Latitudes: Amid concern over foreign influence on campus, panel urges government and higher ed to coordinate

Also, international students stay and work in the U.S. after graduation, but a survey suggests they may have long-term plans to return home. ADVERTISEMENT [Latitudes Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. Advisory committee makes recommendations on research security, transnational repression A federal academic-advisory council is urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to do more to tackle research security and transnational repression, including strengthening cross-governmental coordination, sharing risk assessments and recommendations for best practices with colleges, and working with higher-education and Asian American groups to limit inadvertent harm to researchers from government policies. The Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council, an appointed group of school and college officials, approved a report with findings and recommendations during a meeting on Monday. Alejandro Mayorkas, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, had asked the panel to make “malign” influence by foreign governments and other overseas actors [one of two priorities]( calling it a “persistent and increasing” problem for higher education. The potential vulnerability of colleges to foreign governments seeking to poach American know-how and intellectual property has been a high-profile issue for more than half a decade, as [research and innovation]( has moved to the forefront of U.S.-China tensions. But the issue of transnational repression is less well understood, said Miriam Feldblum, a co-chair of the subcommittee examining foreign malign influence. In the report, Feldblum and her colleagues note that there is no consistent definition of transnational repression, which refers loosely to actions taken by authoritarian governments to suppress dissent among their citizens abroad, including harassment, intimidation, and surveillance. There is also a need for more systemic and concrete data collection. While Freedom House, a human-rights group, has called intimidation of international students and scholars on American campuses an “[everyday threat]( much of what is known about the phenomenon is on a case-by-case basis, such as a furor over the removal of posters critical of the Chinese Communist Party at [George Washington University]( and the conviction of a Chinese student at Berklee College of Music for stalking and threatening a fellow student and pro-democracy activist. It is critical to “move beyond alarming anecdote” and gather evidence to better “detect, track, and quantify” the frequency of transnational repression, said Feldblum, who is also the executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. College leaders may not be aware of transnational repression or realize that it’s a problem on their campuses. In fact, several administrators told the subcommittee that they receive “nearly no reports” related to the issue. That, however, may be because international students self-censor or assume that such threats are baked into the experience of studying overseas, the report said. Students may be afraid they are being [monitored]( while abroad and that what they say or do could affect their futures and families back home. China’s Ministry of Public Security, for example, has a hotline for reporting students who criticize the government. Getting a sense of how widespread the problem is will be critical, the report said. It suggests that the federal government develop training modules so international students can better identify transnational repression and work with colleges on protocols for reporting, with the option to do so anonymously. Faculty and staff members need more education, too. Campus and local police could be called on to respond to such incidents, but they are likely to have little understanding of transnational repression, John Ojeisekhoba, an advisory council member, said during Monday’s meeting. “I can say with high confidence that training is so badly needed,” said Ojeisekhoba, who is an associate vice president and chief of campus safety at Biola University and a former president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. The federal government should adopt a “whole-of-government strategy” to deal with transnational repression, with the Department of Homeland Security taking charge of developing and disseminating tools, best practices, and other resources, the subcommittee said. The FBI could jointly lead the effort, with responsibility for reporting and investigations. And both could work with colleges to develop a clearinghouse to promote the timely sharing of data. In recommending a “coordinated, transparent, intentional approach,” Feldblum said the panel was heeding lessons from the initial handling of concerns over research security, which was marked by inadequate government outreach, a lack of clarity about perceived risks, and inconsistent rules and guidance among federal agencies. Since then, collaboration and engagement has improved across the government and between federal officials and college leaders. The FBI created an academic liaison program to maintain regular channels with its field offices, and it could be expanded to include transnational repression. Still, when it comes to research security, the government could do more, the report said, including publishing regular risk assessments for universities and harmonizing research-security reporting and compliance across agencies. It could also consult more closely with higher-education associations and Asian American groups in policy making to avoid unintended repercussions for students and scholars. The rocky early response to research security — in particular, the federal probe of academic ties to China known as the [China Initiative]( — has been blamed for discouraging international collaboration. Mayorkas, who attended Monday’s advisory council meeting, said he planned to immediately share the report with other government leaders with responsibility for dealing with foreign malign influence. ADVERTISEMENT UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Library and Institutional Success Program | July 2024] The Chronicle is partnering with Ithaka S+R to host a brand new [professional development program for librarians]( in July. This innovative two-week program will help library leaders understand the many roles they might take on, boost the success of the campus library, and better align with their institution’s goals. Learn more about our seminars and workshops, and [register today]( U.S. work experience a big part of international students’ post-graduation plans Eight in 10 international graduates who took part in optional or curricular practical training, which give foreign students work experience, found jobs in the United States after college, according to new research. Intead, an international-education marketing and research firm, worked with NAFSA: Association