From Inside Higher Ed

August 29, 2013
By Elizabeth Redden

You may be hearing more Portuguese in the hallways on your campus this semester.  More than 4,000 Brazilian undergraduates will be studying at universities in the United States this fall through the Brazil Scientific Mobility Undergraduate Program (formerly called Science Without Borders), a more than twofold increase over last fall. The scholarship program, launched by the Brazilian government in 2011, has quickly become an important source of international students -- and revenue -- for many American universities.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/08/29/brazils-scientific-mobility-scholarship-program-keeps-growing#ixzz2dN6POddu 

From Institute for International Education Update

Give Me Your Studious: American Universities Are Prolific Exporters

An article in the Daily Beast discusses the "rise of the American University as an exporter". 

"Higher education is small but rapidly growing service export. When a student comes from China to get a master’s degree in engineering at Georgia Tech, or a student from Brazil enrolls in UCLA’s MBA program—the tuition he pays is tabulated as an export. And an expensive one, at that. Despite the high price tag of American degrees, U.S. universities remain remarkably competitive in the global marketplace. For all its problems, the U.S. higher education system—especially the post-graduate education system—is the best in the world."

To read the full article, visit: www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/22/give-me-your-studious-american-universities-are-prolific-exporters.html. 

InterVarsity published a new book to help international students grow in their faith. The new I-DIG International Disciples Group guide (https://store.intervarsity.org/idig.html) can help Christian internationals discover the treasures of the kingdom of God in the Bible, each other, and the cultures of the world. Designed for student-led groups of three to five, the I-DIG can also be used for one-to-one discipling. It features 12 key topics that international believers need to advance in their faith, each explored by an inductive Bible study, memory verse, and a spiritual discipline and/or practical act of obedience to help students internalize lessons learned. Like the I-GIG Bible study guide for seekers (https://store.intervarsity.org/international-gig-guide-each.html), everything needed for a student or volunteer to lead a group is included in the I-DIG. Ten tools provide additional material about the Bible, sharing the gospel, Christian terms and concepts, reentry resources, and a plan for 12 additional weeks of studies.

The I-DIG was written by InterVarsity ISM Senior Resource Developer (and long-time ACMI member) Katie Rawson and two other experienced InterVarsity ISM staff, Krista Martin and Eric Wu. Many others tested the material, provided feedback, helped with editing, and prayed for the project. 

You can also order I-DIGs online from the InterVarsity Store (https://store.intervarsity.org/idig.html); use discount code idig20 to get 20% off the online price this summer.

Brian Hart
Associate Director of Communications

ACMI has a new website!

www.acmi-ism.org<http://www.acmi-ism.org>

ACMI's new website now has two pages to publish prayer requests—one for general requests that can be seen by the public, and another that is for members only.

The two links are:

http://acmi-ism.org/#/join-support/prayer

http://acmi-ism.org/#/join-support/prayer-members-only

In each case, you can fill out a simple form that will go to the email address of the Prayer Coordinator. The form you fill out will automatically indicate your choice of lists, but the final decision for publication will be left to the Prayer Coordinator. This is to guard against sensitive issues being posted to the public site.

This thirty minute documentary attests to the historical accuracy and reliability of the New Testament Gospels. It demonstrates unequivocally that the oldest manuscripts of the Christian Gospels are completely consistent with the present day Bible.

It explains in detail how this consistency has resulted from the dedication of New Testament scribes and other guardians of Biblical integrity. They devoted their lives to the accurate preservation of the Gospel accounts and the other documents making up the New Testament – just as Jewish scribes did for the Old Testament.

The Jesus Accounts film is on the Internet:

- in Kyrgyz - www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgAHe9EfMQI

- in Russian - www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZIIue_ukCw

- in Tajik - www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFAqERikkaI

- in Turkmen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGJcZmmNpIs

- in Bengali - http://vimeo.com/54431350

- in English - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2HFs2cVKNU

- in Turkish - http://y2u.be/BiO-iEIytv0

- in Chinese - http://www.56.com/u37/v_NjM0MTc0OTA.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm2CcxN0hQU 


http://thejesusaccounts.tv/

I’ve just heard some unsettling news from one of our new Chinese believers. She was invited to a “Christian” Chinese conference but when she arrived she was very surprised at their teaching. They used lots of military terminology, said Jesus was returning in 30 years and that we were all put on earth for the sole purpose of being his army. They were asked to sign a contract promising to lead a certain number of people to Christ this year and live in a sister house or a brother house in order to be a member of the group. They said they have over 10,000 in their group already. According to our student, “They call themselves "winner" that represent the one who "overcome" and calling Jesus to come back and get ready for fight for him.”  Has anyone heard of this group?

