data for the top sending countries from each region based on the 2009 Open Doors Report, plus comments on trends from the Regional Educational Advising Coordinators. For the complete 2009 Open Doors Report, please visit http://opendoors.iienetwork.org.

Get Noticed In the EducationUSA Weekly Update!

Send two paragraphs of content related to scholarships or new programs and reach 400 EducationUSA advising centers in 170 countries. The EducationUSA Weekly Update is

circulated worldwide. Go online to the Higher Education section of our new site to request a login, and then once your login has been approved, submit your new academic program information or scholarships/assistantships that are accessible to international students online to our Weekly Update team.

Host EducationUSA Advisers on your Campus

The following opportunities are available to accredited U.S. higher education institutions and specialized schools to interact with EducationUSA advisers:

• USBT: host 4-5 participants for one week during the Spring and Fall 2011 U.S. Based Training Program for EducationUSA Advisers (USBT) – in mid-April or in October/November (TBD). Multiple clusters of varied institutional types/missions (up to 5 institutions per cluster - must include graduate level); advisers represent different world regions and types of advising centers. Airfare, housing and meals for the advisers are included, along with modest reimbursement for cluster administrative expenses.
• Post-NAFSA campus tours: 3-6 days visiting multiple campuses after the 2010 NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference in Kansas City, MO. Post-NAFSA tours should budget to include local sources for housing, meals and in-state travel.

Full information and a campus Request for Proposal (RFP) will be posted at www.collegeboard.com/international. Please specify your program of interest by e-mail to the College Board.

EducationUSA at Regional NAFSAs this Fall

Each fall, a number of EducationUSA advisers, REACs (Regional Educational Advising Coordinators), and other members of the EducationUSA family span out across the US visiting a number of NAFSA regional conferences. This year is no exception with ten of the eleven regions seeing EducationUSA representation.

NAFSA regional conferences provide the opportunity for over 30 members of our EducationUSA family to interact with international education professionals.

NAFSA Region II Albuquerque, NM

• Ms. Doreen John, Malaysia, Fulbright Commission, Kuala Lumpur
• Mr. Martin Kanjadza, Malawi, U.S. Embassy, Lilongwe
• Ms. Seemi Khosa ,Pakistan, Fulbright Commission, Islamabad
• Ms. Liisi Lembinen ,Estonia, Tartu University, Tartu
• Ms. Carolina Tamara, Colombia, Centro Cultural Colombo Americano, Barranquilla
• Mr. Tim Wright Mexico, REAC Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean

NAFSA Region III Dallas TX

• Mr. Salim Said Al-Badi, Oman, AMIDEAST, Muscat
• Ms. Lucena R. Felipe, Philippines, Mariano Marcos State U., Batac, Ilocos Norte
• Mr. Bradley Gorski, Russia Country Coordinator, American Councils
• Ms. Martha Huaman, Peru, ICPNA, Lima
• Ms. Gunay Masimova, Azerbaijan, Education Information Center, Baku
• Ms. Seena Sunil, India, IAES/USIEF Satellite Center, Ahmedabad

NAFSA Region IV Rochester MN

• Mr. Wes Teter, Hungary, REAC Western and Central Europe

NAFSA Region V Milwaukee WI

• Ms. Diane Weisz Young, Washington DC, State Department, Program Officer for Africa
• Ms. Bernice Affotey, Ghana, U.S. Embassy, Accra
• Ms. Judith Dijks, Suriname, U.S. Embassy, Paramaribo
• Ms. Ariunaa Enkhtur, Mongolia, EARC Ulaanbaatar
• Ms. Amy McGoldrick, Turkey, REAC Turkey, the Balkans and Central Asia
• Mr. Arif Mujaddedi, Afghanistan, U.S. Embassy, Kabul
• Ms. Priyani Shah, Nepal, Fulbright Commission, Kathmandu
• Mr. Marty Bennett, Washington DC, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator

NAFSA Region VI Cincinnati, OH

• Ms. Nichole Johnson, Washington DC, Director, REAC Services
• Mr. Hamza Dalhatu, Nigeria, EducationUSA adviser
• Mr. Adama Dieng, Senegal, EducationUSA adviser

NAFSA Region VII Knoxville TN

• Ms. Claudia Carrillo, Chile, ICN, Santiago
• Ms. Beth Franklin, Saudi Arabia, U.S. Embassy, Riyadh
• Ms. Lai-mei (Delai) Lee, Taiwan, AIEF-Taipei
• Ms. Clara Priester, South Africa, REAC Southern/Eastern Africa
• Mr. Daniel Ramos, Mexico, Inst. Cult. Mex. Norteamericano, Guadalajara
• Ms. Elena Tatarkova, Kyrgyzstan, Soros Foundation, Bishkek

