I am bothered by the way we treat Chinese students. Obviously they are our largest minority .. yet we have no office for Chinese minority affairs.
There is a debate going on at a campus list serve over about legislative proposals to surcharge foreign students. The central issue for me is the huge number of students coming here from China. Shouldn’t they be paying more?
The US academic product is the best in the world. “We,” that is the universities funded by government, should be working hard to attract students from both affluent and poor countries.. “We” should be working to see that this “product” returns as much as it can … both in income and in stature to the US. The government should help us market this amazing American product.
The benefit to the US is obvious when it comes to poor countries. “We” do a great job for the students from poor countries. When democracy takes root in North Africa it will be fed by young people educated here. Even in India, a lot of the strengths of their democracy come from the shared educational roots with the US and, of course, Britain.
Anyone who questions the benefit to the US should ask how we would feel if China replaced us in the education industry?
Is it this to the American taxpayers who are subsidizing her education????
I have this concern at all levels for Chinese undergrads grad students, and fellows. Esp. in STEM fields where funds are available to support these students are able to subsidize themselves via research jobs … and need to do so because unlike students from Europe or Japan, the Chinese students rarely if ever bring funds with them.
While I eschew some magical 20% surcharge, I also think we are in danger of misusing tax payer support or at least of alienating the public.