Fortunately, God gave her amazing discernment and she did not give into the pressure. She returns from her summer internship soon so we’ll have time to debrief with her a little more. If this group really is growing among our Chinese students we may need to get more info and prepare our Chinese believers if they encounter them.

This may be related to the "Eastern Lightning" or "Almighty God" cult that seems to be growing in China. I remember some students mentioning (over 6 months ago) that they post newspapers and brochures at Chinese grocery stores in Ann Arbor (and I am sure elsewhere in the U.S. as well). This Chinese researcher said that they are growing in China and that the Chinese government is cracking down on them because they are considered to be subversive.

 

Here are some on-line articles about them.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-12/20/content_16033787.htm

http://www.facts.org.cn/puop/201303/t177321.htm

First of all, kudos to you and your team for training this young believer so that she would recognize false teachings like this. As you mentioned, though, God's Spirit is who ultimately provides discernment in these situations. Praise God that she is returning to biblical fellowship--and wiser for the experience!

Sadly, this story is not new in China. Cults like this are what give all Christians there a bad reputation and why the government is leery of any sizable religious groups gathering together. Revolt is the #1 concern. The Taiping Rebellion is a good example of this. If you're up for some summer reading, Jonathan Spence's book, "God's Chinese Son," gives a full account of what happened when this Christian-based cult developed an army and revolted against the Qing Dynasty (mid-1800s). It's fascinating history, but the negative effects are still being felt today.

To keep this in perspective, though, 10,000 adherents isn't much in the grand view of China. Considering that an estimated 10-12,000 Chinese are choosing to follow Jesus every day, it's likely that groups like this will be diluted by the numbers of genuine Christ-followers around them. We can certainly pray for their salvation and their ineffectiveness in recruiting others toward their cause: "Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way" (Jude 1:22, MSG).

Question:  I  have had a couple of students say they would like to know more about American History and Culture. I looked a LIGHT AND THE GLORY.  While it is a wonderful book it is too narrowly focused for this application.  I am thinking of a smaller book.  There are many books that talk about American History, but I don’t know of any that talk about American culture … unless they are lengthy tomes which tend to overwhelm or put you to sleep!  Any suggestions?

Answers:

This is written for ISM.  Exploring America's Cultural Values and Holidays

Bill Perry's book, "A Look Inside America", exploring America's cultural values and holidays, is the best and shortest book (96 pages) I know on America culture.

Bill Perry http://www.multilanguage.com/feature.htm

I’m sure you already know about Bill Perry’s A Look Inside America that looks some at American cultural values but mostly at the history and traditions of our holidays.  Also another interesting resource is Why Are Americans Like That? by Stan Nussbaum.  You can order that on www.enculturation.org  - I notice that they (“Enculturation Books”) are in Colorado Springs!  Maybe we already have a connection to them?

 Another book that addresses several items regarding American culture (though not so much American history) is American Ways: A Guide for Foreigners in the United States by Gary Althen (intercultural press, inc./Yarmouth, Maine).

 

40 maps that explain the world
Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled “40 maps they didn’t teach you in school,” one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. Some of these are pretty nerdy, but I think they’re no less fascinating and easily understandable. A majority are original to this blog (see our full maps coverage here), with others from a variety of sources. I’ve included a link for further reading on close to every one.

Why Chinese Teens Love This Woman 
If you’re an American, you may not have heard of Jessica Beinecke, but if you’re a Chinese teen, she’s pretty much a household name. Jessica is the host and brain behind OMG! Meiyu, a wildly popular video series that teaches Chinese students the most important words in American English—the slang.
http://shine.yahoo.com/dailyshot/why-chinese-teens-love-this-woman-152009557.html

International Admissions Up, But...
August 22, 2013
By Elizabeth Redden

Despite an overall slowdown in the growth of international student applications, and a 3 percent drop in applications from the top sending country, China, initial offers of admission to international students for U.S. graduate schools increased 9 percent this year over last. This matches last year’s growth rate and represents the fourth straight year of growth in international admission offers, according to a survey released today by the Council of Graduate Schools, which has tracked trends in international graduate admissions and enrollments since 2004.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/08/22/despite-slowdown-applications-growth-admission-offers-international-grad-students#ixzz2ci08nhv0 

The amazing, surprising, Africa-driven demographic future of the Earth, in 9 charts 
Here's the link to the Washington Post's article on demographic projections for the next 100 years. We all need to read this for it will impact everyone.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/07/16/the-amazing-surprising-africa-driven-demographic-future-of-the-earth-in-9-charts/

From Perspectives
Mobilize» Awaken - A Conference celebrating Isa dreams Many thousands of Muslims report a glowing man bringing peace. The man of their dreams is Jesus (Isa in Arabic) the Messiah. Come, learn more about this miracle of God, join others in worship and prayer as we seek God in response.


Please pray for protection over conference preparations as well as for the speakers.