NAFSA Region VIII Washington DC

• Mr. Marty Bennett, Washington DC, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator
• Ms. Nichole Johnson, Washington DC, Director, REAC Services
• Ms. Dorothy Mora, Washington DC, State Department, Program Officer for Eurasia

NAFSA Region X & XI Springfield MA

• Mr. Marty Bennett, Washington DC, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator
• Mr. Hamza Dalhatu, Nigeria, EducationUSA adviser
• Mr. Adama Dieng, Senegal, EducationUSA adviser

NAFSA Region XII San Diego, CA

• Ms. Nichole Johnson, Washington DC, Director, REAC Services

For our friends in the US higher education community we invite you to stop by and pick up a brand new packet of information for institutions to assist you in connecting with EducationUSA as you look for better ways to recruit international students to your campuses.

Happy & safe travels to you all.

Higher Education Institutions E-News Quarterly, September 2009

Mark this date: – November 16, 2009 – Updated EducationUSA website launch



As we move into a more collaborative, interactive online world of information sharing and networking, the mission of EducationUSA to connect U.S. higher education institutions to our advising centers and their students has never been more significant. To that end, at the start of International Education Week 2009, we will be re-launching the EducationUSA.state.gov website. User-friendly interfaces for students, accredited U.S. institutions, and the EducationUSA community as well as comprehensive information on advising centers and host country educational systems will be available on the updated site. Contact Marty Bennett and Gina Anderson, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinators, for details.





EducationUSA at Upcoming Conferences, October-November 2009



NAFSA Regional Conferences offer you the opportunity to meet with EducationUSA advisers and staff in a smaller, more intimate setting than the annual NAFSA national conference. Please make a point to meet our outstanding advisers to learn more about their countries and how you can partner with them.



The following EducationUSA representatives will be participating at the following conferences:



NAFSA Region II Albuquerque, NM

Ms. Doreen John Malaysia Fulbright Commission, Kuala Lumpur

Mr. Martin Kanjadza Malawi U.S. Embassy, Lilongwe

Ms. Seemi Khosa Pakistan Fulbright Commission, Islamabad

Ms. Liisi Lembinen Estonia Tartu University, Tartu

Ms. Carolina Tamara Colombia Centro Cultural Colombo Americano, Barranquilla

Mr. Tim Wright Mexico REAC Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean



NAFSA Region III Dallas TX

Mr. Salim Said Al-Badi Oman AMIDEAST, Muscat

Ms. Lucena R. Felipe Philippines Mariano Marcos State U., Batac, Ilocos Norte

Mr. Bradley Gorski Russia Country Coordinator, American Councils

Ms. Martha Huaman Peru ICPNA, Lima

Ms. Gunay Masimova Azerbaijan Education Information Center, Baku

Ms. Seena Sunil India IAES/USIEF Satellite Center, Ahmedabad



NAFSA Region IV Rochester MN

Mr. Wes Teter Hungary REAC Western and Central Europe



NAFSA Region V Milwaukee WI

Ms. Diane Weisz Young Washington DC State Department, Program Officer for Africa

Ms. Bernice Affotey Ghana U.S. Embassy, Accra

Ms. Judith Dijks Suriname U.S. Embassy, Paramaribo

Ms. Ariunaa Enkhtur Mongolia EARC Ulaanbaatar

Ms. Amy McGoldrick Turkey REAC Turkey, the Balkans and Central Asia

Mr. Arif Mujaddedi Afghanistan U.S. Embassy, Kabul

Ms. Priyani Shah Nepal Fulbright Commission, Kathmandu

Mr. Marty Bennett Washington DC EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator



NAFSA Region VI Lexington KY

Ms. Nichole Johnson Washington DC REAC Coordinator

Mr. Hamza Dalhatu Nigeria EducationUSA adviser

Mr. Adama Dieng Senegal EducationUSA adviser



NAFSA Region VII Knoxville TN

Ms. Claudia Carrillo Chile ICN, Santiago

Ms. Beth Franklin Saudi Arabia U.S. Embassy, Riyadh

Ms. Lai-mei (Delai) Lee Taiwan AIEF, Taipei

Ms. Clara Priester South Africa REAC Southern/Eastern Africa

Mr. Daniel Ramos Mexico Inst. Cult. Mex. Norteamericano, Guadalajara

Ms. Elena Tatarkova Kyrgyzstan Soros Foundation, Bishkek



NAFSA Region VIII Washington DC

Mr. Marty Bennett Washington DC EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator

