An academic movement to expand the knowledge of the United States is spreading across the higher education sector in Africa. Following the trend, the American Language Centre in Morocco, the African Centre for the Study of the United States (ACSUS) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and ACSUS at the University of Pretoria have been established to specialize in the study of the U.S.

Background

 To understand multilayered aspects of a country in terms of culture, economy, history, politics, and society, it is important to develop an interdisciplinary study of the region. Accordingly, globally high-ranked universities have research centers dedicated to multidisciplinary research on other countries. However, it must be acknowledged that education institutions’ commitment to study other regions comes with implications other than for academics; the knowledge gained on other countries and their people is also a useful resource in deciding domestic and foreign policies. In this vein, universities across Asia, Europe, and North America have their own centers established to research countries in Africa. Lately, the African continent is seeing a reciprocal trend as its universities began training their gaze on other parts of the world. For instance, Stellenbosch University in South Africa founded the Centre for Chinese Studies, and the University of Johannesburg opened the Centre for Africa-China Studies. [caption id="attachment_2224" align="alignnone" width="2250"] The University of Pretoria has established centers for Asian studies and American studies Photo: Sian Tiley-Nel / Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0[/caption] In addition, the University of Pretoria is awaiting senate approval to establish a center for Asian Studies under its humanities department. Similarly, other universities in South Africa also opened centers to study Asian and European languages to develop their understanding of other regions. At the same time, the University of Pretoria takes a step further. While many other African universities have focused more on Asia and Europe, the school also opened ACSUS with a clear goal to alleviate Africa’s disadvantage in knowledge compared to the level of expertise the U.S. has on the continent. The newfound center aims to become a citadel of learning by fostering international knowledge and training students. Those students, in turn, will eventually contribute their expertise not only in academia, corporates, or foreign ministries but also in Africa’s civil society and media, influencing overall domestic and foreign policies.

Why does it matter for Africa to study the U.S.?

The US has a long history of researching Africa. It has studied the African continent for 74 years with currently over 150 degree courses and nearly 40 centers pertinent to African studies. On the other hand, African countries have merely three studying the U.S. This imbalance in knowledge production has put African countries in a disadvantaged position. To make it clearer, whereas the US has formulated its policy towards Africa based on their adept research, African countries have struggled to shape their policies regarding the superpower nation. In the absence of delicate policies toward the U.S., getting on an even footing with the U.S. is becoming exponentially difficult for the African states to secure their opportunities in the relation with the world’s strongest nation. The African continent has started to feel the increasing necessity to advance its knowledge of political, economic, and trade relations in dealing with the U.S. Such an increase in American influence on Africa’s present and future has been predictable, for the superpower's economic and military interests and activities in the region. Moreover, the reciprocal cultural influence on each other through the African-American population and African diaspora in the U.S. — which will be a great medium for the continent to expand its global influence and presence — is undeniably immense. [caption id="attachment_2222" align="alignnone" width="1125"] Following the meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Joe Biden wrote on his social media, "I'm committed to further elevating our ties with Kenya and nations across Africa as a whole." Photo: The White House / Licensed under CC BY 3.0 US[/caption] In contrast to the long-lasted political stance of the U.S. towards Africa, which was an outcome of the Cold War imperatives and US-China rivalry, the U.S. has recently announced that it will treat African countries as equal partners. The announcement was surprising, and yet fortunate for the continent, considering that the U.S. creates the second most jobs in Africa after China. Regarding trade and investment, the U.S. was the third-largest investor in Africa in 2017 with $50 billion, following France and the Netherlands which invested $64 billion and $63 billion, respectively. On the other hand, the political system of the U.S. is also a good motivation for Africa to study the country. This is especially the case since, as of 2020, there are only seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa that are considered “free” with reliable democracy. Although the U.S. has recently experienced threats to its democracy from its own people and its political system carries quite a few dysfunctional aspects, the country still stands as an epitome of a working democracy. Furthermore, it should be noted that Africa’s most underrated export — brainpower — takes a big part in the American health system. Specifically, between 2004 and 2013, the migration of African physicians to the U.S. increased by 40 percent, resulting in a grand total of 23 percent of physicians in the U.S. originating from Africa.

Summary

In this context, academic institutions in Africa should host more programs and centers to develop knowledgeable insights into the U.S. In turn, such programs and centers should delve into the country’s economy, history, politics, and society, as well as its cultural aspect, on which the continent exerts and receives great influence. By so doing, African states will be able to formulate delicate domestic and foreign policies based on empirical evidence, leveraging opportunities from multilateral relations with the US.     Read More: Race-conscious College Admissions Policies at Risk

The impact of the pandemic has been devastating to the education sector around the globe. Many governments, including those in Latin America, have introduced educational quarantines to protect students from the virus. Since the beginning of 2020, young students and children have been put away from their schools, teachers, and peers, as a part of the social distancing policies. With the pandemic lasting well over two years, educators in Latin America put efforts to look forward into the future but with concerns about the fate of education in their countries.

Case for Brazil

Priscila Cruz, the executive president of Todos Pela Educação, a civil society organization working to improve the quality of basic education in Brazil, discussed the difficulties of delivering quality basic education to students in Brazil and Latin America. Referring to the fact that only a few Brazilian states have been successful in improving education quality, Cruz emphasized the “need to universalize equality.” For instance, those successful states were among the only few capable of carrying out remote learning in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. Other schools in Brazil, which are the great majority, have not found a viable option to institute remote learning and remained closed for the most part. Cruz expressed her hesitancy to predict how the pandemic will affect education in Latin America, especially those that had to adopt school closing policies. Yet, she was certain that the pandemic has practically rescinded the progress made in education in recent years, possibly taking Brazil back to the quality and level of education 10 years ago. As she provided suggestions for a resolution to the educational problems in Latin America, Cruz sent out a message: "Can we build a new renaissance?" Specifically, she proposed an educational reform which encompasses sharing resources and adopting effective practices from the successful states. She also pointed out the need to implement technical and vocational programs to motivate dropout students to return to school.

