It is my pleasure today to introduce Karin Eisele who is the Executive Director of Institute of International Education West Coast Center in San Francisco. After graduating from Smith College she has been involved in international education such as those about Fulbright scholars and American Field Services and many other very important international educational programs. And if I were to read off everything I have written here about was her accomplishments there would no time for her to tell us about the Institute of International Education. So please will you please help me welcome Ms. Eisele. Thank you everybody. I am astonished to see so many people thrilled to see so many people here. I actually I mean this is the first time I must have anybody this is the first time anybody actually paid to hear me speak and I am very humbled by that. I am also very competitive I have a pal back back who was telling me how many people are going to the other room and how many people are coming in here. I want to reassure from the very beginning that I read a poll taken recently or report taken recently by Stanford University that proved conclusively that after speeches of more than 20 minutes the audience tends to begin having sexual fantasies. So I want to assure you or disappoint you as the case may be that my speech will not be more than 20 minutes. Boy did I I suppose that I am afraid, some would think. I want to say just a minute about what gives me the authority to be here tonight to talk about international education. Walking to work this morning I realized that it was 50 years ago indeed it may have been 50 years ago today, that at the age of 18 I went abroad to spend my Junior year in college. I went to France and my mother, grandmother of arguably the most beautiful and talented young woman here tonight, drove me in those days you could drive to a pier on the Hudson River for me to get on the Il de France which some of you may remember. I knew nobody on the boat. I knew nobody in France. And I knew nobody in Europe. And my loving mother gave me a great big hug and she said, now remember dear don't talk to any strangers. And that was indeed the beginning of a life long career, talking to strangers. So first I just want to give you a little bit of back run about IIE because it's through that perspective that my talks will be generated. It is the oldest and largest not for profit organization dedicated to the international exchange of students and scholars and ideas. It was founded at the end of World War I by two winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and a distinguished Professor of History at Columbia University. They founded it on the premise that kind of exchange would foster greater understanding and mutual respect of other people. And in the long run make our world a less dangerous place. And clearly we have much more work to do. IIE has a rich history which I will go into in a few minutes very briefly. But I want to fast forward to where we are today. Our headquarters are in New York across the United Nations. And an addition to the office here in the West Coast, there are offices in Washington D C, Chicago, Houston, and Denver. There are also 15 offices world wide. So we have come a very long way since our founding. The challenges in those days were very different than they are now. When World War I decimated the ranks of scholars in Europe, IIE developed the first exchange program for American professors to teach in European universities. And then in 1921 IIE designed and lobbied for the passage of the student visa the family student visa. And this year that student visa has allowed more than 550,000 foreign students to study here in the United States. In 1933 IIE established the Emergency Committee in the aid of Displaced German Scholars. That effort by IIE went on to rescue more than 600 scholars who were fleeing persecution in Europe. And sadly indeed the need for that kind of program is not diminished. And IIE has recently established the scholar rescue fund because around the world scholars have longed and suffered harassment and torture and persecution as a result of their work and predictably much of our efforts right now are focused on rescuing scholars from Iraq. After World War II IIE was asked by the United States Government to administer the prestigious the Fulbright Program, the US Government's flagship international exchange program. And we have administered that program now for more than 56 years. Since its inception the Fulbright Program has provided more than 250,000 participants from the United States and from around the world with the opportunity to teach, study, research and live and work abroad. Over the years I think the Fulbright Program has contributed to society way out of proportion to their numbers. Most Fulbrighters are young professionals who will return to become leaders in the political, intellectual and cultural lives of their home countries including our own. In addition to the Fulbright Program there are many other programs attracting foreign students to the United States. Indeed more foreign students pass through our doors than that of any other country. Last year, there were more than 80,000 foreign students studying on college campuses here in California; more than any other state in the country. This is really important. It's important because I believe that education will be the driving force of this century. And its also important because it is why there continues to be a steady and growing demand for the students to come to the United States even though after 9/11, it is much more difficult for students to come because it is much harder to get a Visa. I think there are three forces now that work to ensure a steady and growing demand. The first is the quality and the range of higher education in United States. The second is that the tertiary education in most countries is at its maximum capacity. In between 2020 and 2035, more people will be ready for secondary education than went to University in all of human history. Between 2020 and 2035, more people will go on to secondary education than went to University in all of human history. Only seven percent of Chinese College age population has been able to find a seat in Chinese Universities seven percent. There are more seats in Higher Education in California than there are in all of China. The Indian authorities will have to find seats for over 11 million university students by 2025, just to keep the ratio at five percent of those who are eligible to apply. And in Africa, the numbers are worse. In Africa, the percentage of population that can go to University is two percent; two percent of those who are eligible. So it is clear that there will be a steady stream of foreign students who want to come to this country. And well no one knows the capacity of American Higher Education to absorb them, I am sure that the present number could increase by at least 50 percent. Half of all the foreign students in United States are enrolled in just a 150 of our 4000 accredited Universities. So I have to believe that there is in fact a substantial room in the remaining 3000 other colleges to absorb them. And the third reason why the demand to come here and remain steady is that the sending countries of the international students are those countries least effected by 9/11. That