Ms. Nichole Johnson Washington DC REAC Coordinator

Ms. Dorothy Mora Washington DC State Department, Program Officer for Eurasia



NAFSA Region X & XI Springfield MA

Mr. Marty Bennett Washington DC EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator

Ms. Dorothy Mora Washington DC State Department, Program Officer for Eurasia



NAFSA Region XII San Diego, CA

Ms. Nichole Johnson Washington DC REAC Coordinator



Council of International Schools Forum, Munich Germany

Ms. Rekha Kalle India REAC India

Ms. Amy Beausoleil China Country Coordinator, Beijing, China

Mr. Marty Bennett Washington DC EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator





International Education Week, November 16-20, 2009



First held in 2000, International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education promotes programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. The International Education Week 2009 website (iew.state.gov) includes promotional materials, interactive quizzes, and opportunities to post and view planned events around the world. In addition, the IEW Facebook page and group have been updated (www.facebook.com/internationaleducationweek). New this year, IEW also has a presence on ExchangesConnect (connect.state.gov). You can find a links to all our pages on the IEW 2009 website. We encourage all individuals and institutions interested in international education and exchange activities, including EducationUSA centers, schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations to participate in celebrating IEW 2009. If you have any questions or comments regarding IEW, please send them to feedback@state.gov. Thank you for your support of International Education Week.





EducationUSA Weekly Update



Another free benefit of partnering with EducationUSA is Weekly Update. This weekly email newsletter goes to all advisers in our network (in 170 countries). If your institution has scholarships that are available for international students and/or if you have new academic programs that may be of particular interest to an overseas audience, you can send an email with those details (a short paragraph with weblinks and email addresses for further information) to educationusa@state.gov. If there is a short video that describes these new programs or scholarships, we can embed those in the Weekly Update as well. We distribute the Weekly Update to all 450+ EducationUSA Advisers, many of whom forward it to their student contacts each week.





Financial Aid Awarded to International Students



The REAC for West and Central Africa has published the fifth edition of the EducationUSA Undergraduate Financial Aid Table, listing 886 four-year colleges and universities that are known to have awarded $10,000 or more in need- or merit-based funding to international students, including 352 that award more than $20,000. Students in EducationUSA centers around the world use this table as a guide in their selection of schools. If your institution awards more than $10,000 to individuals from outside the United States, please send your information to Nancy Keteku for inclusion in the next edition of the table.





EducationUSA Searchable Database Now Available Online



For those who attended the NAFSA Country Fair, you likely received a flash drive containing a searchable database of over 150 countries in which EducationUSA is represented. These country profiles contain contact information for all of our advising centers (with adviser email addresses) as well as the services each center provides for accredited U.S. institutions, some important statistical data on each country including the grading scales for both secondary and university education, and best times for visits to the country. Please email Marty Bennett, EducationUSA Marketing Coordinator, for more information about the online version of this database.





AFRICA



Scholarship Awards in Africa



EducationUSA Advisors worked harder than ever this year to help their students compete for admission with funding where needed. We are exceedingly proud to announce that students who use EducationUSA centers in Sub-Saharan Africa were awarded $16.5 million from U.S. colleges and universities this year. About 70% of these awards went to undergraduates, with the remainder going to graduate students. To those who made these awards possible, we send our thanks in hundreds of African languages.





MBA Tours in Africa



MBA Admissions representatives join forces to identify the next generation of African business talent: In late August, admissions officers from five leading U.S. MBA programs held information sessions, visited universities, and put on workshops for prospective MBAs in Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; and Johannesburg, South Africa. The leading business schools most eager to enroll African students were: Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth College); Darden School of Business (University of Virginia); Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania); Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University); and Chicago-Booth School of Business (University of Chicago). Following this sterling example, Columbia University’s School of Business has announced an African tour in late October. Traveling together in small groups with coordination from EducationUSA Advising Centers and local alumni has proved a highly successful and cost-effective way of meeting high quality students in Africa.





Council of International Schools (CIS) Africa Tour Returns in Late Fall



The CIS annual Africa tour will travel to ten cities in eight African countries in late October-early November. Admissions representatives from eight U.S. and four Canadian undergraduate institutions will visit Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya; Lusaka, Zambia; Harare, Zimbabwe; Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa. Other undergraduate admissions officers visiting Africa this fall include Vassar College, Tufts University, Harvard College, Yale College, University of Pennsylvania, and Bryant University. Again, coordination through EducationUSA Advising Centers is the secret of success for these visits.





