[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14277-S14279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, in honor of the eighth annual 
International Education Week, which runs Monday, November 12 to 16, 
2007, I would like to emphasize the importance of international 
education and exchange programs and the key role they play in 
strengthening our own educational system, shaping our young citizens to 
become successful in our interconnected world, and improving our image 
as Americans overseas.
  In so doing, I want to share a number of stories from my constituents 
about how their international education and exchange experiences have 
changed their lives. While I do not have time to read all of their 
stories, I will ask to have them printed in the Record as each and 
every one of these stories demonstrates how critical it is that we 
support international education and exchange programs and initiatives.
  You will see in all of my constituents' stories a common theme--
international education has opened their eyes to the fact that we are 
an interconnected global community and that we have responsibilities as 
Americans to reach out to that global community. A constituent, Claire 
from River Falls, WI, wrote to me that:

       I was an AFS student in high school (in Brazil) and since 
     then firmly believe that if we could lift every 16 year old 
     out of their ``comfort zone'' and have them live somewhere 
     else in the world for a few months; we'd end war and 
     certainly increase global understanding.

  I agree with this statement and firmly believe that if we all stepped 
out of our ``comfort zone,'' we would be facing a future that is more 
stable and secure than where we appear to be today.
  International education and exchange strengthens our own educational 
system in a variety of ways. First and foremost, educational exchanges 
better prepare our children for

[[Page S14278]]

the workforce and competing in the global economy. Katherine from River 
Falls shared her experience working through a nongovernmental 
organization called Building Tomorrow. She wrote:

       While in Uganda [with Building for Tomorrow], I was 
     fortunate enough to have a home-stay experience with a 
     Ugandan family . . .  I and two other Building Tomorrow 
     members were paired with a doctor because we all had an 
     interest in some aspect of health care . . . This experience 
     was remarkable and contributed to my decision to pursue a 
     career in public health.

  International education and exchange strengthens our own educational 
system. Teachers and students participating in exchange programs are 
able not only to broaden their own horizons, they also inform their 
peers of their experiences and thinking and, in so doing, contribute to 
their school systems for the lasting benefit of others. Sandra, a 
teacher in Sun Prairie, wrote to me that she participated in two 
separate Fulbright Hayes Group Projects Abroad and that, ``both 
Fulbright-Hayes Group Projects Abroad inspired me to develop innovative 
interdisciplinary curriculum units, made infinitely richer by my newly 
acquired photographs, video footage, cultural artifacts, interview 
notes, books published outside of the U.S., and personal reflections . 
. . As a result of ongoing internationally focused literacy 
programming, my middle school students, including reluctant and 
struggling readers, seek out books on other cultures and countries, are 
intrigued by world maps, and pay more attention to world news and 
global concerns.''
  International education and exchange programs foster greater cultural 
understanding. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders--and the better 
they understand other cultures, the better prepared they will be to 
make informed and balanced decisions for the benefit of our Nation's 
and our world's security and well-being. Thanks to the disastrous 
policies of this administration, anti-American sentiment around the 
world is at alarming levels. Those policies were based, in part, on 
inadequate information or misinformation about the rest of the world. 
As a result, future American leaders are facing a world that is fraught 
with mistrust. Their overseas experiences today will build 
relationships for tomorrow. Those experiences will form their future 
decisions and provide them with a broader appreciation of others' views 
and interests.
  Sarah, a senior at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, wrote to 
explain to me about her semester abroad program:

       Traveling and studying abroad in general taught me about 
     American and other cultures, societies, views, and ideas, 
     different forms of government, a greater sense of 
     independence, and how to look at cultures and traditions that 
     are different from my own with an open mind, rather than 
     making judgment[s] before I know all the facts.

  As U.S. citizens, many of us have privileges that countless millions 
of people throughout the world will never experience. International 
educational opportunities encourage a greater sense of social 
responsibility to assist those who face lives of poverty, disease, and 
the effects of natural disasters. Lacey, a 25 year-old graduate of UW 
Madison, e-mailed me upon her return from spending a summer studying in 
China which impacted her so much that she is returning to be a 
volunteer interpreter at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. She wrote:

       I use my travels and the things I learn from each place to 
     bring back to my community with me and try to give back in 
     whatever way I can as much as possible.

