In our day-to-day professional work in international education, we all struggle to manage information flow, identify opportunities, synthesize possible solutions, and act appropriately to better ourselves, our audiences, and our world. To help in this often overwhelming task, Social Media & International Education (SMIE) Consulting offers this free weekly e-news brief to share our perspectives and to provide some wisdom along the way. Happy reading!
- The news coming out of China with the slow lifting of Zero-Covid policies sounds positive, but will not be an overnight change in terms of student flows out. Check out this Sunrise International webinar (January 12) for what to expect moving forward.
- Pressure is building on the US government to act on TikTok to continue to operate in the country. A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the US Senate to prohibit “all transactions” on social platforms from foreign adversary countries.
- Because of fears of US TikTok users data being accessible by worrisome parties in China, the governor of South Dakota issued an executive order prohibiting all state institutions from using the platform for marketing and communications.
- On the other side of the world, Twitter remains blocked in Russia months after the invasion of Ukraine began, largely out of fear that dissent against President Putin’s war would further lay bare to the world his atrocities and failures.
- Will AI make social boom again in 2023? It’s possible if done right. One example of a recent trend on social media is #ChatGPT. If you’ve not seem it at work, it’s worth checking out.
- Will “authentic” social media channels like Be Real take off in the new year? Authenticity certainly will always play well no matter the circumstances but this Social Media Explorer article makes the case that 2023 will be the year.
- If you have a Facebook page, you should be regularly conducting an audit. What does that look like and what are the steps you should follow? I really like this take from the team at Social Media Examiner.
International Education News
- At the AIRC Conference, the discussion about how institutions can improve their standards when it comes to the international student enrollment journey were very welcome and show an important evolution in this organization’s focus.
- After undergrad admissions and recently law schools, this piece highlighting how MBA programs have also mostly gone test-optional with largely positive impacts on gender and racial/ethnic diversity within the ranks of admitted students.
- Are the increases we saw in the November Open Doors data from last academic year’s international student flows a blip? The arguments made in this article tend to reinforce past challenges the US has had rather than the numbers that show a much more positive, extended rebound coming.
- Encouraged to see that ramping up new consular officers at posts outside of India is being prioritized to address the incredible visa appointment delays, like what’s been happening in the UAE.
- The data speaks for itself: international students are vital not only to US universities, particularly in STEM programs, but also to the country as a whole. Read this Forbes article and try to come to a different conclusion.
- We all know we need to diversify where our international students are coming from, but which emerging markets are showing the most promise related to studying in the US? Download this IDP Connect diversity markets report for answers.
- When it comes to solutions to our international education quandaries, I always encourage colleagues to check out the great resources from the team at Intead. Check out this summary of their Q4 top takeaway articles.
- Another downloadable student survey report from QS shares important priorities of social & environmental responsibility, graduate student outcomes, and the decision making process of over 110,000 international students.
- Australia - The housing crisis on and around university campuses is so significant in Western Australia that the state government has begun a campaign to pay families $295/week to help bridge the expected 3-4000 shortfall in apartment places.
- Canada - The language in Canada being used surrounding the lifting of the 20 hour/week work limit shows how international students are being seen clearly as immigrants, not as temporary visitors to the country seeking an education.
- India - The increase in numbers of students coming out of India for higher education is staggering. Between 2021 and 2022, over 640,000 Indians left home to study abroad, an increase of over 200K year on year. No end in sight.
- Maritime SE Asia - This short report co-authored by British Council and Studyportals highlights how much of a destination Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia have been for international students from Southeast Asia and beyond.
- New Zealand - Recent international graduates of New Zealand universities (up to 1800) are being thrown a 1-year post-study work visa bone, short of the 3 years that international ed leaders in the country were hoping.
- Saudi Arabia - If you are hoping to recruit better in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it’s imperative to understand the country’s new Vision 2030, and what it means for its citizens hoping to study abroad. Good piece from ICEF.
- Singapore - When it comes to relations between the US and China, Singapore, specifically universities in this Southeast Asian city-nation, has to be like Switzerland. The current president of NUS speaks on this issue. Intriguing.
- United Kingdom - Could the extreme housing shortage in the UK be turning students off continued studies at British universities? In some key cities the annual rents and dubious renting practices are putting many off. But what’s the solution?
- United Kingdom - Sixteen British unis already have TNE operations in Indonesia. After a November delegation to Indonesia by 13 leading universities, expect that number of transnational centers to expand. Why can’t we do that?
- United Kingdom - UK universities are hoping other ministers in Sunak’s cabinet, like the education minister, will continue to distance themselves from the attempt to curb international student numbers in Britain.
- United Kingdom - Is this assessment from THE behind the government’s plan to reduce students coming with dependents for low-quality degrees? “Analysis by Times Higher Education has found that two-thirds of English universities are failing to meet outcomes benchmarks introduced by the Office for Students on October 3 in every subject.”
- United Kingdom - Indian and Nigerian students grew quickly in the UK in the most recent intake of international students which was up overall 77% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of the main news stories each week, check out our Midweek Roundup international education live chat on Wednesday at 1pm ET on the SMIE Consulting Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter feed, and LinkedIn. A podcast version is available as well on all major podcast provider platforms.