Nigeria College Fairs in October



EducationUSA Advising Centers in Nigeria will hold their 12th annual College Fairs in early October – Lagos on October 6-7 and Abuja on October 8 - attracting thousands of Nigerian students and teachers to this very popular event.





Educational Advising Enhancements in Africa



Eighteen EducationUSA Advising Centers have received a total of $93,000 in funding under the Assist African Advising program, to implement projects in their centers ranging from equipment upgrades to outreach campaigns to English language teaching programs, all designed to enhance African students’ ability to gain admission to colleges and universities in the United States.





EAST ASIA/PACIFIC





Australia



EducationUSA advisers in Australia will conduct graduate information sessions in Cairns and Townsville on October 6 and 7. The programs will be hosted by James Cook University.



An international student U.S. pre-departure orientation will be held in Brisbane on October 8. The program will be hosted by Griffith University and is being supported by Queensland Education and Training International (QETI). The EducationUSA center at the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney will also host a Pre Departure Orientation on October 22.



For information on these and other events in Australia, contact Helen Reidy.





Indonesia: EducationUSA Reconnect-Plus admissions delegation to Indonesia

Application deadline: OCTOBER 7, 2009



Take advantage of a new opportunity for U.S. institutions to participate in U.S. Department of State-funded delegation to Indonesia during November 30-December 13 to visit EducationUSA advising centers and Indonesian secondary schools and universities. Participants will deliver information sessions and workshops for students, families and educators across Indonesia to explain the U.S. higher education admission process, academic programs and exchange initiatives. For the program description and application form please e-mail educationUSA@collegeboard.org to join this effort to increase US-Indonesian student mobility (must have experience with EducationUSA advising, preferably as campus host).





Japan



The Fulbright Japan EducationUSA center will conduct several Public Sessions in November, 2009 on a variety of topics, including:

- Graduate Admission in the U.S. (Nov.4)

- How my study abroad experience shaped my career (Nov.17)

- Liberal Arts Undergraduate Education in the U.S. (Nov.18).

EIS also welcomes individuals (or groups) to give presentations on specific topics regarding higher education in the U.S. For more information, please visit them online at www.fulbright.jp/eng/study/usservice.html

Korea



Fulbright Korea would like to announce the Association of Boarding Schools Fair scheduled for Tuesday, October 27 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM at the COEX InterContinental Hotel. For more information on this and other events, visit them online at www.fulbright.or.kr/en/usec/studyfairs.php



Taiwan



The Fulbright Taiwan EducationUSA advising center will host a public information session on U.S. Graduate Admissions on November 19, 2009. The session will be presented by Kristin Williams, Ed.D, Assistant Vice President for Graduate and Special Enrollment Management at The George Washington University. For more information on this and other upcoming events, please contact Mrs. Judy Chow.





EUROPE/EURASIA





1st Annual Volunteer College Fair in Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 6, at the Turkish-American Association in AnkaraAny alumna/us of a U.S. university is invited to participate in this fair and to share information about his/her alma mater with local high school students. It is not too late to sign up. If you have an alumna/alumnus of your college in Ankara, please encourage him/her to sign up to represent your university at this event. Participation is free. To register for this event, please contact EducationUSA advisor, Aylin Dewan.





EducationUSA Triennial Workshop in Prague, Czech Republic from March 21-25, 2010



Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to participate in the Europe/Eurasia Regional EducationUSA Triennial Workshop “From Reykjavik to Vladivostok” sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. The workshop will take place in Prague, Czech Republic from March 21-25th, 2010.

110 EducationUSA advisers representing over 40 countries in Europe and Eurasia will be attending this workshop. U.S. exhibitors will be able to promote their institutions during the student fair and sessions. A call for session proposals will be posted online and distributed in the coming weeks.

Contact EducationUSA Europe to receive more information and to join the mailing list: educationusa@iie.eu

Follow the EducationUSA EUR workshop on Facebook: www.facebook.com/educationUSA (Find the Triennial Workshop under events.)







Launch of the Croatian-American Foundation for Education and Training



The Institute for the Development of Education (IDE) in Croatia, a member of the EducationUSA network, is proud to announce the launch of the Croatian-American Foundation for Education and Training. The Foundation will provide masters-level graduate scholarships for highly qualified Croatian citizens who wish to study at U.S. universities. The Foundation is the product of a joint initiative between IDE as the founder and the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb and it will be governed in partnership with representatives of the Croatian government, the Croatian academic community and members of the American and Croatian business communities.



