Educational Ambassador

By B. J. Almond

Recently, Rice President David W. Leebron set aside time to serve as an educational ambassador both for Rice and for U.S. higher education in general.

In November, Leebron was one of 12 leaders of American universities and colleges invited by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to accompany her on a trip to Asia to promote the value of U.S. higher education.

This first official delegation of U.S. college and university presidents and senior government officials met with students and university leaders, government and business leaders and the media in Japan, Korea and China during 2006 International Education Week. These Asian nations are among the top countries worldwide that send the most students to study in the United States.
The delegation members were selected to represent the rich diversity of the more than 4,200 accredited U.S. higher-education institutions, from community colleges to advanced research institutions. Leebron noted that adequate preparation of students requires that they be able to learn from and work in more than one culture. Increasing the international diversity at Rice can give students a competitive advantage in the global economy.

While sending a message of welcome to foreign students who want to study in the United States, the delegation also promoted increased collaboration, partnerships and exchanges with foreign universities. In addition, participants leveraged the partnership between U.S. higher-education leaders and U.S. government leaders to promote international education in the national interest.
The Office of the Secretary of Education will share information gathered during the trip with educational exchange administrators to promote increased student flow to and from the U.S. and Asia. During 2004–05, more than 325,000 Asian students—58 percent of all international students—studied in the U.S.; more than 62,500 were from China, more than 53,300 were from South Korea and more than 42,000 were from Japan. During 2003–04, slightly more than 13,000 American students studied in Asia. This past year, Rice’s international undergraduate population more than doubled to 7 percent from 3 percent.

International students and their dependents contribute nearly $14 billion to the U.S. economy each academic year. They also share their experiences about the institution they attend with colleagues back home and can serve as valuable friends and allies in the future, Secretary Spellings noted.

In January, Leebron traveled to India, where he met with educational, business and government leaders, including India President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The trip was aimed at building collaborations in India as part of the Vision for the Second Century goal of Rice becoming a more international university.

“The Republic of India has been described as a land where temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip,” Leebron said. “We want more people in India to know that Rice, too, is a place where the arts and sciences join in a powerful academic, research and social experience.”

Leebron noted a critical need for Rice to strengthen both its educational and research relationships with India. “We need to provide more opportunities for our students and faculty to engage with the talented people and outstanding research institutions there,” he said.

India’s rapid economic progress in information technology is one of the factors that has made the country of particular interest as Rice seeks to develop research collaborations and exchange programs. Rice faculty members already maintain relationships with several educational research institutes in India, and many of those faculty were involved in planning the trip. In addition, 114 undergraduate and graduate students from India currently are enrolled at Rice—a number exceeded only by students from China.

At stops in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, the Rice delegation met with officials from the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, the Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi and Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Management in Mumbai and several other institutions and businesses. Local Rice alumni and friends were invited to a reception in Mumbai hosted by Michael Owen ’73, U.S. consul general for western India.

Accompanying Leebron on the trip were Sallie Keller-McNulty, dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering, and Kevin Foyle, senior director of development. Two Rice alumni from the United States joined the delegation in Mumbai: Subha Barry ’85, managing director and head of multicultural careers and inclusion for Merrill Lynch in New York City, and Brad Husick ’86, CEO of Webaroo Inc., a Seattle-based provider of Web technology, which has offices in India. Both Barry and Husick assisted with the planning of the trip.