Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > January > 13 > Entry
The mindless fear of foreign brain power
I was flying back to the U.S. through Amsterdam last year with a group of journalists that included several international folks who had come here to study. All of them had been living in the U.S. for months and had flown overseas with our group a week earlier.
Before we could board the flight to Detroit, each of us was ferried off to a small table to meet with a Dutch agent for a short “interview.” Mine was no big deal. Three questions or so, stuff like where am I from, whom do I work for and what was the purpose of my trip? The uniformed officer was cordial and quick.
But standing a few feet away, the interview with my Turkish friend was quite different. The officer’s questions were curt and there was probably close to a dozen asked. From my table I could overhear the officer asking the same questions over and over, a technique interrogators use to trip up suspects. And the questions weren’t routine.
They were more like this — Why are you studying in the U.S.? What school are you studying at? What courses are you taking? Why isn’t your spouse traveling with you?
Afterward my international friends, who are are all quite well traveled, said this is typical treatment for foreigners visiting the U.S. It wasn’t the fact that extra checks were made, it was the tone and the “prove you’re not guilty” posture we witnessed there and at the U.S. border that way eye-popping.
The unspoken message they heard was this — we really don’t want you to come, but if you insist we’ll grudgingly allow it. That attitude is hurting the international competitiveness of our universities.
As USA Today recently reported, stingier rules for entry into the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001 have sent many of the top foreign students, who in the past would have come here and contributed to the advancement of research at our universities, instead to schools in Europe, Australia, China, and elsewhere, making research in those places better and helping those countries compete with us, especially in science and technology.
Even President Bush is now calling for change to address the problem, as the story notes.
Last year I saw a presentation by Linda Lim, a University of Michigan economist, about the America’s place in the world economy. One thing she stressed was that the quality of American universities has consistently attracted the very brightest students from around the world, many of whom make advances while they are here or stay and perhaps start a ground breaking company. Importing the best brain power from around the world is a major engine for the U.S. economy.
So is now is the time to ease the restrictions some, despite the fear of foreign terrorists?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Colleges and Universities
Comments
By Rick
January 15, 2006 6:55 PM | Link to this
Well, gosh, who have committed just about all terrrist attacks on United States interests and people since 1990? Muslim men between he ages of 19 and 45 or so. That said, we don’t want to do anything to aggravate more than is necessary. Samuel P. Huntington said it best, “Islam has bloody borders.” We need to protect ourselves but in such a manner as to not aggravate MuslimsBy Mary
January 14, 2006 9:17 AM | Link to this
I think there are at least two root causes of the problem. First, our own studpidity including stupidity about other cultures (we do not do a good job of educating our citizens about other cultures, including educating and training the interrogator. The second is some people really do resent our national character and policies. We need to determine if the criticism is valid and do something about ourselves. Did anyone see the 20-20 program last night “Stupid in America” and our comparisons in academics to other countries? It also discussed school choice in other countries.By Expat Teacher
January 13, 2006 5:58 PM | Link to this
I work on the international scene and many of my students have started looking at the U.K. (and their home countries) for university because they don’t feel America is welcoming to foreigners. It is fine for a Florida vacation, but nothing long term. Scott, you make the same point as Richard Florida in his “Fall of the Creative Class” and, like him, I think America has to be smarter about our immigration rules. We MUST ensure that those linked to terrorist groups are kept out, but we’ve got to make sure those wanting to work and learn are welcome. I’d never have found this blog if it wasn’t for an immigrant named Sergey Brin or have an e-mail account at Hotmail without Sabeer Bhatiya.