Case for Mexico

[caption id="attachment_2213" align="alignnone" width="2560"] About 60 percent of students in Mexico are having trouble accessing distance learning. Meanwhile, the country's poverty level also shows a steep increase. Photo: Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México[/caption] Sylvia Schmelkes, the academic vice-chancellor at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, joined the discussion, addressing the similar ongoing educational difficulties in Mexico. She said that the pandemic has worsened the already deeply troubled education in Mexico, lowering the quality and accessibility even more. She especially noticed the growing disparity in the technological and financial situation of families — approximately 60 percent of the students had the means to learn from remote classes. Unfortunately, however, the situation is predicted to get only worse, for the poverty levels in Mexico jumped from 42 percent to 54 percent between 2020-21. She suggested several approaches to tackle the matter to establish more substantial equity. These include a reformation of educational assessments, higher priority on teachers, and attention to disadvantaged communities where access to remote learning was minimal or non-existent. Schmelkes elaborated on the approach, “This list of ways forward would seem that they are not emergency measures for facing the aftermath of the pandemic, but rather reflect what many of us have always wanted the educational system to be: equitable, inclusive, decentralized, warm and welcoming, centered on significant learning, a system that trusts its teachers and supports them with the training they need to achieve learning results in very diverse realities.”

Case for Chile

[caption id="attachment_2212" align="alignnone" width="2500"] Now with much less opportunity to educate students in person, teaching professions are losing popularity in Chile. Photo: Universidad Diego Portales in Chile[/caption] Paula Louzano, dean at Universidad Diego Portales in Chile, reported on the status quo of the education field in Chile. Prior to the pandemic, the country had focused on hosting competent teachers, whom they believed to consequently develop the overall quality and equity of education. Accordingly, the nation implemented policies to attract talents to the education profession by raising salaries for teachers and improving their working conditions. Although the policy change was done as a response to the increased number of student enrollment, this led to a problem. With no national standards, teachers producing lower-quality education were becoming more common. According to Louzano, there are two considerable effects of the pandemic on the teachers. Firstly, the heavy reliance on online teaching has resulted in a significant decrease in the immediate necessity of in-person practical trainings through educator programs. The second effect, yet possibly the more perceivable, is that teaching as a profession has become much less popular compared to the pre-pandemic era. Previously, teachers felt higher motivation and satisfaction as they could directly experience the positive change they make in their students. However, now with the widespread distance learning, such rewarding experience has significantly diminished. Now, health-related occupations, which have traditionally come with more prestige and higher salaries, are more frequently pursued. Louzano suggested ways to make a progress in the education field currently facing numerous challenges all around the world. She underscored the importance of strengthening the relationships between education programs at universities and the local schools to better resonate with the needs of the local education communities. She said, “The pandemic is not used as an excuse to lower the quality of our teacher preparation programs, but on the contrary, we use this crisis to become stronger.”   Read More: The Impact of the Pandemic on U.S. Colleges

It is that time of the year when high school students nervously check their email inboxes hoping they have been accepted to their reach schools. At the same time, college rankings, which many have relied on to make their list of college applications, have come under fire once more. Recently, Michael Thaddeus, a math professor at Columbia University, has openly questioned the accuracy of the data submitted by the college to U.S. News. The accusation has drawn special attention, for the school was ranked as the second-best university in the U.S. along with Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Meanwhile, the University of Southern California admitted that it had been omitting key data when reporting to U.S. News in order to inflate rankings for its graduate school of education. The university pulled the graduate program out of the rankings altogether for this year. This came amid a federal court’s decision to sentence 14-month incarceration for a former dean of the business school at Temple University on charges of providing false data to U.S. News. However, sending false data to manipulate school rankings seems to be a widespread practice; Claremont McKenna College, George Washington University, and the University of Oklahoma, to name of few among a slew of others, have also falsified their data in the past. Fixing the problem might have been simpler if the issue with rankings was solely down to those who cheat the system. Unfortunately, the problem goes deeper; the rankings are delusive with questionable criteria, providing a misleading guide for students and families to choose where to apply and attend. People can end up spending more when similar quality education is available at a better price. For instance, schools ranked around 70^th in the university rankings will probably not be dramatically different in the quality of education or career prospects compared to their counterparts ranked around 90^th.  As the rankings do not accurately represent such important information, students may decide to attend a slightly higher-ranked university paying full tuition, forgoing scholarship opportunities at a lower-ranked one.

How Are Rankings Constructed?

