[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 50 (Friday, April 6, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3768-S3769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL 
                            EDUCATION POLICY

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 30, S. Con. Res. 7.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 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, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution which had been reported by the Committee on 
Foreign Relations with an amendment, an amendment to the preamble, and 
an amendment to the title, as follows:

                             S. Con. Res. 7

       Whereas promoting international education for United States 
     citizens and ensuring access to high level international 
     experts are important to meet national security, foreign 
     policy, economic, and other global challenges facing the 
     United States;
       Whereas international education entails the imparting of 
     effective global competence to United States students and 
     other citizens as an integral part of their education at all 
     levels;
       Whereas research indicates that the United States is 
     failing to graduate enough students with expertise in foreign 
     languages, cultures, and policies to fill the demands of 
     business, government, and universities;
       Whereas, according to the Institute for International 
     Education, less than 10 percent of United States students 
     graduating from college have studied abroad;
       Whereas, according to the American Council on Education, 
     foreign language enrollments in United States higher 
     education fell from 16 percent in 1960 to just 8 percent 
     today, and the number of 4-year colleges with foreign 
     language entrance and graduation requirements also declined;
       Whereas educating international students is an important 
     way to impart cross-cultural understanding, to spread United 
     States values and influence, and to create goodwill for the 
     United States throughout the world;
       Whereas, based on studies by the College Board, the 
     Institute for International Education, and Indiana 
     University, 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, according to the Departments of State and 
     Education, the proportion of international students choosing 
     to study in the United States has declined from 40 to 30 
     percent since 1982;
       Whereas international exchange programs, which in the past 
     have done much to extend United States influence in the world 
     by educating the world's leaders, as well as educating United 
     States citizens about other nations and their cultures, are 
     suffering from decline; and
       Whereas American educational institutions chartered in the 
     United States but operating abroad are important resources 
     both for deepening the international knowledge of United 
     States citizens and for nurturing United States ideals in 
     other countries: 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, significantly further United States 
     foreign policy and economic competitiveness, and promote 
     mutual understanding and cooperation among nations.

     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) Enhance the educational infrastructure through which 
     the United States produces citizens with a high level of 
     international expertise, and builds a broad knowledge base 
     that serves the United States.
       (2) Promote greater diversity of locations, languages, and 
     subjects involved in teaching, research, and study abroad to 
     ensure that the United States maintains a broad international 
     knowledge base.
       (3) Significantly increase participation in study and 
     internships abroad by United States students.
       (4) Invigorate citizen and professional international 
     exchange programs and promote the international exchange of 
     scholars.
       (5) Support visas and employment policies that promote 
     increased numbers of international students.
       (6) Ensure that a United States college graduate has 
     knowledge of a second language and of a foreign area, as well 
     as a broader understanding of the world.
       (7) Encourage programs that begin foreign language learning 
     in the United States at an early age.
       (8) Promote educational exchanges and research 
     collaboration with American educational institutions abroad 
     that can strengthen the foreign language skills and a better 
     understanding of the world by United States citizens.
       (9) Promote partnerships among government, business, and 
     educational institutions and organizations to provide 
     adequate resources for implementing this policy.
  Amend the title so as to read: ``Expressing the sense of Congress 
that the United States should establish an international education 
policy to further national security, foreign policy, and economic 
competitiveness, promote mutual understanding and cooperation among 
nations, and for other purposes.''.

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee 
amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as 
amended, be agreed to; that the amendment to the preamble be agreed to; 
that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; that the amendment to the 
title be agreed to; that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table and any statements relating to the concurrent resolution be 
printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment was agreed to.
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 7), as amended, was agreed 
to.

[[Page S3769]]

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title amendment was agreed to.

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