IDE looks forward to establishing linkages with specific graduate programs at U.S. universities in the near future and welcomes any partnership proposals related to the Foundation. For further information about IDE and contact details, please visit the web page: www.iro.hr.



Ana BudinFoundation Director, Zagreb, CroatiaT: +385 1 4555 151 / +385 1 4817 aabudin@haz.iro.hr / www.haz.iro.hr





Are you coming to the CIS Forum in Munich? Stop-by in Prague



Are you going to participate at the Council of International Schools (CIS) Forum that takes place in Munich, Germany, through November 16 – 17, 2009? You may consider an extension of your stay in Central Europe, visiting Prague, the beautiful capital of the Czech Republic, and celebrating International Education Week with prospective Czech students in the Advising Center of the Czech Fulbright Commission. If you are interested in this recruitment opportunity, please contact the Educational Advisor Jakub Tesar (tesar@fulbright.cz +420 222 718 452) and discuss your options in Prague.



Futurália 2010 - Educational Fair in Lisbon, Portugal: Your first stop in Europe!



The Fulbright Commission in Portugal and EducationUSA invite you to participate in the new EducationUSA Pavilion at the 2010 edition of Futurália – Youth, Education and Employment, an Educational Fair that will take place in March 10-13th. Participants: high school and university students; young graduates; teachers; parents; and education and learning experts. Futurália is expected to host 35,000 people in a major educational fair in Portugal.

Mark it on your calendar!

More information:Fulbright Commission – Portugal Phone: 351 217 611 130 Email: studyusa@ccla.pt

Best regards,

Ricardo Sequeira, Fulbright Information Center, Lisbon





Fulbright Center in Amsterdam – Outreach tour in the Netherlands



This fall the Fulbright Center in Amsterdam organizes an outreach tour throughout The Netherlands. We will organize 9 events and visit 8 cities during the months of September, October and November. The seminars will highlight undergraduate education in the U.S. and promote our Campus Scholarship Program. This program offers excellent Dutch high school graduates the opportunity to study in the U.S. for a year or a full degree. If U.S. institutions are interested in having Dutch students on campus, please contact the educational advisers of the Fulbright Center, Fabienne van den Bor (fvandenbor@fulbright.nl) or Erik van den Berg (e.vandenberg@fulbright.nl), for more information about student outreach opportunities.

Opportunities Arising in Slovenia



The EducationUSA center in Ljubljana was established in March, 2008. Its presence enables HEIs in the USA to be informed and use opportunities for promotion of programs in Slovenia and the region. In next few months, various fairs will take place in Slovenia. First will be the 10th Student Arena from October 13-15th. 20,000 people attended the event last year, primarily high school and undergraduate students, and it aimed to promote various opportunities for young people in the areas of education and learning, career and employment, science, sport and leisure. It will be followed by the 7th “Kariera” career fair on November 25th and 26th, visited last year by 14,000 young career-oriented people interested in employment or postgraduate education (MBA and other). In the beginning of 2010, on January 29th and 30th, a fair called “Informativa'10”, the largest education event in Slovenia, will take place. Each of the three fairs is organized by different organizers, but all offer free admission to students. HEI can participate for a fee as exhibitor, through lectures or advertisements. There are great opportunities to present your programs to specific target groups in Slovenia so we invite you to participate.



The EducationUSA center in Ljubljana will be present at two, if not all three, events to promote education in the USA. If you need more information on how to get involved please visit the above stated web sites or get in touch with us at EducationUSA@sklad-kadri.si. You can also contact us if you will not be able to attend but would like to be promoted through the EducationUSA center.





The Swedish SACO Fair: November 25th, 2009



The SACO fair in Malmö attracts about 6,000 students (mainly high school seniors). To make a bigger impact this year, EducationUSA @ Malmö Borgarskola is setting up a "Study in the USA- Island" where we will bring together as many U.S. institutions as possible. This will of course reduce the cost for you substantially. You will not have to pay any sign-up fee and the booth cost is reduced for you to approx. 500USD. If you are interested in participating (either yourself or alumni) contact us before October 23rd.

Andreas LejonEducationUSA Adviser and TeacherEducationUSA at Malmö Borgarskola andreas.lejon@pub.malmo.se +46-40-34 70 20





New EducationUSA advising centers in Ukraine and Georgia



We are very pleased to announce the opening of three new advising centers in Eurasia, serving regional populations of Ukraine and Georgia.