U.S. News & World Report College Ranking Metrics. Source: U.S. News

Therefore, it is important to take a closer look at what goes into these rankings that so many rely upon for guidance. Many prospective students are probably unaware that the single most significant factor constructing U.S. News’ ranking is the institution’s reputation, accounting for 20 percent of the final score. The reputation criterion — based solely on the “peer assessment survey” — wields as much impact on the rankings as the entire category of faculty resources which includes class size index, student-faculty ratio, and a few other criteria highly relevant to the institution’s quality of education. Coming in as a close second, in terms of influence on scores, is the six-year graduation rate. This can also be highly misleading, as it reflects more so on the student cohort’s financial background to fund their studies than academic ability. As students from low-income families are much more likely to experience an interruption of study for financial reasons, many of them struggle to complete an undergraduate degree within six years. Assigning 17.6 percent of importance to the six-year graduation rate in the ranking metrics may consequently motivate colleges to accept a smaller number of students from low-income backgrounds to protect their graduation rates and rankings. However, graduate indebtedness, the most important factor for student satisfaction according to an extensive survey by Gallup in 2017, accounts merely for 5 percent of the U.S. News’ ranking metrics. Since prospective students also search university rankings to predict their quality of life and satisfaction during and after their time at undergraduate, it does not seem entirely reasonable why graduate indebtedness casts only 5 percent of influence on the rankings. On a positive note, following the years of heavy criticism, U.S. News removed the student acceptance rate from its ranking formula. The rate had previously made schools adopt aggressive marketing strategies to lure and incite students — even those who had practically no chance of getting an acceptance — to apply for admissions. Instead, the ranking now takes into account the proportion of Pell Grant students who complete their education within six years; this measure offers insight into how much support financially disadvantaged students receive at each college.

How to Fix

Nevertheless, many other factors that seem hardly relevant to students’ satisfaction with college experience still remain in the ranking metrics. Alumni donations, for example, account for 3 percent in the formula, while the aforementioned graduation rate of Pell Grant students accounts for 5 percent. This kind of information is simply not what prospective students need. Instead, they need to know whether the college provides a stimulating suite of courses with quality teaching, how the institution prepares its students for a future career, how indebted its students become after graduation, and the diversity on campus for students to easily find their niche group to fit themselves. Likewise, students' and alumni’s satisfaction with their overall college experience should wield much more influence on the rankings. For instance, Jonathan Rothwell, Gallup’s principal economist, used the results from the 2017 Gallop survey to devise a university ranking primarily focusing on graduates’ satisfaction. Although his ranking showed a general positive correlation between the traditional rankings and the graduates’ satisfaction, there were outliers such as alumni from Azusa Pacific University and the University of La Verne, indicating high satisfaction. Furthermore, Rothwell’s study also revealed that the tuition fee does not correlate with the graduates’ level of satisfaction. Just as much as critics do, college administrators lament the misrepresentative university rankings. Nonetheless, they continue to participate in the rankings and benefit from the scheme. What they can do, instead, would be to collaborate with ranking companies to create a universal ranking system that better reflects alumni’s satisfaction. The new system could also include other useful information for students: Which institution has a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities and cultural diversity? Which university offers extensive career support? Which school provides specialized experiential learning? Choosing a college to attend remains a challenging one for students as rankings provided by U.S. News and others are not what they appear to be. Nor are they likely to change the cornerstone of their business on their own. It is time for colleges to challenge the status quo and argue the case for a new ranking system — one that can act as a genuinely useful guide for students in making such a momentous decision in their lives.   Read More: Fake College Ranking Data

Before making a final decision and sending the enrollment deposit to a university, prospective college students must take the physical environment of each school of their consideration into account. Among many factors such as student activities and academic programs, the campus of an institution is one of the most crucial elements in forming students’ college experience. Students will be spending a significant amount of their time on and around campus for four years not only for academics and extracurricular activities but also for exploring their career options after graduation. While some dream of attending a college with a campus in a bustling metropolitan area like Manhattan, others prefer a tranquil location in a suburb like Ithaca, New York. However, the aesthetics of buildings or the amount of greenery on campus are not the only things you should consider when visiting college campuses — which is highly recommended to do before deciding on where to attend. Here are four factors to take into consideration during a campus tour: campus size, mobility, off-campus housing, and the local community.

Campus Size

Larger student numbers do not necessarily translate into greater diversity on campus. However, larger school size does provide physical space to host a greater number of students, leaving leeway for an institution to move towards diversity. The associate dean of students at Naropa University in Colorado, Jeremy Moore, says prospective students should take a closer look at the diversity on campus, especially if they are from the underrepresented population. He points out that those students may feel more accepted and welcomed on a campus with more diverse representation. He says, “If a student is a student of color or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, thinking about that, identifying and meeting those personal needs, is going to be really important.” [caption id="attachment_2080" align="alignnone" width="2560"] The city of Hanover in New Hampshire, where Dartmouth College is located, is small in size compared to metropolitan cities, such as New York City or Los Angeles. Photo: Kane5187 / Public Domain[/caption] On another note, Brian Taylor, managing partner at a college admissions counseling firm Ivy Coach, advises students not to underestimate the benefits of a smaller campus town. “When you go to a school like Duke or Dartmouth, you come away with lifelong friendships because there's not much else to do,” he continues, “those lifelong friends, we would argue, are the biggest benefit of attending any school.”