  Finally, our citizens are our best diplomats. International education 
and exchange programs offer them the opportunity to reach out to others 
to reverse negative or inaccurate images that the rest of the world has 
formed. Kathy from Oshkosh shared with me how her experiences changed 
her perceptions:

       I recall with distinct clarity a conversation I had with my 
     host mother in Spain about the people of Islam in our 
     country. She was very surprised that I had friends who are 
     Muslim and that I respect their culture and religion. She 
     told me that I changed the way she views Americans . . . 
     Senator Feingold, I am no longer just a citizen of the United 
     States of America. I am a citizen of the World.

  Congress has an important role to play in enabling and promoting 
these experiences for our constituents. I was a strong supporter of the 
creation of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad 
Fellowship Program, an independent commission created in 2004 for the 
purpose of recommending a program to greatly expand the opportunity for 
students at institutions of higher education in the United States to 
study abroad, with special emphasis on studying in developing 
countries. One of my colleagues--Senator Durbin--has taken an important 
step in working to implement the commission's published recommendations 
by introducing the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 
2007, S. 991. But this bill is not enough. We also need to be 
supporting opportunities for every American to study overseas. And if 
not study, then to volunteer or participate in one-on-one exchanges. 
Cultural misunderstanding makes our world more dangerous, and, as you 
have heard from the accounts I have read, it is our citizens who make 
the biggest, longest lasting change.
  As we recognize and celebrate International Education Week, I call on 
all Americans to take a little time to learn something new this week 
about another culture, and I encourage all Americans to recognize and 
support international education and exchange throughout the year.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have constituent stories 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                           Additional Stories

       In the summer of 2005 our family, which owns a dairy farm, 
     did an international exchange with a Mexican college student 
     named Ceci.
       Boy oh boy did it open our eyes to the cultural differences 
     as well as similarities that we share. Our children later did 
     a reciprocal exchange, and stayed with Ceci's family for 3 
     weeks, and again this summer we had an opportunity to go 
     visit Ceci's family who live in Queretaro, Mexico. I have 
     also volunteered to speak about this cultural eye opening 
     experience to our local elementary school, and have shared 
     our pictures of the farms we visited while in Queretaro. Very 
     similar...
       Our countries have so much to offer each other, it sickens 
     me that our government is spending so much money in the name 
     of terrorism to build a wall between our borders. I respect 
     the need to secure our borders, but there should be a 
     diplomatic way in which we could legally allow those seeking 
     work to come here and work. Those who come are following a 
     dream of a job, not a dream to kill Americans. If we were 
     working them to place them in jobs, it would be easier to 
     outline our expectations and track them as well.
     Ellen, Independence.
                                  ____

       Studying abroad is an opportunity that any student should 
     be able to take advantage of. This past Spring Semester, I 
     had the chance to study abroad in Pamplona, Spain. Never did 
     I imagine it possible for me to study in Spain had it not 
     been for the financial help provided for me in the form of 
     grants and loans. I entered Spain, expecting to learn a 
     language, when I left I had learned and gained so much more. 
     Coming back to the United States, I not only feel more 
     comfortable in my ability to speak Spanish but in the way I 
     present myself. When studying abroad, language can become a 
     barrier, and one must rely on other things such as tone of 
     voice, hand gestures, and more often relationships to 
     understand the culture to its fullest. Having to conquer the 
     hurdle of language while I was abroad, I learned to depend on 
     other strengths and attributes I never knew I had. I can say 
     honestly, that I have gained much more than the experience of 
     learning a language, moreover the growth of a family. Living 
     in the United States, I take a little piece of Spain with me 
     wherever I go, hoping to influence others with my experience.
     Mary, Oshkosh.
                                  ____

       This past summer I completed an internship on the Tibetan 
     Plateau in the Yunnan Province of southwestern China. It was 
     coordinated through UW--River Falls and the China Exploration 
     and Research Society (CERS). The mission of CERS is to 
     conserve the cultural and natural environments of remote 
     China. I aided in this mission by helping to develop eco-
     tourism plans for one of their current projects. This 
     involved designing nature trails, septic systems, and 
     composting toilets.
       Living in a developing country really puts the world into 
     perspective. I now look at my day-to-day life differently 
     than before. It is hard to put into words, but I feel much 
     more content with my decisions and myself. Seeing the lives 
     of the rural Chinese and Tibetan people has shown me how 
     other people live and sustain themselves on very limited 
     resources. They get things done with the tools around them 
     and are patient to let things unfold naturally. When time is 
     taken to look at all the options for solving a problem and 
     all the consequences have been laid out, the likelihood of 
     success based on common sense is far greater.

