China Threatens Enrollments at U.S. Colleges
In a sign that geopolitical tensions between the two countries are spilling over into higher education, China’s Ministry of Education on Monday warned students of the “risks” of studying in the United States. Because most Chinese students at American colleges pay their own way — or, at the graduate level, receive scholarships and stipends from American institutions — China doesn’t have a direct mechanism to stop students from studying abroad; still, the government advisory carries weight. A sudden decline in Chinese students could be disastrous for American colleges, where one in three international students is from China. I wrote about the potential for a “China effect” on American higher education in this news analysis back in January.
Graduate’s Speech on Israel Boycott Criticized
A doctoral student’s graduation speech supporting the Israel boycott has been criticized by New York University, where he graduated from, and by Northwestern University, his new employer. Steven Thrasher, who gave the student address at the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science, apparently did not include the language backing the boycott, disinvestment, and sanctions movement in a copy of the speech he had shared with the university before the event. In a statement, NYU President Andrew Hamilton called Thrasher’s comments “objectionable.” Northwestern’s president and provost said commencement was not an “appropriate venue” for such remarks but defended Thrasher’s right to make them.
Despite Brexit, British Tuition Rates for EU Students
Brexit’s future remains unclear, but British officials have guaranteed in-country tuition to European Union students who enroll there for the 2020 academic year. Six percent of enrollments at British universities come from within the EU, whose students have historically paid domestic rates rather than higher international-student tuition. The decision gives higher education in Britain some stability, as the country’s looming breakup with the EU threatens to shake up enrollments, faculty hiring, and research funding.
Thirty Years Since Tiananmen
The latest news out of China threatened to overtake remembrances of the 30th anniversary of the protests and the sudden crackdown against pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Talking about the events of liusi, or six-four, as the events of June 4, 1989, are referred to in China, has consistently been one of the most enlightening and moving experiences of my time covering young Chinese students. I share some stories and reflect on what Tiananmen has meant for Sino-American higher education in this week’s edition of latitude(s), my newsletter on global education.