Mobility on and Around Campus

A survey conducted by U.S. News in the 2016-2017 academic year reported that 46.8 percent of students in 214 U.S. colleges brought cars to campus. However, there is a significant disparity between the schools with a low and high percentage of individual vehicle usage. For instance, while Georgetown University in Washington D.C. reported that there is zero percent of students with cars on campus, Wayne State University in Detroit, a city known as the “Motor City,” has about 98 percent of students bringing cars to school. In other words, the need and the frequency of individual vehicle usage will depend largely on the campus location. Therefore, it would be wise to check mobility options on campus before making an enrollment commitment. Two other mobility options often utilized by students are walking and public transportation or campus shuttles provided at each school. [caption id="attachment_2079" align="alignnone" width="800"] Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut has a great walkability on and around campus, being praised as a "Walker's Paradise." Photo: Yale College Undergraduate Admissions[/caption] Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, for example, is not located in a metropolis such as New York City or Chicago. Nevertheless, students at Yale are able to run most of their errands by walking. The school scores 98 out of 100 for walkability and is referred to as a “Walker’s Paradise” by Walk Score, a company that tracks walkability, bike-ability, and transit scores of U.S. cities. On the other hand, Cornell University satiates students’ needs for easy access to nature in exchange for mobility on and around campus. Walk Score gives a score of 10 to the school for walkability and deems it a “Car-Dependent” area. Prospective students can utilize websites and tools like Walk Score to gauge the mobility options at each campus in the process of school selection.

Off-Campus Housing

As many schools guarantee on-campus housing only to first-year and possibly second-year students, many college students will need to look for an off-campus housing option during their undergraduate years. Moore says, “In many college towns, there is limited housing available on campus.” He continues, “That means a lot of students are living off campus.” As a result, access to affordable and decent-quality housing also plays an important role in students’ college experience. For most university towns, housing costs rise with greater proximity to campus — the closer the living options are to the school, the scarcer and more expensive they are. Accordingly, many students make compromises and end up living further away from campus. If they do not own a car to drive, public transportation or school shuttles can make a significant difference. The city of Boulder in Colorado, for example, has a strong public transportation system providing residing students with an affordable and convenient option to commute to school. Prior to making an enrollment commitment, prospective students should gather information on the housing situation at each university under consideration, especially on how likely they will need to live off-campus and the difficulty of finding an affordable and livable residence. Students can reach out to the housing department at each school, talk to current students, or join relevant groups on social media platforms to gain the most current and accurate information on housing.

Local Community

[caption id="attachment_2086" align="alignnone" width="2560"] According to the city government of Boulder, there are 103,838 city jobs for its 108,091 residents. Photo: Pedro Szekely / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0[/caption] The location of a university is also closely connected to activity opportunities in the local community it belongs to. Moore points out the importance of community involvement in the local area, breaking out of the “campus bubble.” He notes, “It's really about how you get involved. One of my recommendations for students and families alike is to understand your responsibilities as a member of (the) community.” One of the ways many students utilize to engage in their local community is through programs provided by their university, which often host volunteer events or facilitate club activities in the surrounding area. Furthermore, local community involvement can also bring career opportunities. For example, students at Naropa University benefit from internship and job opportunities in the city of Boulder, where the school is located. Moore says that the city hosts several major companies, in which the students can develop their career paths in advance prior to graduation.   Read More: U.S. Colleges’ Quest to Solve Food Insecurity on Campus

Recruitment for The 30th International Student Global Internship

 

Seoul Metropolitan Government is recruiting international students, who are currently enrolled in a university or graduate school in Seoul, for internship programs. By providing the opportunity, it aims to help expand international students’ understanding of Korean society through an internship at public and private entities, as well as to support the participants’ career advancement.

 

International Student Global Internship Overview

1. Internship Period: July 4 - August 19, 2022
2. Recruitment Number (Expected): 14 people
   - Public sector (11 departments at the city hall, corporations, foundation, etc.): 12 people
   - Private sector (2 private entities): 2 people
   * Actual assignment numbers can be changed depending on the selection result or other relevant factors.
3. Work hours: 5 days/week, 6 hrs/day (09:00 - 16 00, 1 hr lunch break included)
   * Work hours can be changed depending on the circumstance of an assigned organization.
4. Work Details: Overseas marketing, interpretation and translation, international business support, etc.

 

Recruitment Details

1. Qualification
*Applicants should meet the following requirements

	Necessary Documents
Requirement	1. Current enrollment at a university in Seoul (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. program), having successfully finished four or more semesters at the institution (Two or more successfully finished semesters for Master’s and Ph.D. students) *Ongoing semester does not count towards the number of finished semesters
	2. Must have D-2 Visa, valid through August 21, 2022
	3. Must be at TOPIK level 4 or higher (Must be within its validity period of 2 years)
	4. Eligible to receive a part-time work permit (Must submit a part-time work permit (which can be received from the Immigration Office) before the work start date
Optional	High computer literacy, language proficiency certificate, etc.

2. Selection Process

	Review Categories
Document Review	① Match with the Organization’s needs (Undergraduate major or language) ② Korean language ability (test score) ③ Academic performance, etc. (Score for each category → Top applicants will be recommended to the participating organizations)
Interview	Work attitude (motivation for applying), communication skills, the potential for advancement, etc.

3. Benefits
- Internship allowance (54,960 won/day, lunch fee of 5,000 won, and statutory-leisure pay for a fully worked week)
- Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (mandatory sign-up in the city of Seoul)
- Internship certificate signed and issued by the mayor of Seoul (for those who worked 80 percent or more of the entire internship period)

 

How to Apply

1. Application Period: Friday, April 29 – Monday, May 9, 2022 (for 11 days)
   *Applications must be submitted by 18:00 on May 9

2. How to Submit: Apply online through Google Forms
   - URL: https://forms.gle/F8bxg4uSaAVVxzQC8

3. Required Documents
   - Candidates who passed the initial document review process, and those candidates only, must submit the required documents.
   - The offer will be revoked if an accepted candidate fails to submit the required documents, or if there are significant discrepancies between the information provided in the application and that of the submitted documents.

