    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [April 19, 2000]
    [Pages 750-752]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on International Education Policy
    April 19, 2000

    Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

    Subject:  International Education Policy

        To continue to compete successfully in the global economy and to
    maintain our role as a world leader, the United States needs to ensure
    that its citizens develop a broad understanding of the world,
    proficiency in other languages, and knowledge of other cultures.
    America's leadership also depends on building ties with those who will
    guide the political, cultural, and economic development of their
    countries in the future. A coherent and coordinated international
    education strategy will help us meet the twin challenges of preparing
    our citizens for a global environment while continuing to attract and
    educate future leaders from abroad.
        Since World War II, the Federal Government, in partnership with
    institutions of higher education and other educational organizations,
    has sponsored programs to help Americans gain the international
    experience and skills they will need to meet the challenges of an
    increasingly interdependent world. During this same period, our colleges
    and universities have developed an educational system whose reputation
    attracts students from all over the world. But our work is not done.
    Today, the defense of U.S. interests, the effective management of global
    issues, and even an understanding of our Nation's diversity require
    ever-greater contact with, and understanding of, people and cultures
    beyond our borders.
        We are fortunate to count among our staunchest friends abroad those
    who have experienced our country and our values through in-depth
    exposure as students and scholars. The nearly 500,000 international
    students now studying in the United States at the postsecondary level
    not only contribute some $9 billion annually to our economy, but also
    enrich our communities with their cultures, while developing a

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    lifelong appreciation for ours. The goodwill these students bear for our
    country will in the future constitute one of our greatest foreign policy
    assets.
        It is the policy of the Federal Government to support international
    education. We are committed to:
         encouraging students from other countries to study in the
                United States;
         promoting study abroad by U.S. students;
         supporting the exchange of teachers, scholars, and citizens
                at all levels of society;
         enhancing programs at U.S. institutions that build
                international partnerships and expertise;
         expanding high-quality foreign language learning and in-
                depth knowledge of other cultures by Americans;
         preparing and supporting teachers in their efforts to
                interpret other countries and cultures for their students;
                and
         advancing new technologies that aid the spread of knowledge
                throughout the world.
        The Federal Government cannot accomplish these goals alone.
    Educational institutions, State and local governments, non-governmental
    organizations, and the business community all must contribute to this
    effort. Together, we must increase and broaden our commitment.
    Therefore, I direct the heads of executive departments and agencies,
    working in partnership with the private sector, to take the following
    actions:
        1) The Secretaries of State and Education shall support the efforts
    of schools and colleges to improve access to high-quality international
    educational experiences by increasing the number and diversity of
    students who study and intern abroad, encouraging students and
    institutions to choose nontraditional study-abroad locations, and
    helping under-represented U.S. institutions offer and promote study-
    abroad opportunities for their students.
        2) The Secretaries of State and Education, in partnership with other
    governmental and nongovernmental organizations, shall identify steps to
    attract qualified post-secondary students from overseas to the United
    States, including improving the availability of accurate information
    overseas about U.S. educational opportunities.
        3) The heads of agencies, including the Secretaries of State and
    Education, and others as appropriate, shall review the effect of U.S.
    Government actions on the international flow of students and scholars as
    well as on citizen and professional exchanges, and take steps to address
    unnecessary obstacles, including those involving visa and tax
    regulations, procedures, and policies.
        4) The Secretaries of State and Education shall support the efforts
    of State and local governments and educational institutions to promote
    international awareness and skills in the classroom and on campuses.
    Such efforts include strengthening foreign language learning at all
    levels, including efforts to achieve bi-literacy, helping teachers
    acquire the skills needed to understand and interpret other countries
    and cultures for their students, increasing opportunities for the
    exchange of faculty, administrators, and students, and assisting
    educational institutions in other countries to strengthen their teaching
    of English.
        5) The Secretaries of State and Education and the heads of other
    agencies shall take steps to ensure that international educational
    exchange programs, including the Fulbright program, are coordinated
    through the Interagency Working Group on United States Government-
    Sponsored International Exchange and Training, to maximize existing
    resources in a nonduplicative way, and to ensure that the exchange
    programs receive the support they need to fulfill their mission of
    increased mutual understanding.
        6) The Secretary of Education, in cooperation with other agencies,
    shall continue to support efforts to improve U.S. education by
    developing comparative information, including benchmarks, on educational
    performance and practices. The Secretary of Education shall also share
    U.S. educational expertise with other countries.
        7) The Secretaries of State and Education shall strengthen and
    expand models of international exchange that build lasting cross-
    national partnerships among educational institutions with common
    interests and complementary objectives.
        8) The Secretary of Education and the heads of other agencies, in
    partnership with State governments, academic institutions, and the
    business community, shall strengthen programs that build international
    expertise in U.S. institutions, with the goal of making international
    education an integral component of U.S. undergraduate education and,
    through graduate and professional training and research, enhancing the
    Nation's capacity to produce the international and

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    foreign-language expertise necessary for U.S. global leadership and
    security.
        9) The Secretaries of State and Education, in cooperation with other
    agencies, the academic community, and the private sector, shall promote
    wise use of technology internationally, examining the implications of
    borderless education. The heads of agencies shall take steps to ensure
    that the opportunities for using technology to expand international
    education do not result in a widening of the digital divide.
        10) The Secretaries of State and Education, in conjunction with
    other agencies, shall ensure that actions taken in response to this
    memorandum are fully integrated into the Government Performance and
    Results Act (GPRA) framework by means of specific goals, milestones, and
    measurable results, which shall be included in all GPRA reporting
    activities, including strategic plans, performance plans, and program
    performance reports.
        Items 1-10 of this memorandum shall be conducted subject to the
    availability of appropriations, consistent with the agencies' priorities
    and my budget, and to the extent permitted by law.
        The Vice President shall coordinate the U.S. Government's
    international education strategy. Further, I direct that the heads of
    agencies report to the Vice President and to me on their progress in
    carrying out the terms of this memorandum.
        This memorandum is a statement of general policy and does not confer
    a private right of action on any individual or group.

                                                          William J. Clinton