[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 14 (Thursday, February 1, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1022-S1023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 7--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
THE UNITED STATES SHOULD ESTABLISH AN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY TO 
   ENHANCE NATIONAL SECURITY AND SIGNIFICANTLY FURTHER UNITED STATES 
               FOREIGN POLICY AND GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS.

  Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Reid, Mr. Graham, and Mr. 
Wellstone) submitted the following concurrent reslution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                             S. Con. Res. 7

       Whereas educating international students is an important 
     way to spread United States values and influence and to 
     create goodwill for the United States throughout the world;
       Whereas international exchange programs, that in the past 
     have done much to extend United States influence in the world 
     by educating the world's leaders, are suffering from decline;
       Whereas international education is important to meet future 
     challenges facing the United States including challenges 
     involving national security and the management of global 
     conflict and competitiveness in a global economy;
       Whereas international education entails the imparting of 
     effective global literacy to United States students and other 
     citizens as an integral part of their education;
       Whereas more than 500,000 international students and their 
     dependents contributed an estimated $12,300,000,000 to the 
     United States economy in the academic year 1999-2000;
       Whereas other countries, especially the United Kingdom, are 
     mounting vigorous recruitment campaigns to compete for 
     international students;
       Whereas United States competitiveness in the international 
     student market is declining, the United States share of 
     internationally mobile students having declined from 40 
     percent to 30 percent since 1982;
       Whereas less than 10 percent of United States students 
     graduating from college have studied abroad; and
       Whereas research indicates that the United States is 
     failing to graduate enough students with expertise in foreign 
     languages and cultures to fill the demands of business, 
     government, and universities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN 
                   INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY FOR THE UNITED 
                   STATES.

       It is the sense of Congress that the United States should 
     establish an international education policy to enhance 
     national security and significantly further United States 
     foreign policy and global competitiveness.

     SEC. 2. OBJECTIVES OF AN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY FOR 
                   THE UNITED STATES.

       An international education policy for the United States 
     should strive to achieve the following:
       (1) Invigorate citizen and professional international 
     exchange programs and to promote the international exchange 
     of scholars.
       (2) Streamline visa, taxation, and employment regulations 
     applicable to international students.
       (3) Significantly increase participation in study abroad by 
     United States students.
       (4) Promote greater diversity of locations, languages, and 
     subjects involved in study abroad to ensure that the United 
     States maintains an adequate international knowledge base.
       (5) Ensure that a college graduate has knowledge of a 
     second language and of a foreign area.
       (6) Enhance the educational infrastructure through which 
     the United States produces international expertise.
       (7) Capture 40 percent of the international student market 
     for the United States.