	Documents for Submission
Required	1. A copy of the Alien Registration Card (must be valid through August 21, 2022)
	2. Proof of enrollment (must be issued within a month)
	3. Transcript (must be issued within a month)
	4. A copy of the TOPIK score report (within the validity period)
Optional	Computer literacy certificate, language proficiency test score (for other than Korean), etc.

*Submission method and deadline will be notified to the candidates who pass the document review.

 

Selection Process

1. Document review
   - Selection Criteria: Match with the Organization’s needs (language, etc.), TOPIK score, academic achievement, etc.
   - Result Announcement: May 23, 2022, Interview schedule will be set for successful applicants
   *Every applicant will be individually notified of the result (via text message)
2. Interview
   - Selection Criteria: Match with the needs and the understanding of the Organization’s works Understanding, communication skills, etc.
   - Selection Method: Individual interview (via off- or online)
   *Interview Schedule (expected): Between May 24 – May 31, 2022 (Detailed schedule will be notified individually)

3. Final Selection Announcement: The second week of June (expected)
   - Every applicant will be individually notified of the result (via text message)
   *If there is no qualified candidate, organizations may forgo selection.

4. Point of Contact: Chief Officer Choi Ok-lim (Call number: 02-2133-5068)

 

List of Recruiting Organizations (Total of 11 entities)

Attachment: The 30th International Students Global Internship

 

Original Announcement in Korean: Seoul Global Center

Read More: Mistakes International Students Make

Australian universities are one of the most popular destinations for international students. While its close proximity attracts many students from Asia, its reputable academic programs also attract students worldwide. Just like how the west coast and the east coast of the U.S. differ in atmosphere and culture, each region in Australia has its own specialties. Here you will be able to find quick facts about each region and renowned universities in the area.

New South Wales

[caption id="attachment_1955" align="alignnone" width="800"] Australian National University, Acton, Canberra. Photo: ANU[/caption] New South Wales is where Sydney is located, and that alone speaks volumes for the quality of life in the region. Although Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is located within the same geographical region, Sydney is the largest city in the country by population. Accordingly, it attracts millions of international tourists — at least before the pandemic — each year. Two of the most notable tourist attractions in the region are the Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach. With its international popularity and reputation, the state of New South Wales has its fair share of prestigious universities. To name a few, the Australian National University (ANU), the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and the University of Sydney are all among the top 40 universities worldwide, ranked by QS Top Universities. ANU is especially noteworthy among the other reputable Australian colleges, for it was ranked as the 27^th best university in the world in 2022. Other universities in the region are…

• University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
• University of Wollongong (UOW)
• Macquarie University

Victoria 

[caption id="attachment_1956" align="alignnone" width="2560"] University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria. Photo: Geoff Penaluna / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0[/caption] Victoria is the second most populous state. Of 6.6 million people living in the region, 5.1 million of them are Melbourne residents, making it the most densely populated city in Australia. Melbourne is also one of the largest coastal cities in the country with modern architecture such as Australia 108 — the second tallest building in Australia. The region is also home to a world-class higher education institution: the University of Melbourne. U.S. News and World Report ranks the school as the 25^th, and QS Top Universities ranks it as the 37^th best university in the world. Other universities in the region are…

• Monash University
• Daekin University
• Swinburne University of Technology

Queensland

[caption id="attachment_1957" align="alignnone" width="1080"] The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland. Photo: UQ[/caption] Queensland is the second-largest state by area and the third-most populous state in the country.  Due to its vast size, it has diverse geographical features and climates within its jurisdiction, ranging from humid tropical rainforests to arid savanna and deserts. The state’s tropical and sub-tropical regions with numerous beaches especially attract many tourists, gaining a nickname as the “Sunshine State.” As the third-largest economy among the nation’s states, Queensland is home to numerous universities. The most prestigious higher education institution in the state is The University of Queensland (UQ), ranked as the 36^th best university in the world by U.S. News. Located in and around Brisbane, the capital of the state, the school is a member of the Group of Eight (Go8) universities — the Australian version of the Ivy League. Just like many other Australian universities, the institution allows its undergraduate students to earn an honors degree by completing an additional year or two of research-focused study. Other higher education institutions in the state are…

• Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
• Griffith University
• University of Southern Queensland (USQ)

Western Australia

[caption id="attachment_1958" align="alignnone" width="2560"] University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia. Photo: Calistemon / Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0[/caption]

Western Australia is the largest state in Australia by area. Even though it covers over one-third of the country’s land, two-thirds of the central area is arid with a small population spread across. In return, the region has a vastly undisturbed landscape with a variety of indigenous wild animals. As only a small portion of the land is habitable due to its geography and climate, 2.1 million out of its 2.6 million people live in Perth. That being said, most of the universities in the region are located in the city. The most reputable university in the region is the University of Western Australia (UWA), ranked as the 78^th best university in the world in 2022 by U.S. News.

Other universities in the region are…

• Curtin University
• Edith Cowan University
• Murdoch University

South Australia

[caption id="attachment_1959" align="alignnone" width="1166"] The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia. Photo: The University of Adelaide[/caption] South Australia is in the southern central part of Australia. Though the state is as large as the entire country of Egypt by total area, it has only 1.7 million inhabitants. Adelaide, the largest city and the capital of the state, is where The University of Adelaide is located. Even though it is not as highly ranked as the other previously mentioned universities across Australia, the school has a global reputation for high-quality education with over 100 Rhodes Scholars and five Nobel Laureates as its alumni. Other universities in the state include…

• University of South Australia (UniSA)
• Flinders University
• Torrens University

Tasmania

[caption id="attachment_1960" align="alignnone" width="2560"] University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania. Photo: Leigh Woolley / Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0[/caption] Tasmania is the only island state in Australia and the 26^th largest island in the world. Located 240 km (150 mi) south of the mainland, it has the smallest population among the country’s states. Even after considering the population size, it is still surprising to find that the state has only one university — the University of Tasmania (UTAS). Though it is not so highly ranked worldwide, it offers quality education for more than 100 undergraduate degrees. The university promotes its active engagement in nature preservation, which extends to the great Southern Ocean and down to the Antarctic.