The Center for Promotion of International Education “Osvita”

Simferopol, Ukraine

Ms. Nelly Malii, Adviser, eacosvita@pop.cris.net



EducationUSA Advising Center, Crimean Engineering Pedagogical University

Simferopol, Ukraine

Nataliya Krasnobaya, Adviser, curly_nata@mail.ru

Center for International Education

Akhaltsikhe, Georgia

Tinatin Vardidze, Adviser, tvrosy@gmail.com

2009 – 2010 Education Fairs in Eurasia



If you have recruiters or alumni in the region, we would love to involve them in Education Fairs, and advisers can even distribute materials on behalf of your school if no representative can attend. Please contact the local EducationUSA advisers indicated for each fair for more information on how to get involved.



October 4, 2009

Rostov-na-Donu, Russia

Contact: Mr. Bradley Gorski, russiacoordinator@gmail.com

October 5-6, 2009

Kyiv, Ukraine

Contact: Ms. Victoria Mikhailenko, ieac@americancouncilskyiv.org.ua



October 7, 2009

St. Petersburg, Russia

Contact: Mr. Bradley Gorski, russiacoordinator@gmail.com

October 8, 2009

Moscow, Russia

Contact: Mr. Bradley Gorski, russiacoordinator@gmail.com

October 9, 2009

Tbilisi, Georgia

Contact: Ms. Tea Kuchukhidze, Kuchukhidze@state.gov

October 10, 2009

Baku, Azerbaijan

Contact: Ms. Bahar Haji-Zada, bhaji-zada@beic.az



October 23, 2009

Yerevan, Armenia

Contact: Ms. Gayane Grigorian, gayane@americancouncils.am



November 12-14, 2009

Moscow, Russia

Contact: Mr. Bradley Gorski, russiacoordinator@gmail.com

February 19-20, 2010

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Contact: Mr. Bradley Gorski, russiacoordinator@gmail.com

Funding Opportunities for study in the U.S. for students from Eurasia



Governments and local foundations in Eurasia are increasingly recognizing the value of an international education, and several new scholarship programs have been introduced in the region for study in the US. If you have interested students and applicants from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Tatarstan (in the Russian Federation) and Ukraine, please encourage them to contact their local EducationUSA advising center for more information these funding opportunities.



Azerbaijan



Azerbaijani Government Scholarship Program - scholarships for graduate studies at a select number of U.S. institutions. Funded by the Government of Azerbaijan. www.edu.gov.az



State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic Scholarship Program (SOCAR) –scholarships providing full funding to master’s degree students from Azerbaijan interested in pursuing a career in the oil and gas industry. www.socar.az/12-snews-view-en.html



Georgia



Democracy and Reform Fund – scholarships to master’s students in the fields of business, law, engineering, social sciences, humanities and medicine. Scholarships can cover full expenses, but preference is given to those who receive partial scholarships from universities. Funded by the Government of Georgia.



Russian Federation



Tatarstan Higher Education Fellowship Program – one-year fellowships for up to 50 undergraduate and graduate students to study at a U.S. university in the fields of agriculture, architecture (undergraduate only), arts & culture, business administration, chemistry, computer science/IT, economics, education, engineering, environmental management, journalism, physics, public health, social work, sociology, and urban planning. Funded by the Government of Tatarstan, a region within the Russian Federation, and administered by American Councils for International Education. http://www.americancouncils.org/program/3e/THEF/

Ukraine



WorldWideStudies – grants to cover university tuition and fees, study materials and health insurance (up to $50,000) for masters programs in the fields of agriculture, environmental studies/ecology, law (LLM) and public administration. Funded by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. worldwidestudies.org/en



Belarus, Russian Federation and Ukraine



Opportunity – provides support to talented international students of limited financial means who cannot afford the expenses of applying to accredited U.S. higher education institutions for degree-granting programs (undergraduate and graduate). May cover up-front expenses including, but not limited to: standardized testing fees; application fees and international postage; translations and certifications of academic transcripts; visa and SEVIS fees; transportation to the U.S. for enrollment; settling-in allowance for initial costs of living in the US. Information and applications available from EducationUSA advising centers. Funded by the U.S. Department of State. educationUSA.state.gov





MIDDLE EAST and NORTH AFRICA



Tours in the region



· The Linden tour will travel to six Middle Eastern countries from October 13-25th. The group will visit Dubai, UAE; Muscat, Oman; Doha, Qatar; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Amman, Jordan. www.lindentours.com

· The USEG tour will travel to nine cities in seven Middle Eastern countries from October 27th through November 11th. U.S. university representatives will visit Beirut, Lebanon; Amman, Jordan; Aqaba, Jordan; Manama, Bahrain; Dammam, Saudi Arabia; Doha, Qatar; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Dubai, UAE.

