Latitudes: Amid Tensions, More Chinese Scientists Are Leaving American Colleges

Is the China Initiative leading to reverse brain drain? Plus, Florida’s government wants to crack down on foreign funds to colleges. ADVERTISEMENT [Latitudes Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. Report details outflow of Chinese scientists New data document an alarming increase in American-trained scientists of Chinese descent who are leaving the United States for Chinese universities, driven by what many say is a hostile racial and political environment. The number of researchers who dropped their American academic or corporate affiliation in 2021 jumped 23 percent from the prior year, according to a [new report]( from the Asian American Scholar Forum — a total that includes both early-career scientists and professors with tenure. The study, commissioned by the forum, which [advocates]( for faculty members of Asian descent, is based on changes in authors’ listed addresses in papers published by academic journals. Last year, nearly 1,500 scholars in the sciences and social sciences who began their academic careers in the United States switched their American addresses to ones in China. The research is an effort to quantify the impact of the China Initiative, the U.S. government’s investigation of academic and economic espionage begun in 2018 under President Donald J. Trump and [ended]( in February by the Biden administration. Since 2018, the number of academics departing for China has increased by 40 percent. The increase in outflow was pronounced among academics in two broad areas: engineering and computer science, and mathematics and physical science. Still, the departures represent just a small percentage of the Chinese-born academics at American colleges — the National Science Foundation’s [Survey of Earned Doctorates]( reports that more than 6,300 Chinese nationals earned Ph.D.s in 2020 alone, and eight in 10 remained in the United States for their first job or postdoctoral position. Previously, returning to China “was only a second-choice back-up” for Chinese-born scholars like Yu Xie, a professor of sociology at Princeton University who wrote the report with colleagues at Princeton, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In recent years, China has become more attractive as it has invested in its universities and in scientific research, and the Chinese government has tried to [entice]( foreign-educated scholars to return home. But the acceleration in reverse brain drain that coincided with the China Initiative could have troubling implications for [American competitiveness and innovation]( which rely heavily on attracting and retaining top talent from overseas. Also worrisome is the increase in experienced researchers leaving for China despite deep ties to the United States, Xie said. Such professors typically have tenure, American-born children, and American citizenship or permanent residence. In an accompanying survey of academics of Chinese origin based in the United States, 60 percent of respondents said they had considered leaving the country, whether for China or elsewhere. (In their bibliometric analysis, the researchers did not measure trends in scientists who leave the United States for countries other than China.) Seven in 10 respondents said they no longer felt safe in the United States as an academic researcher, and more than six in 10 said they were wary of collaborating with colleagues in China. Eighty-six percent reported that it was more difficult to recruit top international students than five years ago. The findings echo an [earlier study]( by researchers at the University of Arizona of Chinese and Asian American scientists. The survey results underscore how “fearful” many scholars have become since the China Initiative, Xie said. One respondent, a U.S. citizen and winner of a National Science Foundation award for early-career scientists, said he had quit his academic position because of what he called an “anti-Chinese atmosphere.” “What I ha[ve] experienced not [only] ruined my academic career, but also destroyed my American dream,” he wrote. The survey was conducted from December 2021 to March 2022, and the bibliometric analysis concludes in 2021, so neither offers direct insight into perceptions and behaviors following the China Initiative’s formal end. But Xie said there are reasons for continuing concern. For one, there have anecdotally been signs of an enrollment slowdown in [Chinese graduate students]( which could affect the next generation of scientists and researchers. And while the investigation has been officially concluded, the conditions that led to the China Initiative remain, including heightened Sino-American tensions and legitimate concerns about the steps the Chinese government is willing to take to achieve [scientific pre-eminence](. As a result, Chinese American scientists could continue to be, as the study is titled, caught in the crossfire. “The broader context in which the China Initiative was launched,” Xie said, “has not disappeared.” Related: A former Texas A&M University professor and NASA researcher has [pleaded guilty]( to charges of hiding his ties to a Chinese university when applying for federal grants. Zhengdong Cheng was initially charged with multiple counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy, but he pleaded guilty to only two, related to falsifying documents, after a deal with prosecutors. A federal judge sentenced Cheng to the 13 months he had already served when waiting for his trial. ADVERTISEMENT Florida governor wants