Northern Territory

[caption id="attachment_1961" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory. Photo: The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility[/caption]

The Northern Territory is an Australian territory and the third-largest federal division located in the central and central northern part of the country. Despite its colossal landmass, the territory has a population of only 245,865, about half of that of Tasmania. Accordingly, there is only one university within the region: Charles Darwin University (CDU). Located in Casuarina, Darwin, which best showcases a tropical cosmopolitan lifestyle, the school serves the largest area of the continent.

  Read More: Mistakes International Students Make

The movement to push for the tuition-free community college in the U.S. was stalled when the Biden administration removed it from the federal Build Back Better bill. However, the movement didn’t lose its momentum, and it is becoming a reality around the country. Some states have come up with their own plans to realize free tuition for community colleges, regardless of the White House’s plan to extend payment pause for federal student loans. For instance, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico signed the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act, which will be the most comprehensive scholarship program in the nation, once enacted. Like the Excelsior Scholarship in New York, the program pays for four years of tuition, covering not only associate and bachelor’s degrees but also career training certificates. Carla Osborn lives with her husband in New Mexico. Although Osborn is currently studying nursing at Clovis Community College, the couple has already started to pay off the husband’s student loans with a tight budget. She said, “I didn’t want to give up [my education], but it could have come to the point that I couldn’t afford school.” Fortunately, however, she was able to continue her study with the Opportunity Scholarship, which covers the full tuition and books for her. “I was praying and hoping I would get help somehow and it just kind of worked out,” she added. New Mexico’s Opportunity Scholarship vastly increased the education accessibility of a wide variety of students, especially those who could not benefit from the government scholarships. In detail, the program allows adult learners returning to study, part-time students, and immigrants regardless of their immigration status to be eligible for the scholarship. The program’s inclusive participant range is especially noteworthy, considering the average age of college students in New Mexico is 26. “We want to be the national example of how you create a higher education ecosystem system that’s inclusive and accessible,” Higher Education Department Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez continued, “so, nobody is turned away from the opportunity to go to college.” Meanwhile, in the state of Maine, another distinctive plan to provide affordable education to students has been initiated. Maine’s Gov. Janet Mills has recently proposed a plan to let recent high school graduates study at two-year community colleges for free. [caption id="attachment_1949" align="aligncenter" width="654"] Over 30 states offer affordable or tuition-free education at community colleges. Source: Campaign for Free College Tuition[/caption] The total number of statewide free-college programs will reach 30 if the plan passes successfully in Maine, which would mean that 60 percent of the U.S. states have an option for students to take tuition-free college education. The majority of such state scholarships are “last-dollar,” providing the leftover tuition fees that are not paid by existing state or federal aid. If Congress passes President Joe Biden’s request to increase Pell grants for college students to a maximum of $2,175, the cost for states to carry out free college programs will be considerably lower. In New Mexico, students can utilize federal aid and other scholarships to cover books, room and board, and childcare, as the state scholarship is applied first towards their tuition. Despite the impact of the pandemic on college enrollment numbers, the cost of obtaining a degree is still the most prominent reason why students shy away from higher education. According to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, there was a 5.1 percent of decrease — or about 1 million in headcount — in undergraduate student numbers compared to the pre-pandemic era. The most significant decrease was shown among the colleges providing education mainly to low and middle-income students. However, a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics on more than 23,000 students showed that high school students are much more likely to enter college if their families can financially afford it. However, some experts warn about the excessive introduction of tuition-free colleges to increase college affordability. It is argued that students with financial hardships are already paying minimal or no tuition to state schools with assistance provided through the existing grants and scholarships. Nevertheless, tuition-free college does not mean it will cover the expenses for books, room and board, and other cost of living, which are all pressing burden on students with low income. Thus, allocating significant portion of the limited funding to make the tuition free could lead to decreasing quality of education with a lack of funding for operations on campus and retaining faculties and staff. Furthermore, according to the College Board, community colleges in the U.S. are already affordable with an average tuition and fees of $3,800 at two-year public schools. For four-year in-state public institutions, it is $10,740 and $38,070 for four-year private colleges.   Read More: Biden’s Plan to Double Pell Grants

A group of Universities in Australia, including the Australian National University (ANU), have taken measures to halt all collaboration with fellow research institutions in Russia. This decision to shut down lines of communication, intended as a repudiation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, could end up strengthening the effect of the Russian state’s propaganda on its people rather than weakening it. In fact, the ability of academic institutions to share information could work as a key factor in supporting the widespread anti-war sentiment among Russians. Numerous faculties at ANU wrote in an open letter that such measures by the higher education institutions can ultimately alienate Russian academics, negatively affecting those “who may be the last remaining voice of reason in the country.” They also expressed concerns that cutting academic ties with Russian scholars will only aid the regime’s propaganda of aggression, possibly being interpreted as another case of western Russophobia.

Who to blame?

