[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