crackdown on foreign funds to colleges Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing legislation to bar Florida colleges from accepting any funds from governments or individuals in seven “countries of concern.” DeSantis last year signed a new law to require state colleges to [report]( overseas gifts or contracts worth $50,000 or more, imposing significant oversight of foreign contributions to higher education at the state level. But that’s not sufficient, the Republican governor said last week in [announcing]( his plan to push for additional legislation. “Even sub-$50,000 donations from individuals and groups pushing the agendas of hostile foreign powers on college campuses can undercut academic integrity, warp the perspectives of many students, and sway the research and writing of many professors to align with the interests and values of the sources of that funding,” DeSantis said. Under the proposed measure, all funds from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Venezuela would be prohibited. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Bill would tackle obstacles that block college-educated refugees from work Legislation that passed Congress with bipartisan support would require the U.S. Department of Labor to examine the employment obstacles for immigrants and refugees who struggle to find appropriate jobs in the United States despite having earned degrees or credentials. An estimated two million immigrants and refugees are unemployed or underemployed — that is, they are in jobs that don’t match their skill level or experience. “It is time to address what has been a significant brain waste,” said Daniel Kosten, assistant vice president for policy and advocacy at the National Immigration Forum. The [bill]( which President Biden has not yet signed into law, would require the Labor Department to study barriers for college-educated refugees and immigrants to get good jobs, including a lack of recognition of foreign credentials by employers, accreditors, and licensing bodies; the need to learn workplace English; and limited opportunities for networking. The department would also be charged with making recommendations for best practices. Kosten said there are already effective programs to ease the transition to work for immigrants and refugees, but they need investment to be able to serve more people. For example, California offers employment services at all refugee-resettlement agencies in the state. The federal government could also explore ways to encourage employers to hire refugees and immigrants, said Jina Krause-Vilmar, president of Upwardly Global, an organization that helps newcomers to the United States move into the work force. She said the need to eliminate barriers to full employment for those who come with degrees or credentials was underscored by last year’s airlift of refugees from Afghanistan. Six in 10 of the new Afghan refugees in the United States have college degrees, she said, and three-quarters are proficient in English. Around the globe International-education groups are asking the U.S. Department of State to [permanently extend]( Covid-era waivers of in-person student-visa interviews. The U.S. government will renew special student relief for [Burmese students]( allowing student-visa holders to qualify for emergency employment authorization and relaxing other regulatory requirements because of economic and political unrest in their home country. Anti-government protests have swept [Iran]( as students and others have taken to the streets to protest the death in police custody of a 22-year-old woman who was allegedly arrested for not fully covering her hair. The Russian government has begun to draft some civilians to augment its military forces fighting in Ukraine, but, for now, students at home and abroad will not be [called up](. The police are reviewing an incident in which a man allegedly attacked a Dartmouth College graduate student from Pakistan and directed racial epithets against three other students from India as a possible [hate crime](. New Zealand universities could face staff [strikes]( over pay. Britain’s new government may replace Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes with language and cultural centers sponsored by [Taiwan](. The University of Cambridge received “significant benefits” from the [slave trade]( according to the findings of an internal task force. An unusually large number of students are deferring their admission to Irish universities because of a [lack of housing](. ADVERTISEMENT And finally … Students at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities can now live in one of two Native American language-immersion communities. The college offers housing specifically for students interested in learning the Dakota or Ojibwe languages. Residents of the Ojibwe housing converse only in that language, while students in the Dakota housing are encouraged, but not required, to use that language on a day-to-day basis. The programs are part of an effort to revitalize the languages, which are in danger of extinction. One student [told]( Inside Higher Ed that it’s the everyday mundane words and phrases, like “washing machine” and “dustpan,” that bring Ojibwe to life for him. Thanks for reading. I always welcome your feedback and ideas for future reporting, so drop me a line, at karin.fischer@chronicle.com. You can also connect with me on [Twitter]( or [LinkedIn](. If you like this newsletter, please share it with colleagues and friends. They can [sign up here](. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037