is, they are not the countries of the Middle East or North Africa. And only two of the top sending countries are Muslim; Indonesia and Pakistan. So I think that most people would agree that international education and cultural exchange add strength to this nation in the realm of ideas and people. But what many people do not realize is they add to our national bottom line. In addition to their intellectual contribution international students make an important financial contribution to those institutions and to the communities in which they live. Each year, students from abroad bring about $12 billion into the US economy making educational exchanges one of the leading American service exports. These foreign students are not here on full scholarships. Nearly 75 percent of the student funding comes from the personal and family sources outside the United States. The national interest in encouraging this is obvious. Foreign students bring more than $1 billion into California. And the Californian economy can ill afford to lose that $1 billion. Not only does this billion dollars come in part from the tuition that the students pay, but remember that unlike your children who went into the garage and took the odd bureau and the mismatching tool sets, the foreign students come here and head immediately for Bed Bath & Beyond. In fact they become American consumers. So its not you know it's I think a different picture than most people realize. And because they do generate so much income international education is now a business, a competitive business. And it is a business in which we are losing our market share. For half a century the United States has been a destination of choice for those studying abroad and we are still the destination of choice. But other countries have for years been seeking to encroach on the United States market. The percentage of those studying here has declined over a 40 percent to 30 percent in the past 10 years. And the implication of a continued erosion of this market share are ominous. It will adversely affect our national security, our colleges and our future. And this is particularly true I think here in the Bay Area. There are three things that have made the Bay Area a leader in technological innovation, great universities that provide strong educational resources and availability of investment capital and a great location that draws a diversity of talented people. We must not let visa and other immigration issues reduce that supply of that kind of talent. So as you can see for financial reasons alone international education is more important than eve before. But there are ever more compelling reasons. We know that education exchange programs and in particular those under the Fulbright umbrella are the best investment that American can make to help others understand our culture, our people and our polices. An educational experience in America pays dividends to our nation's public diplomacy over many years. Studying in the United States gives our visitors an opportunity to observe and live in an open democratic society. They experience all the freedoms that Americans take for granted and upon returning to their own country they take with them an appreciation of democracy that is sure to influence their own governments for years to come. So okay that's why foreign students should come here. Why should Americans go abroad? Many ask that question, and you would be surprised very surprised, how many people believe that they should not. Many believe that going aboard, you waste a year. I believe it's an investment on lifetime. The truth is here at home whole segments of our society are absolutely not in touch with the world. In addition to the universality of the English language, of the dollar and the internet have lulled people into thinking that we are closer and more secure than we are. It is always shocking to me that only 20 percent of the population in the United Sates actually holds a passport. And most of them are under the age of five or over the age of 60. Only seven percent of US college students study a foreign language. Less than one percent of our university and college population study abroad and two thirds of them study in Western Europe, while ninety five percent of the world's population growth will take place in the developing areas I mean the developing nations. I think that what all this means is that we do not encourage in fact if we do not insist that our students study abroad, the irony is that they will leave college with one thing that is a must in the 21st century and that is the ability to think and work on a global basis. If we are to compete successfully in the global economy, if we are to be responsible world leader, the United States needs to ensure that its citizens develop a broad understanding the world, proficiency in other languages and a knowledge of other cultures. And that is why I is working so hard to make international education an indispensable part of the under graduate as well as the graduate experience. We are committed to trying to double the number of students going abroad from California in the years ahead. And my vision it may not happen in my lifetime, but my vision is that all students who go to college with two possessions, a computer and a passport. Imagine how that would change the world. On the day to day basis we are trying to bring the world to our shore here in San Francisco. We bring Fulbright students and international visitors into our classrooms from kindergarten through 12th grade and while our school average program is very small, our dream is that if we can raise sufficient funds we will expand at the months ahead. And let me tell you for a second why that's really critical, by giving you some astonishing statistics about what you think is a very sophisticated Bay Area. Despite the devastating 9/11 attacks in the United States and despite the subsequent and recent media spotlight in the Middle East and Central Asia 83 percent of young Americans aged 18 to 24 could not find Afghanistan on a world map. Less than half of Americans could identify France, the United Kingdom or Japan. And more than half, 56 percent were unable to locate India, India which is home to 17 percent of the world's population. So this generation is highly skilled. They are also highly skilled at tuning out what they feel, they do not need to know or what they do not want to know. And unfortunately it is clear that they do not know want to know much about the world in which they live. Somehow we must convince them that it is knowledge of this world is important. We must convince them that whether it's the economy, the environment, war and peace, all that, our ability to make good decisions about the future depends upon a basic understanding of the world's interconnectedness, understanding that interconnectedness is a survival skill for the 21st century. IIE is committed to finding partners to help us reach out to as many of these young people, their teachers, their parents, their employers and the community leaders as possible, because it's not just our students, all of us all of us need to get more involved. And there are many ways in which we are reaching out. As part of our mission to develop leaders around the world there are two programs I want to just refer to briefly. One is supported by our friends