The US Department of State is encouraging colleges and universities to establish union agreements. It’s also has spoken out about expanding and improving community college’s education. As a result, the country would be competitive in the global range of student recruitment race.
On May 2019, on the seminar during the NAFSA conference, the attendees discussed the subject of promoting community colleges’ education fair in an economic and diplomatic dialogue, for better global education reach.
Caroline Casagrande, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, addressed and supported the 2+2 model. The 2+2 model allows students to continue studying in the university even after taking courses at a community college.
Caroline also mentioned that such an agreement would have a significant impact on US attractiveness abroad. By offering fewer fees and more valuable, varied educational material to international students, the US can become a desired destination for graduates.
They also discussed the cost of education in the US. It was considered as one of the factors that negatively influence the attractiveness of the US.
NAFSA is working hard to make 2+2 model popular amongst the students and to make it possible to study in more than one geographical areas of the US.
The point is to encourage both the community colleges and universities to join the market and promote themselves alongside with the Department of State organized EudactionUSA fairs.
July 2019 will welcome an EducationUSA webinar for the international market. The webinar will be focused on community colleges.
This initiative will encourage students to start their education at community colleges, thus promoting community colleges themselves. The next step would be to transfer and continue studies in the universities.
Currently, community colleges are facing the problem of being unrecognized by the international students, says the CEO of the Centre of Global Advancement of Community Colleges, Zepur Solakian. She also added that agreements such as CGACC could remedy the state of community colleges.
Community colleges are not so affordable. Therefore more Filipino students prefer to pass the opportunity to study in the US. Not knowing that through community colleges, they can attend the best universities in the country, explained Zepur Solakian.
It seems like the global education industry is welcoming a challenger agreement from the US. The country’s education system representatives are fighting to give the US colleges and universities more attractiveness than ever.
The US DOS Improving the Chances of Country on the Global Student Recruitment Race