· EducationUSA Advising Centers in Cairo and Alexandria hold their annual College Fair in mid October, attracting hundreds of Egyptian students and teachers to this very popular event.





Competitive College Club students headed to the United States this fall



EducationUSA Advisors worked harder than ever this year to help their students compete for admission with funding where needed. Nine Competitive College Club students and 6 Opportunity Grant students are in the U.S. Thank you to all of the universities who believed in our students!



The Competitive College Club works with exceptionally bright students- both students who do and do not need financial assistance. CCC is open to students in grades 9-12 who are in the top 10 percent of their class. Students come to bi-monthly meetings, participate in community service projects and go through an intensive advising process with EducationUSA trained advisors. The club is free and also open to athletes and musicians looking to study in the US. Any schools with competitive scholarship programs who would like to do a video conference with the CCC students are invited to contact the REAC, Kristen Cammarata reackmc@gmail.com





Information on Iraqi Scholarships



Message from the Higher Committee for Education Development in Iraq (HCED)



Dear Colleagues,



I am pleased to inform you that the Iraq Education Initiative is well on its way to becoming a reality. We have opened our new offices in Baghdad, staff has begun work, and applications are flooding in. We already have well over 3,000 applications in hand. Our website is up and running at: www.hcediraq.org



The first 150 scholarships will be allocated automatically to the top 100 high school graduates across Iraq and to the top 50 technical college graduates. We hope to award an additional 400-500 scholarships this year for both graduate and undergraduate study in the United States and in the UK.



While we are off to a slower start than we had hoped, we will work hard to ensure that as many students as possible begin their programs this fall. Quite a few universities have indicated to us great flexibility with regard to arrival dates, since nearly all students will enroll in intensive English courses at first.



For those interested in becoming members of the American Universities Iraq Consortium, the Academy for Educational Development (AED) is coordinating registration on their website at www.cap.aed.org



We are looking for university partners who:



• provide ESL either on or near their campuses (or have an arrangement that will pipeline students into their academic programs),

• can issue DS-2019s from the start so that students travel on J visas only,

• ideally, offer provisional admissions and accept international students without the SAT requirement.



In addition, consortium members will:



- Assign an admissions liaison to serve as point contact for the HCED and coordinate the admissions process for all academic degree programs at the institution.

- Accelerate the admissions process for Iraqi students, including providing provisional admissions to Iraqi students who meet pre-determined admissions requirements.



We will place the first cohort of students with as many of the founding members of the consortium as possible, but actual placements will depend on majors, places and degree levels available and the needs of the program this year.



We anticipate a much larger program next year and will welcome participation from as many accredited programs and higher education institutions as possible.



Please stay tuned for further developments.



Best regards,



Zuhair Humadi, PhD

Executive Director

Higher Committee for Education Development in Iraq (HCED)





SOUTH and CENTRAL ASIA



Afghanistan: Kabul EducationUSA Advising Center (KEAC) Forms First Competitive College Club



Recently, the EducationUSA advising center in Kabul formed a student group which principally focuses on admission applications and standardized tests. The advising center invited about 60 students to join the club, but the club ended up with 18 committed students. The goal ultimately is to provide assistance to those who are interested in pursuing their college education in the United States. This initiative gives a remarkable opportunity to prepare the students for higher education in the United States. To encourage students and offer them even more of an incentive to pursue their academic goals, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul paid for the TOEFL test fees for the club participants. The EducationUSA advisor in Kabul meets with the club members on a regular basis to monitor their progress and challenges.





India: EducationUSA invites participation in International Education Week celebrations



EducationUSA, Kolkata, India will be organizing “Study America Fest” during International Education Week from November 16-18, 2009. The fest will comprise group sessions on U.S. admissions and applications procedures, individual counseling by EducationUSA staff, and student visa sessions by Consular staff. U.S. universities and colleges are invited to participate in this event. If you are visiting India and would be willing to conduct a special session on applications or any other related topic, please contact Sudarshan Saha. You may also send us posters, promotional materials, literature and other takeaways which will be freely distributed. Around 300-400 students participate in this event each year. "America Quiz" will also be conducted by the Public Affairs Office and American Library as part of the celebrations.