at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, is focused on expanding the number of leaders in the field of reproductive health in some of the most challenging countries in the world including Ethiopia, we are challenged in other ways as well Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, India and the Philippines. The other is a very exciting program supported by the United States Department of State, Middle East Partnership Initiative. Right now the internet in the Middle East is being used to spread anti Americanism. And we have - I needn't tell you that that is not in our interest. So we instead propose that the information technology be used as a powerful tool, and most especially for women, for women and their struggle for greater voice and more equitable role. Our Women in Technology effort was launched in Yemen and on the very first day in Yemen, when it was announced, 400 women applied. So you could image what a hunger there is. Along with technology and business skills, a major goal of the program is to form a Women's IT Association and in addition what we thought would be a dream has turn into be a reality, we have opened the first ever women's only internet café in Yemen, think about that for a minute. This is a country where women can do nothing alone, where they are have to be accompanied by a man, it is biblical. And now the power that this internet café can do can be for them and the power of having this technology that they can work from home is extraordinary. So the initial program has been so successful that the State Department has now expanded it with a grant of $3.6 million and we are going to go into Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq and UAE and hope to expand it also to Afghanistan and other countries in North Africa. And finally I want to mention a program in which I am really hopeful that you will get involved. It's called the International Visitors Program, formally managed by the International Diplomacy Council that many of you know. Each year this program welcomes over 800 emerging leaders to the Bay Area. Leaders in government, businesses, arts, culture, journalism, education leaders who have been selected by the US embassies and the consulates around the world for their potential. Many of these visitors who go on to become Presidents, Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, Captains of Industry, Heads of Universities Scholars and so forth. The program is designed to build mutual understanding and respect between the US and the other countries, to carefully design visits that include professional meetings, cultural programs, home hospitality and in some cases, visits to the Bay Area classroom. This program also has a profound economic effect on the Bay Area and it generates an impact of over $2 million. But the basic premise is very simple. The premise is that in a vibrant democracy such as ours, citizens citizens like you have the right some might even say the responsibility, to play a role in our country's Foreign Policy. We call it citizen diplomacy, we call ourselves and we would like to call you citizen diplomats, because we all have a crucial part to play, we can no longer simply assume that the official US Foreign Policy can effectively meet all the challenges that face us. Each of us each of us needs to do what we can to make the world a safer, more peaceful, more prosperous and more tolerant place. What can you do? You can open your offices; you can open your homes however modest. Think about when you have been abroad and how much pleasure you got out of being in the home of somebody, however small that apartment. Give generously of your time to these international visitors who will shape the world's future. We together can work to make this a brighter future for this country and for our community. One of our goals must be to bring more people from abroad to America and to the Bay Area. A young boy from Turkey asked me recently "Does the Statue of Liberty still face out?" What is our answer? For our own safety and for that of the world our collective answer must be, yes. Some of you are familiar with the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, in many ways this is one of the most difficult times in our nation's history and a difficult time to be doing the work that we do. We are profoundly disturbed by the continuing reports of America tattered image abroad. There was a time when Americans were emulated and envied. I remember that little green passport that I have when I got on the Il de France 50 years ago, and how respected it was. Whether you grew up in a big city or a small town I suspect that many of you like me were proud to be the citizen of our country, so full of hope and opportunity, a country so admired and so respected. And some American still cling to that mission. But the world today paints a very different picture. Survey after survey now shows that the American image is down. May be because of dissatisfaction with the current administration's Foreign Policy, may be because of resentment of our wealth and power, may be because of the perception of right or wrong of the American culture as being loud and arrogant. But for whatever reason America is loosing friends around the world at an alarming rate. America needs friends now. We need them urgently. Here in California we are constantly being reminded of the dramatic advances of technology, information flies across the country, around the world. But while information flows freely across most borders, education does not. And more importantly technology however powerful it is and it is, technology will not must not diminish the need for individuals to conduct their lives with respect, curiosity, understanding and compassion. And to do that requires us to cultivate a greater a far, far greater awareness of our independence and of the variety and of the urgency of our shared concerns. So in closing and in response to the tensions of the world today, I believe that a stable peace now is and must remain our greatest need. And I believe that internationally educated people like yourselves are required to achieve it. So that's what IIE is about. I hope very much that you will join with us, whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, this is the only time that we have. So I hope you will take advantage of it and whatever way you can. Everybody in this room can be a pod agent of change. Thank you so much for joining us and for taking time of out of what I know, your busy schedules. My colleagues and I are here and very eager to answer your questions there. I don't want to be selling membership in IIE but the truth is I do want to be selling membership at IIE. So if it is something that appeals to you I hope you will take advantage of it and pick up the pamphlet on your way out, but if not with us with somebody else, I hope you are well out there and help make friends for America. That is all I have to say on the official basis but my I have the pleasure everyday, I am an extraordinary lucky person because I work with an extraordinary gifted staff, many of whom are here tonight to answer your questions and also there are many wonderful members of the Regional Advisory Board including our Chairman who are here if you have any questions to us. Thank you, I think I stayed within 20 minutes. So don't have any fantasies.
member. 