While the Russian state media tries to manipulate its citizens by describing the ongoing war as a “special military action” to “liberate” Ukraine, the reality Russian citizens see tells them differently. Shortage of goods, business suspension by multinational companies, and plummeting dollar-value of savings are just some of the ways Russian citizens are beginning to feel the effects of sanctions. And, as these punitive measures inevitably continue and intensify, the Russian people started to ponder an important question: who to blame? Will the public opinion in Russia swing towards blaming the West for the economic turmoil and consider them as an enemy? Or, will they point the finger at their own leaders and take action against Putin’s regime? This remains to be seen.

How can we help?

First, we must acknowledge that everyday Russian people should not be equated with their government, for they did not have a say in the regime’s reckless actions. Backward measures such as Representative Eric Swalwell’s “kicking every Russian student out of the United States” are both unfair and ineffective in opposing Putin and his actions. Given the situation that which direct military intervention is off the table, large-scale sanctions remain an important tool in efforts to weaken the rogue state. [caption id="attachment_1919" align="alignnone" width="1830"] As the war lasts longer than expected, it will be increasingly difficult for Putin's regime to control information. Photo: UK Ministry of Defence / Licensed under United Kingdom Open Government Licence v3.0[/caption] We can also play a part in the war on information dissemination regarding the invasion; Russia tries to blindfold its citizens while the West attempts to unfold. Although the Russian state puts great effort to censor external information, modern media and the internet continuously makes it a very difficult task. That being said, it is possible to expose Russian people to what the outside world is witnessing, possibly making them to question the state’s dogma. There are a few avenues from which Russians can access state-censored information. Twitter, for example, has created a dark web version of its platform to better protect privacy and bypass Russia’s internet censorship. Other media platforms could presumably follow suit in creatively eluding the Russian censorship. A recent surge in Russians’ use of virtual private networks (VPN) demonstrates their urgent need and demand for circumventing the state’s grip on the internet. At a more grass-root level, individuals could also use the internet to communicate with Russians directly. In the field of academics, for instance, expatriate Russian scholars have already been using their university networks to communicate with and disseminate information to fellow researchers living in Russia.

A fight for Russia’s future

The ordinary citizens of Russia are also suffering, though mostly financially, from this conflict. They should not be viewed as enemies but instead as partners in the effort to bring peace to Ukraine and political change to Russia. This war must be seen not only as a tragedy, but also as an opportunity for Russians to question their leaders and to demand a more open and democratic society for themselves. We should recognize and acclaim the bravery of Russians — the students and academics who openly criticize and challenge their state’s rogue actions disrupting the world peace and the livelihood of millions. Rather than blaming them as a whole with the ones actually responsible, we should collaborate with the courageous Russians to ensure something positive can emerge from this war.   Read More: New EU Sanctions Affect Russia’s Higher Education

Switzerland had frequently been an education destination for many European college students as the Erasmus program, a pan-European college credit sharing system, used to encompass Swiss universities. However, following the Swiss’ decision to re-introduce quotas on EU citizens in 2014, the education authorities of the EU excluded the country from their program. Since then, Swiss has been negotiating terms with the EU to re-join Erasmus. One of the main reasons why Swiss became a major Erasmus destination for European students is their global, if not euro-wide, reputation for high-quality education. Such exceptional quality in higher education institutions (HEI) in Swiss can be attributed to tough accreditation requirements and process. For instance, EduQua, an accreditation body supported by the Swiss Confederate Government, enforces high standards for accreditation of private schools. Yet, despite the strong quality assurance, Helvetia, the national personification of Switzerland, has a unique HEI controlling system that may allow colleges with relatively low quality of education to provide university-level diplomas. Unlike any other Anglo-Saxon country, the Swiss Confederation legally allows each canton (which is comparable to a state in the United States) to run an autonomous education system for higher education. Interestingly, however, most cantons do not have an official accreditation system which would grant governmental approval to run a university. The Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ) is a designated accreditation body by the Swiss Accreditation Council (SAC) — the only government institution that grants “official” federal-level accreditation. According to Christoph Grolimund, the head of AAQ, Swiss HEIs fall not under education law, but under commercial law. This means that any private entity can compete against universities managed by the cantonal or federal government. [caption id="attachment_1904" align="alignnone" width="1673"] Having all three accreditations from AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS is a reliable sign of high-quality education. Source: IMD[/caption] For instance, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), a private HEI that provides one of the most well-known MBA programs in Europe, has forgone SAC’s accreditation. IMD has been continuously ranked as one of the top MBA programs in the world, having globally respected accreditations from AACSB (US), AMBA (UK), and EQUIS (Europe). As there are distinctively few HEIs that are accredited by all three of the most respected MBA accreditations, IMD carries a global reputation for providing high-quality MBA programs despite forgoing the only “official” accreditation by the Swiss government.

Accreditation vs. Recognition

What is more surprising is that recognition of a diploma does not depend on the aforementioned federal accreditation. According to Bastien Brodard, SAC’s secretary, accreditation and recognition are two separate things managed by different entities in Switzerland. In other words, the recognition of a diploma is determined by non-governmental authorities. In the Anglo-Saxon world, if a university is institutionally accredited by a national authority of its jurisdiction, diplomas from the HEI automatically receive international recognition based on the Global Convention on higher education. However, the story is a little more complex for Switzerland due to the government’s unique accreditation system, which in turn highly encourages competition between public and private HEIs. To elaborate, in most cases, national institutions in Anglo-Saxon countries will recognize Swiss diplomas from public HEIs, but possibly not the ones from private HEIs.

Why Private HEIs?