Kazakhstan



2009 International Education Fair, Aktobe, Kazakhstan, Oct. 28-29, 2009

Kazakhstan is a rapidly developing economy, with a population of 15 million people, located south of Russia and north-west of China. Over 16 years of independence, Kazakhstan has secured a leading position in terms of economic growth among all 15 former Soviet republics. Educating the next generation of Kazakhstani youth has been one of the key priorities of the Kazakh government since the country became independent in 1991. The “Bolashak” Presidential Scholarship Program (approx. 1,000 scholarship holders every year) and the policy of trilingualism (promotion of Kazakh, Russian and English) are making Kazakhstan a favorable place to market your educational services and attract brilliant students with solid high school and university background.Who are we? The AKEAC (Aktobe Educational Advising Center) is a member of the worldwide network of U.S. State Department-affiliated EducationUSA advising centers. AKEAC personnel are highly qualified professionals in the sphere of overseas education and are NAFSA: Association of International Educators members. We help people find a way for professional and academic improvement and provide a variety of services and products related to education overseas and English language studies. Our target group is Kazakhstanis of various ages from Aktobe Region and Western Kazakhstan. We use our knowledge and experience in administering educational services and in educational advising and provide up-to-date information and expertise. For more information, please visit www.akeac.org

Who attends?

• High school students aged 15-17

• College and university students aged 18-21

• Teachers, practitioners, scholars, and researchers

Why attend?

• Explore a new market

• Directly recruit new students

• Establish long-term business partnership

If you are on the Bolashak list, you will meet potential Bolashak recipients who may choose your institution (learn more about Bolashak at www.edu-cip.kz). For more information, please contact info@akeac.org.





10th Annual International Education Fair, October 24, 12pm-5pm, Almaty, Kazakhstan



The fair will be held at the Hyatt hotel and hosted by the Educational Advising Center BILIM-Central Asia. The fair offers great opportunities for colleges and universities, international educational agencies, foreign embassies, and other participating organizations to recruit talented students from Kazakhstan. It is not too late to register. For more information, please contact Gulnaz Issakhanova. More information is also available on Bilim's website: www.bilim.kz.





Kyrgyzstan: Request for US University Videos



The EducationUSA center in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan (the Naryn Educational Advising Center) requests DVDs from U.S. universities. Visitors to the Naryn EducationUSA center enjoy watching videos of U.S. campuses at the center. The videos are also useful during outreach events and the annual education fair. The videos should be sent in either DVD or CD format. If you have a video of your campus that you would like to send to Naryn, please contact Nazira Kaseeva by email at naryn.edu.center@gmail.com for the center mailing address.





Pakistan: USEFP Education Fair October 2009



The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) will hold a college fair on its premises in Islamabad on October 17, 2009. This is part of our ongoing effort to give U.S. universities a ‘face’ in Pakistan even though admission officials rarely visit this country. USEFP has requested universities and colleges to request one or more of their alumni in Pakistan to come to the USEFP and represent their alma maters. This event is meant to attract Pakistani students to meet the ‘face’ of U.S. universities and to enable them to speak face-to-face with a fellow Pakistani who has had personal experience with the institution and life in the United States. Other major college fairs are held in Pakistan each year which include dozens of universities from all over the world, yet not a single one from the U.S. It’s no wonder why Pakistani student numbers have dropped so drastically. USEFP held this education fair last year, and it was very well received. U.S. alumni in Pakistan need only commit about four hours to represent their institutions on October 17th! There is no charge for participation.





WESTERN HEMISPHERE





Western Hemisphere EducationUSA Adviser Training Program – This week in el D.F.



The Western Hemisphere EducationUSA Adviser Training Program is taking place this week, September 28th through October 2nd in Mexico City. This U.S. State Department-sponsored program is bringing together over 100 advisers from the network of EducationUSA advising centers in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as representatives of over 50 U.S. higher education institutions.



Fall 2009 Caribbean College Fairs



The College Fair organizers in the Caribbean are pleased to remind you of the dates for the fall 2009 Caribbean College Fairs, which begins in Aruba on October 16th and ends in the Bahamas on November 20th. To register your institution to participate in one or all of these fairs, please contact the fair organizer in each country. You can find contact information and specific dates by visiting www.educationusa.state.gov Find Your Advising Center > Recruiting Fair Schedule





We are pleased to offer this newsletter as a way to keep accredited higher education institutions informed about what is happening in our network. To register for the Higher Education Institution listserv (email group) please send an email to educationUSA@state.gov along with your name and position, and the name of your college or university.