Pray » The Persecuted Church Use this web tool to keep in touch with new issues to pray for on behalf of the persecuted church each week.  You can even subscribe to their prayer points so that you can easily print them or forward them on to your church or other praying friends. 

Foreign Student Dependence
July 12, 2013
By Elizabeth Redden

International students play a critical role in sustaining quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs at U.S. universities, a new report from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) argues.

It will come as no surprise to observers of graduate education that the report documents the fact that foreign students make up the majority of enrollments in U.S. graduate programs in many STEM fields, accounting for 70.3 percent of all full-time graduate students in electrical engineering, 63.2 percent in computer science, 60.4 percent in industrial engineering, and more than 50 percent in chemical, materials and mechanical engineering, as well as in economics (a non-STEM field). However, the report, which analyzes National Science Foundation enrollment data from 2010 by field and institution, also shows that these striking averages mask even higher proportions at many individual universities. For example, there are 36 graduate programs in electrical engineering where the proportion of international students exceeds 80 percent, including seven where it exceeds 90. (The analysis is limited to those programs with at least 30 full-time students.)

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/12/new-report-shows-dependence-us-graduate-programs-foreign-students#ixzz2ZDyH4NOA

Inside Higher Ed

Consider four young international students whom you have heard of but never actually met: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They all were forcibly enrolled at the Royal University of Babylon.

Reaching The Nations Around Us
The article below is from the UK but has some universal lessons for those in ISM. It is printed in the “Huffpost,” an online magazine devoted to university student issues, with one section for international students. The broader link is http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/international-students.   

Overseas Students Feel 'Unwelcome' And 'Isolated' By Government's Migration Policy

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/06/24/overseas-students-unwelcome-government-policy_n_3489117.html?utm_hp_ref=international-students

God is Doing Something Historic
July 01, 2013 by David Garrison

More than 86 percent of all the Muslim movements to Christ in the 1,381-year history of Islam have occurred in the last 12 years. In centuries past, movements and crusades have been initiated in an effort to bring Muslims the gospel from the western world. But now something is happening within the very communities where Islam is so heavily present. What is God using to bring these people to His kingdom? 

And other similar articles:  http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/current

More Chinese Students Choosing Community Colleges

Chinese students studying in the United States are increasingly choosing to attend two-year community colleges and then transferring to four-year universities to get their bachelor's degrees, in order to save money, China Daily USA reports.

Writer Deng Yu reports that Washington State’s Green River Community College, Shoreline Community College, and Seattle Central Community College have received an influx of students from China, and work hard to make sure the students gain access to four-year institutions after graduating from the two-year schools.

Read the full article here:  http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/2013-06/21/content_16643715.htm

Most International Students National Universities

International students can add diversity to a college or university, enriching the experience of other students on campus. Schools with a strong global...

Top 10 national universities with international students / % of students
New School                                   New York, NY              27%
Florida Institute of Technology         Melbourne, FL              26%
Illinois Institute of Technology          Chicago, IL                  21%
Lynn University                               Boca Raton, FL           18%
University of Tulsa                           Tulsa, OK                   18%
Carnegie Mellon University               Pittsburgh, PA             17%
University at Buffalo–​SUNY              Buffalo, NY                  16%
Purdue University–​West Lafayette    West Lafayette, IN        15%
Northeastern University                   Boston, MA                  14%
University of San Francisco             San Francisco, CA        13%

More statistics for national colleges, regional universities, and regional colleges can be found at http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/most-international/spp+10

A More Secular Europe, Divided by the Cross

“There is a movement in the European Union that wants total religious neutrality and can’t accept our Christian traditions,” said Archbishop Zvolensky, bemoaning what he sees as rising a tide of militant secularism at a time when Europe is struggling to forge a common identity.

“In a continent divided by many languages, vast differences of culture and economic gaps, the archbishop said that centuries of Christianity provide a rare element shared by all of the soon-to-be 28 members of the fractious union. Croatia, a mostly Catholic nation like Slovakia, joins next month.

“Yet at a time when Europe needs solidarity and a unified sense of purpose to grapple with its seemingly endless economic crisis, religion has instead become yet another a source of discord. It divides mostly secular Western Europe from profoundly religious nations in the east like Poland and those in between both in geography and in faith like Slovakia.

“In nearly all of Europe, assertive secularists and beleaguered believers battle to make their voices heard….”

Full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/world/europe/a-more-secular-europe-divided-by-the-cross.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&

Duke University Study: Surprising Benefits of Engaging with International Students

Being in contact with international students not only improves American students’ foreign language and cultural skills but also has a positive impact on their cognitive development, Business week reports<http://tracking.naylorcampaigns.com:80/track?&mailingid=534332&messageid=534332&databaseid=534332&serial=1202961889&[email protected]&userid=8820&extra=&&&2065&&&http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-07/the-surprising-benefits-of-international-enrollment> citing a recent study run out of Duke University. The study—which is based on a 2005 online survey conducted among 5,600 members of the graduating classes of 1985, 1995 and 2000 from four highly selective U.S. institutions—revealed that those American students who often interacted with international students acquired more skills than those who did not have a comparable amount of such interactions.

