Study Georgia

Study Georgia Quarterly

Volume 1, Issue 2 October 2013

Study Georgia at NAFSA

Study Georgia had a booth at the annual NAFSA conference in May 2013, and we had hundreds of visitors including overseas recruiters and EducationUSA advisors. Our Past-Chair, Adam Johnson, also had one-on-one meetings with the Commerce overseas education specialists from Australia, Brazil, Poland, Portugal, Russia, and Thailand. Representatives talked about the variety of Study Georgia member institutions and their different programs and living in the state of Georgia. The Omani Embassy even stopped by to discuss their scholarship because they have no Georgia schools on their approved list! Representatives gave away Study Georgia brochures, note pads, lip balms, flash drives, pens, and peach stress balls. It was a good opportunity to see what other people and consortia are doing across the US and Study Georgia hopes to participate with an even larger booth at the annual NAFSA conference in 2014. Here is a picture of Adam Johnson (left, Study GA Past-Chair, Columbus State University) and Jennifer Lund (right, Agnes Scott College) working the booth at this years NAFSA conference! A huge thank you to our 11 Study Georgia members who took time to work at the booth!

Reminder
We will be electing officers (Chair-elect, Secretary and Treasurer at the next Study Georgia meeting, which will be at the GAIE winter conference in February.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact us: info@studygeorgia.us

USG Looks for Director of International Education

The University System of Georgia is hiring for a Director of International Education. This person will serve as an advocate for international education in the University System of Georgia (USG) and at the Board of Regents (BOR), collect international education data to inform campuses and the Board, share recommendations for best practices across the USG, provide structure and support of USG collaboration including the System Council for International Education and the World Regional Councils, oversee System Office and institutions on matters related to Visa status and reporting requirements for visiting and other international faculty, raise external funding to support international education, and collaborate with campuses and other BOR staff on economic development and outreach related to international education. More details can be found online at: https://usg.hiretouch.com/jobdetails?jobID=12260&job=director -of-international-education

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Study Georgia Quarterly

Volume 1, Issue 2

Russia: Education Sector Report (May 2013)

Russia has a population of 142,517,670 making it the 9th largest country in the world by population. There are approximately 22 million Russians aged zero to 14 (male 11,498,268/female 10,890,853), so there is a strong pipeline of demand for education services. The countrys population is also well educated with a literacy rate of 99.6%. Demand for international secondary, university and English-language educational services is growing in Russia due to a variety of factors including general economic growth, the rise of a more affluent middle and upper class, interest in establishing educational and professional ties in the U.S. economy, and a general increase in travel between Russia and the U.S. U.S. educational institutions are in a good position to take advantage of this market due to the excellent reputation of U.S. education in Russia, the decreased influence of major competitors, and an established infrastructure for promoting education in the U.S. These trends have advantages for secondary schools, colleges and universities and Englishlanguage schools. The Russian market offers opportunities for all levels of education. Students are drawn to the U.S. mainly because they want to study in the English language and because the U.S. has a reputation for excellence in education. More Russian students study at the graduate level (44%) and they have a preference for business and management education. However, due to the relative high cost of U.S. education compared to competitor institutions in Europe and Australia, there may be increasing demand for U.S. community colleges in Russia. This will entail some education about the community college system in the U.S. as it is not as well known to Russians and a similar type of educational system is not very well regarded in Russia. The market does pose challenges for U.S. educational institutions, including the high relative cost of a U.S. education compared to European and Australian competitors. There is also a perception of a difficult U.S. visa application process in Russia that may dissuade some potential students. For the entire 11 page report, please contact Amy Ryan at amy.ryan@trade.gov

Government Shutdown & SEVP

Even though the US federal government was been shut down from October 1 to October 16, 2013, international students and scholars continued to receive services from the Student Exchange Visitor Program. Since SEVP is fee-funded, it does not receive funding directly from the federal government. During this time, all designated school officials and F, M, and J students were required to continue to follow regulations as usual and SEVP was available to answer any questions.

Study Georgia Annual Renewal Period

The annual renewal period for Study Georgia is coming up. Please be on the lookout for information from the Study Georgia board on how to renew your membership. The annual dues will remain $375 per member institution, and we welcome new member schools to join as well!

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