[[Page S14279]]

       Studying abroad is a great opportunity and a true life-
     altering event. It challenges a person right down to their 
     core and really builds character on a newly formed 
     understanding of the world.
     Nick, River Falls.
                                  ____

       I had a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to study abroad in 
     the Wisconsin in Scotland program in the spring of 2006. This 
     experience changed my life. It not only helped me realize 
     what I wanted to do in my life, and gave me the desire to 
     travel, it also changed the way I looked at every aspect of 
     the world. This biggest thing I took away from the program is 
     my view of other cultures. I was naive when I first left to 
     study abroad thinking that any culture that wasn't as 
     ``advanced'' or ``sophisticated'' as the U.S. was simply just 
     not wealthy enough to be up to our ``standards.'' I now am 
     adamant that this is not the case. I live by the phrase 
     ``different isn't bad, scary, or wrong, it is just 
     different.'' This experience also helped me realize what I 
     wanted to do with my life. I intend to become a theatre 
     professor, and I want to teach somewhere in the UK. I loved 
     every single aspect of my study abroad experience and cannot 
     wait to go back. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I 
     learned something about myself that I would not have learned 
     anywhere else besides in another study abroad experience. I 
     learned my own personal strength. I learned what I was 
     capable of. When I was on holiday in Milan I missed my 
     flight, and it was up to me, not my professor, or my parents, 
     to figure out what to do. I never realized what it was like 
     to be a real adult until I had to take care of myself. It was 
     scary, and it was hard, but I did it. I now have this inner 
     strength of knowing what I accomplished by myself, in a land 
     where no one spoke my native language, and I got myself 
     through it. I will be forever grateful to the University of 
     Wisconsin--Superior and their Wisconsin in Scotland study 
     abroad program for turning me into the strong, well-
     educated, and open-mined woman that I am today.
     Nicole, Superior.
                                  ____

       I was fortunate enough to study in another country. At 
     first, when my friends told me about the study abroad 
     program, I was hesitant to sign up for the experience. In the 
     end I had made a decision that would change my life forever. 
     I had decided to study in the Wisconsin in Scotland program. 
     Before that time I had never even been in an airport much 
     less fly to another country. When I was in Scotland, I 
     learned far more about culture than any one could experience 
     from a class or text book. I was place in a foreign world and 
     had to deal with the changes. This is what made me feel more 
     confident about my independence as a person. Soon after my 
     return, my communication and people skills flew through the 
     roof. Thanks to the study abroad program for helping me 
     become the successful person I am today.
     Aaron, Menomonie.
                                  ____

       I am currently a student at the University of Wisconsin--
     River Falls. Last semester, spring 2007, I was a participant 
     in the ``Wisconsin in Scotland Program.'' It was an amazing 
     experience to be a part of. Not only were we able to enroll 
     in courses which would transfer credit back to our home 
     university, but we could fully absorb a different culture by 
     living in it. One of my friends said it best--you learn more 
     from traveling, especially studying abroad, than you could 
     from years in a classroom with text books. Although Scotland 
     is relatively similar to Wisconsin, volunteering in the 
     community of Dalkeith, visiting with host families, and 
     traveling with new friends offers new challenges. When we 
     flew back in May, I think we all had a new sense of 
     independence, a different look on the influence of the United 
     States on other countries, and an appreciation for what we 
     have at home. Being able to have the opportunity to study 
     abroad is an important, valuable experience.
     Gena, River Falls.
                                  ____

       I am a senior at the University of Wisconsin--River Falls. 
     Two years ago, I spent a semester of my academic career 
     studying Spanish in Queretaro, Mexico. I lived with a host 
     family while I attended the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios 
     Superiores de Monterrey, and I had an absolutely phenomenal 
     experience. Yes, I developed my language skills 
     significantly, but even more so, I developed an appreciation 
     for the Mexican culture and an understanding of the social 
     and educational problems that cause so many of the Mexican 
     people to emigrate to the United States. My study abroad 
     experience impacted me so greatly that I changed my major 
     from Elementary Education to Spanish Education with a minor 
     in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) 
     so that I might work with the growing immigrant 
     population.
     Theresa, River Falls.
                                  ____