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today I am honored to be joined by Senators 
Lugar, Levin, Reid, Wellstone, and Graham in introducing a resolution 
focused on the important issue of international education. My 
colleagues and I strongly believe that the United States should 
continue to build a vigorous international education policy. Former 
Secretary of Education Richard Riley has noted that nations across the 
world are keen on fostering greater faculty and student exchanges and 
suggested a series of new steps to re-energize the cause of 
international education in the United States. The conference report of 
the FY01 Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill included language 
recognizing that international education is a foreign policy priority. 
On November 11-17, 2000, campuses and schools across the country 
celebrated the first-ever International Education Week, recognized by 
Presidential Proclamation. I hope that this resolution will build on 
these efforts to preserve and extend a proud tradition of support for 
U.S. international education programs that dates back almost a half 
century.
  Providing an excellent education to America's children has always 
been vital in preserving U.S. leadership abroad. During the cold war, 
we demonstrated democracy's strength by winning the space race, by 
possessing superior scientific knowledge, and by understanding the 
languages, cultures and history of regions where the defense of liberty 
and freedom was paramount. In 1958, in response to the launch of 
Sputnik by the Soviet Union, the Congress enacted the National Defense 
Education Act as a major tool of cold war policy. The NDEA focused on 
improving the teaching of science and math education, history, 
geography and foreign languages in all levels of education. The 
National Defense Education Act provided capital funds to colleges and 
universities so that they could make low-interest loans to students.
  Today more than ever, in an environment of intense global economic, 
scientific and technological competition, a national education policy 
is crucial to America's leadership in the world. I believe that we need 
a new national defense education policy that focuses on foreign 
languages and the history and cultures in other parts of the world, 
because we can not lead in a world we do not understand. Unfortunately, 
we are once again falling behind when it comes to providing our 
children the tools they need to compete on the global stage.
  Less than one-tenth of graduating American college students have 
studied abroad. The reality of the global economy dictates that we 
cannot allow this rate to stand. In order for graduates to be effective 
in the increasingly international business community, they must better 
understand the world. Secretary Richard Riley put it well last year 
when he argued that ``college students [should] expect their education 
to give them a diverse global perspective that enriches their learning. 
More and more, international education will become the norm, not the 
exception, and students will routinely study abroad and know multiple 
languages.''
  Of course, international education works both ways. The resolution we 
are introducing today also recognizes the intrinsic value of bringing 
international students to study in this country. Today, the percentage 
of science and engineering doctoral recipients from abroad is 
declining. We must reverse this trend, because international students 
working in our universities make a valuable contribution to the 
research and study of their American counterparts and an invaluable 
contribution to global peace and stability when they return to their 
home nations imbued with all the possibilities democracy has to offer.
  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a resolution expressing 
the need for establishing an international education policy for the 
United States. I am pleased to join Senator Kerry and other colleagues 
from both sides of the aisle in this endeavor.
  Ask any American Ambassador in any U.S. Embassy what their most 
valuable programs are and many will respond by citing those programs 
which promote international cooperation and understanding. Educational 
and cultural exchanges typically rank high on their list because they 
are integral to our foreign policy and national security interests and 
build enormous good will abroad.
  Our resolution reflects the same priority to international education. 
It expresses the need for an international education policy that 
enhances our national security, advances our foreign policy and 
strengthens our global competitiveness.
  Our resolution states: 1. That all college graduates should have 
knowledge

[[Page S1023]]

of a second language and another geographic area of the world; 2. That 
we should enhance and streamline our educational infrastructure to 
strengthen international expertise--this should include our employment 
practices, our tax laws, visa and immigration procedures, educational 
advising and other areas for improving international education 
programs; 3. That we should increase U.S. student participation in 
study abroad programs. For now, only about one percent of our college 
population study abroad; 4. That we should increase the diversity of 
countries, languages, and subjects in our study abroad and exchange 
programs; and 5. We should promote and expand the number, diversity and 
educational levels of citizen and international professional exchange 
programs.
  We are introducing this resolution because we believe that improved 
international education and global literacy are important elements of a 
sound foreign policy. They help: build a foundation of trust and 
knowledge on which the conduct of international affairs must take 
place; narrow the distance with other cultures and societies with whom 
we increasingly interact and share burdens; our competitiveness in 
international commerce and trade in an increasingly global economy--95 
percent of the world's population live outside the United States and 
are potential customers and knowing the language, the culture, and the 
customs of other countries helps improve doing business abroad; develop 
skills to manage our political relations with other countries as we 
address diverse challenges to stability, national security and economic 
growth; and in sharing our values (e.g., democracy and freedom) and 
know-how with others and to acquire values and know-how from others.
  We know that international cultural and educational programs played a 
key role in helping to end the cold war and build the post-Cold War era 
through interpersonal contacts, grass-roots exchanges and other forms 
of international engagement.
  Success in promoting international education programs today and in 
the future will help promote democratic values and international 
cooperation. They can serve to reduce poverty and injustice and promote 
new leaders and new leadership skills in the U.S. and abroad that are 
essential to a better world.
  Forty-six years ago, I traveled to study at Oxford University, 
England, where I had the unique opportunity to meet and study with 
student leaders and scholars from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and 
other parts of the world. Those two years made a difference in my life 
and I have been indebted ever since to the experiences and the idealism 
I learned at the time.
  I hope colleagues will share our enthusiasm for international 
education and will join us in urging the development of a sound, 
cohesive and constructive international education policy for the United 
States.

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