For students from outside Swiss, it creates a complicated situation. Although students as a whole benefit from the fierce competition that private institutions bring on the public sector to provide high-quality education, it still comes down to the question of how their diplomas will be recognized afterward. Usually, internationally reputed schools such as the IMD does not have recognition problem, unless students try to use the diploma to work public jobs in the least developed countries. And, given the cost to earn a diploma at IMD, only a small number of students apply for underpaid public sector jobs. However, recognition becomes an issue for the less reputed Swiss schools and their diploma. While it is no secret that some private schools in Switzerland provide compromised quality education (which are even condemned as “diploma mills”), there certainly are private HEIs with supreme quality education. [caption id="attachment_2048" align="alignnone" width="2012"] The institution's motto, "to know the causes of things," shows how profoundly it approaches education. Photo: SIAI[/caption] Among them, the Swiss Institute of Artificial Intelligence (SIAI), a recently founded HEI for data science education, makes all exam questions for its MBA in AI BigData program publicly available. Third-party evaluations confirm that the exam questions are on par with those of top research schools in the U.S., verifying the school’s world-class education. The evaluator also mentions that despite the disgraceful reputation that arose from the so-called “diploma mills,” the high competition is the key to a continuous increase in the quality of higher education in Swiss. Further reinforced by quality private schools like IMD and emerging SIAI, the competition can also lead Swiss HEIs to be ranked higher than other European universities in the same cohort. Responding to a request for comment, the officials of SIAI mention that various Swiss authorities recommended the school earn SAC’s accreditation for signaling quality education to both domestic and international students. The school also notes that the authorities underlined Switzerland’s potential re-entrance to the Erasmus program, allowing students at EU universities to freely study at Swiss HEIs through the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). However, the institution did not provide further details on its internal preparation for SAC accreditation. To summarize, HEIs in Switzerland are of superior quality due to the fierce competition from private schools. Yet, there are a few rotten apples in Swiss higher education, just like is the case for many other industries with high competition. Although it may be safer for students to study at SAC-accredited universities, it is certainly irrational to disregard highly reputed schools with no SAC accreditation, such as the IMD.     Read more: New EU Sanctions Affect Russia’s Higher Education

Brooklyn subway was turned into a “War Zone” this Tuesday, by a guy wearing a gas mask and a green reflective vest. According to law enforcement sources, the gunman hurled a smoke canister into the train car to confuse the rush-hour people before starting shooting people. Police are investigating for a person of interest in connection with a subway attack in Brooklyn that left at least 23 people wounded or injured. A person close to the inquiry mentioned that his weapon may have been jammed, sparing more deaths. Fortunately, there were no injuries that were considered life-threatening. At an NYPD conference conducted by Commissioner Keechant Sewell on Tuesday evening, officials named 62-year-old Frank R. James as a person of interest in the inquiry and published a photo of him. In the United States, mass shootings are disturbingly common. In comparison to other Western countries, the United States has much more shootings, which some attribute to the country's loose gun control legislation. According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 19,384 gun-related murders in 2020. (CDC)  Figures supplied by the NYPD announced that more than 360 individuals have been shot this year in 322 shooting incidents, an increase of nearly 9% and 8% over last year, respectively.  [caption id="attachment_1559" align="alignnone" width="1360"] Death due to gun violence continue to rise since 2014 Photo: The Trace[/caption] Shooting that happens in the United States is not only limited to public shootings. The Shooting that happened on April 16, 2007, a senior(Seung-Hui Cho) at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, opened fire in a residence hall and classrooms on campus, killing 32 people and injuring dozens before committing suicide. This incident led the Department of Education to charge Virginia Tech $32,500 for violating the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to give timely notification of campus safety information. Another disaster happened on October 1, 2015. Ten individuals were killed and seven others were injured in a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. After the gunfire with authorities, shooter Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, committed suicide. Governor Kate Brown expressed her sadness at the incident and said she will head to Roseburg right away. The American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees released a joint statement condemning the massacre and pledging their commitment to on-campus safety. These tragic data directly connect to applicants who obviously want a safer school to study. The shooting incidents reignited the debate over gun violence and resulted in important gun regulation revisions. It prompted reforms in school safety, like campus-wide emergency bulletins and threat assessment teams, which are now standard practice on college campuses. Alongside schools reforming school safety rules, it should be noted that behavioral threat assessment should become the gold standard for avoiding violence in schools, universities, and workplaces, as well as against government and other public authorities. However, even with these safety regulations in colleges, school shootings led college applicants to check if the school that they are applying to is considered a "Safty" school. According to Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data, California had the most mass shootings in the United States, with 23 total shootings since 1982. [caption id="attachment_1552" align="alignnone" width="12098"] The right to possess a weapon is incorporated in the United States Constitution, and gun control regulations in the United States are state-based.[/caption] The Violence Project database announced that a campus shooter is often a non-white guy who is a current student at the institution and has a history of violence and early trauma. The shooter is suicidal, uses legally bought weapons, and frequently leaves a manifesto or video detailing his crime. All of the college gunmen had a history of mental illness and were suicidal and Seventy-eight percent experienced childhood trauma and had a criminal record. Active Shooting Statistics in School According to studies conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, an active shooter situation at a school lasts an average of 12.5 minutes. Law enforcement, on the other hand, has an average response time of 18 minutes.

• Mass killings occur between 20 and 30 times each year on average, with around one of those incidents taking place at a school.
• Increasing school security procedures and policies may cause more harm than good.
• Since 1996, there have been 16 school shootings with multiple victims, or occurrences involving four or more victims and at least 2 deaths by firearms, not including the assailant.

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