of International Educators to survey international alumni at 12 colleges in four states. The [findings]( were presented at last week’s NAFSA conference. Two-thirds of the 1,800 respondents, all of whom graduated within the past five years, participated in OPT or CPT, as the federal training programs are known, underscoring that many international students come to America both to earn a degree and gain on-the-job experience. Most of those surveyed studied and are working in science, engineering, and high-tech fields. International graduates are 21 percent more likely to buy or rent a home than their American counterparts. Yet the survey found that students were split between staying or leaving. Asked about their long-term plans, 45 percent said they would return to their home country or a third country, while 39 percent intend to continue to live and work in the United States. Another 16 percent want to study for a more advanced degree at an American college. Ben Waxman, chief executive of Intead, cautioned against extrapolating survey results from a small number of respondents to the more than 1 million international students in American higher education. Still, the findings offer a glimpse of foreign graduates’ experiences and aspirations, as colleges are called on to offer [better career services]( to international students. Waxman said he hoped to expand the survey to alumni of a larger number of colleges. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Future of Diversity Training - The Chronicle Store]( [The Future of Diversity Training]( Diversity training for faculty and staff members is widely used across higher education. Yet there’s little agreement on whether such training is effective. [Order this report]( for insights to improve your college’s approach to building a culture that supports diversity. Intensive English enrollments continue to inch up International enrollments in American English-language programs continued their slow recovery, but their numbers are just half that of the enrollment peak in 2015. About 68,000 international students studied in intensive English programs in 2023, a six percent increase over the previous year, according to [data]( from the Institute of International Education. Interest in English-language study [fell precipitously]( during the pandemic amid travel restrictions and visa backlogs. But the declines predate the pandemic. Enrollment in these programs fell 44 percent between 2015 and 2019. One reason for the downturn is a shift in international-student demographics. Intensive English programs flourished a decade ago when the biggest growth was among students from China and Saudi Arabia, who often did not have classroom-ready [English-language skills](. Indian students, who typically have previously studied in English, are now the [largest group]( of foreign students on American campuses. In English-language programs, the largest group of students is Japanese, at 16 percent, followed by students from France, Brazil, and China. The institute’s census includes English programs that are run by colleges, that are on college campuses but run by outside providers, and that are unaffiliated with higher-education institutions. About a quarter of the students in intensive English said they planned to continue their studies in the United States. Around the globe An early version of a must-pass defense-authorization bill in the U.S. House contains [provisions]( that would prohibit colleges with agreements with “entities of concern” in China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from receiving defense funding. The White House’s top science adviser said the Biden administration is “pretty close” to releasing [federal rules for research security](. But Arati Prabhakar said efforts to draft final guidelines had been complicated by concerns about their impact on colleges and researchers. A [coalition]( of groups advocating for a national strategy for international students announced a [new campaign]( to urge Congress to press for fixes to visa delays and high denial rates, particularly in Africa. Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont has signed [legislation]( that will guarantee lower, in-state tuition rates to all Vermont residents, regardless of immigration status. The number of bachelor’s and master’s programs taught in English worldwide has increased, but the biggest program growth has come from [outside traditional anglophone countries](. A delegation of American Jewish students met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss antisemitism on [American college campuses](. The Canadian government is doing away with a position that coordinated [national strategy]( for international education. In his inauguration speech, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s new president, said Taiwanese universities would [welcome back]( students from mainland China, but Beijing is unlikely to let its students enroll because of continuing tensions. China’s Ministry of Education announced just [six joint academic programs]( between Chinese and foreign universities, a far cry from the large number of programs approved annually over the past decade. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology held down the top spot in the latest [QS World University Ranking]( for the 13th year, but two-thirds of American colleges fell places in the new rankings. The School for International Training announced two new [doctoral degrees]( that focus on conflict resolution and refugee response and sustainability and climate change A new [prize]( will recognize leadership in international education. ADVERTISEMENT And finally … It was wonderful to catch up with so many of you at the NAFSA conference last week. Thanks to everyone who came out for our discussions on antiracism and international-student success and to my talk about trends in international education. I also appreciate the many suggestions of presentations and panels during the conference. I was only able to get to a small share of them — seriously, how many steps do you think we got in running from one end of the New Orleans convention center to the other?! — but I look forward to reading through the slides to catch up on what I missed. And I’m still looking for your feedback: Did you attend an interesting session or hear an exciting speaker? Did you learn anything new or take in ideas that challenged your preconceptions? What was your favorite part of NAFSA? What were your greatest takeaways? Your input and insights make my reporting better. Drop me a line at karin.fischer@chronicle.com. You can also connect with me on [X]( or [LinkedIn](. If you like this newsletter, please share it with colleagues and friends. They can [sign up here.]( for reading. CAREER RESOURCES [Read the June collection]( for advice on finding a job as a new PhD grad. Learn how you can manage job market expectations, dually apply for industry and academic roles, and more! 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