       From September 2005 until September 2006 I was on a 
     sabbatical leave from UW--Whitewater in Oman as a senior 
     Fulbright program scholar. I taught business and economics 
     courses at Modern College of Business and Science, which is 
     located in Muscat. In addition, I assisted the College 
     administration and owners in preparing their college for 
     academic accreditation. I participated in English language 
     training of Omani judges (in collaboration with the U.S. 
     Embassy and the Ministry of Justice). My family and I have 
     met many interesting people from different ways of life and 
     had many opportunities to travel throughout the region.
       Promoting American values in the Middle East today is very 
     difficult. I believe that my solid work particularly with 
     college students will enhance good will and will bring 
     tangible benefits in the future by developing bilateral 
     business and educational linkages.
     Tom, Whitewater.
                                  ____

       UWM's Fulbright-Hayes summer program offered an opportunity 
     to nurture an interest I've had in the Middle East and North 
     Africa since I was a freshman in college (over a decade now). 
     Like many Americans, I had reservations about traveling to a 
     part of the world that seems hostile to us. My experience 
     with my Moroccan host family proved this perception false. I 
     learned that the legendary warmth and hospitality of the Arab 
     world are not myths. Indeed, my host family gave the 
     impression that their primary enjoyment of material comforts 
     came from sharing them with me, a stranger with strange ways 
     to whom they had opened their home. They eagerly shared their 
     culture with me, and were infinitely patient as a I learned 
     the finer points of Moroccan manners, such as eating with my 
     right hand and remembering to take my shoes off when I walked 
     on a carpet.
       After my experiences in Morocco, I find myself having a lot 
     to say when I hear another American declare that Arabs or, 
     more broadly, people in the Muslim world, hate us. Hearing 
     this is frustrating, knowing what I know now, especially when 
     people use it to justify an unjust action on the part of the 
     United States toward countries in the Muslim world. The 
     Moroccans I met went out of their way to distinguish between 
     the U.S. government and the American people when expressing 
     dislike of a particular U.S. government policy or action 
     against a country in their region. They feel that their side 
     of the story is not heard or understood. Since I've been 
     back, I find myself seeking out news coverage of the Middle 
     East and North Africa, waiting to hear those perspectives my 
     Moroccan friends and family shared with me. Their absence 
     only seems to reinforce the ``well, they hate us,'' attitude, 
     since they are often preempted by more extreme viewpoints.
       I think that programs like our summer trip to Morocco can 
     expose both sides to new ways of seeing the conflicts that 
     exist between us and that can be a positive first step to 
     better relations.
     Valerie, Ripon.
                                  ____

       I was selected to participate in the Training of Writers 
     program offered by the National Council on Economic Education 
     (NCEE). This program is part of the Cooperative Education 
     Exchange Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, 
     Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and carried out in 
     coordination with the U.S. Department of State.
       Briefly, the week I spent in Bucharest was amazing and 
     exceeded all of my expectations! On a professional level, I 
     benefited from the formal goal of the program: creating a 
     pool of qualified economic curriculum writers which provided 
     insights into NCEE curriculum materials, voluntary national 
     content standards in economics, and active learning 
     strategies. This program has already improved my teaching as 
     I re-focus my lessons on meaningful and relevant economics 
     content. (Hence, the reason why I am swamped as I am making 
     adjustments and improvements in my classroom.) On a personal 
     level, the experience of working with international educators 
     was invaluable. We worked as partners in collegial teams 
     creating active, meaningful economic lessons which could be 
     implemented in K-12 classrooms worldwide. The collaboration 
     allowed me to learn about economic education in various 
     countries and build an international network of fellow 
     educators. I will continue to work on this program over the 
     coming months as I refine my lesson with feedback from the 
     U.S. faculty, field-test the lesson in classrooms here in 
     Wisconsin, and finally submit my final lesson to NCEE with 
     revisions based on feedback from teachers involved in the 
     field-testing.
       My international experiences through opportunities provided 
     by the NCEE have shown me the importance of working in 
     partnership with people in other countries and building 
     positive collaborative relationships.
     Ann, New Richmond.

                          ____________________