Although this article focuses mainly on the effects of international interaction within business schools, the message can be applied to various types of schools. The article suggests that interaction with international students should be integrated into the curriculum, noting that it is not enough to simply have international students enrolled at a school, and that "about 25 per cent of the survey respondents reported having little or no interaction with international students."

To read the full study, click here<http://tracking.naylorcampaigns.com:80/track?&mailingid=534332&messageid=534332&databaseid=534332&serial=1202961889&[email protected]&userid=8820&extra=&&&2066&&&http://jistudents.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/2013-volume-3-number-3-journal-of-international-students-published-in-june-1-2013.pdf>.

Chinese activist says he's being forced out by NYU

This article is primarily about the controversy over special student Chen Guancheng, Chinese dissident. However, it also includes some general information about Chinese students and scholars in the US, almost 200,000 this year.

http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-activist-says-hes-being-forced-nyu-030456879.html


Check the link below for the feature article on Wichit and Miriam Maneevone and their ISM in the San Diego area. They have been doing this for over 40 years.

http://issuu.com/awodigitaledition/docs/goondnews_north_county_june2013?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage



VIDEO: High-Tech Immigrants

The title says immigrants, but the contents are specifically about foreign grad students wanting to stay in the USA to work in the tech industry. Deals with possible reforms in the immigration laws that would make it easier for this to happen.
Foreign graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, reflect on how immigration reform could make it easier for highly skilled workers like them to stay in the United States.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/05/22/technology/100000002218717/high-tech-immigrants.html

Saudi extends scholarship scheme to 2020 
This is one source for information about the Saudi student scholarship program being extended to 2020.
http://thepienews.com/news/saudi-extends-scholarships-for-2020/

Number of Chinese Taking National Exam Falls Again
By CORINNE DILLON
Published: June 9, 2013

“The number of Chinese students taking the gaokao, the famously stressful exam that determines admission for almost all the country’s universities, has fallen slightly for the fifth straight year.” The article continues to say that about 1/5 of the approximately one million who chose not to take the exam chose to study abroad instead.

Article at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/world/europe/number-of-chinese-taking-national-exam-falls-again.html?nl=learning&emc=edit_tc_20130612&_r=0

Additional news item at same site: Japan to host 1,000 interns and students from Africa

22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other
It’s not enough that international students have to distinguish between American, British, and Australian English.  They also have to adapt to the many varieties of English within the United States.
http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6?op=1#ixzz2cigsOZQK

The link connects to numerous maps of pronunciation and vocabulary examples.

'Does Science Need a Global Language?'
Jun 04, 2013
BySerena Golden
Whether or not science needs a global language -- which, Scott L. Montgomery believes, it does -- like it or not, it already has one: English.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/06/04/interview-author-new-book-english-lingua-franca-science#ixzz2VHVJiBvU

Strategies for Saudi Student Success
May 30, 2013
By Elizabeth Redden

ST. LOUIS – Several sessions on Wednesday at the annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference focused on the rapidly growing<http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/12/report-shows-growth-international-enrollments-study-abroad> numbers of Saudi Arabian students in the United States and the unique challenges associated with these students, who often arrive on campus with low levels of English and math preparation and with cultural values that can complicate their chances for success in an American classroom.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/30/international-educators-discuss-challenges-facing-saudi-students-and-strategies#ixzz2VBCBW1AJ

“Beyond More of the Same: The Top Four Emerging Markets for International Student Recruitment”
Article from World Education Services regarding university recruitment of international students

After an introduction listing the current largest markets of international students that can be recruited (China, India, Korea), the article says that “U.S. institutions should increase their near-term recruitment efforts in the following four emerging markets (by order of importance):” Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Vietnam, and Turkey.”

The article concludes with a recommendation that “the best way for universities to navigate the challenges and opportunities of recruiting from these top emerging markets is to adopt a portfolio approach for more effective risk management and growth. Institutions should:

·         Diversify by recruiting beyond China, India, and Korea, and build a portfolio of countries.

·         De-risk by employing a portfolio of practices, including financial relationships and engagement strategies, when cultivating emerging markets.

http://www.wes.org/ras/downloads/Beyond_More_of_the_Same_Top_Four_Emerging_Markets_International_Student_Recruitment.pdf

This is a fantastic site! It is a map of hundreds of music genres. You can click on each genre and hear a sample of that type of music (including international).

http://www.furia.com/misc/genremaps/engenremap.html