Readers, I want to hear from you for a future article: Tell me how your college is preparing for the uncertainty and potential long-term effects on international recruitment, study abroad, and faculty and student travel. I’m at karin.fischer@chronicle.com.
Lawmakers Scrutinize Federal Investigation Into Research Ties
Two members of Congress are asking federal agencies to provide more information about their investigations into scientists’ and researchers’ ties to China. Rep. Judy Chu of California and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin of Maryland, both Democrats, have written to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Institutes of Health, asking about inquiries into the possible sharing of intellectual property with the Chinese government. The two lawmakers raise concerns that federal officials could be singling out Chinese-American and Chinese-born scientists. In a letter to Francis S. Collins, the NIH director, they wrote about “serious concern that innocent people are being swept up in this initiative. The current moves have been characterized as ‘racial profiling’ and a ‘new Red Scare.’” The probes are not new — I wrote four years ago about the case of a Temple University physicist falsely accused of being a spy. But scrutiny of researchers’ foreign ties has picked up under the Trump administration.
Top White House Official Says U.S. Is ‘Desperate’ for Skilled Immigrants
The acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, told a private gathering recently that the United States is “desperate” for more immigrants, in contrast with the Trump administration’s public posture. “We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants,” he said in remarks obtained by The Washington Post. Mulvaney praised the immigration systems in Australia and Canada, which favor international students and other skilled immigrants. President Trump last year did outline a plan for skills-based migration. But the proposal has gained little traction, while hardliners in the administration have largely succeeded in pressing a more-restrictive immigration policy.
International Students Reflect on Their Experience
In this week’s issue of my global-education newsletter, latitude(s), I shared some highlights from an international-student panel I organized at the recent Association of International Education Administrators’ conference. The students talked about their perspectives on all aspects of the international-student experience, from their confusion in applying to American colleges to their struggles to find work after graduation. I found this observation from Anna Piasek, a master’s-degree student from Poland, especially affecting: “What I would definitely say to my younger self is that you have to have a clear purpose and goal of what you want to do after you graduate … I know that this degree will open lots of doors for me, but I wish I had specified long ago which one I would like to open.”
If you have questions or concerns about this article, please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
