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| May/June 2005 | Volume
18, Issue 3 |
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PRACTICAL
INFORMATION REGIONAL
NEWS FEATURE
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Regional
News Americas
CanadaImmigration Rules Eased to Increase Appeal of Canada as Study Destination Immigration Minister Joe Volpe said the changes came about after extensive consultation with the relevant stakeholders, such as students and higher-education officials. Immigration officials believe the new regulations could increase the number of international students studying in Canada by up to 20,000. There are currently 50,000 international students enrolled at Canadian institutions of higher education. The government plans to spend US$8 million a year for the next five years implementing the new programs. — The Globe and Mail Australian University Becomes First Overseas Provider in Canada According to news reports, approximately 100 students will begin the one-year bachelor of primary education studies program in the fall semester. The program has received accreditation from both the Ontario College of Teachers and the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Graduates of the program will be qualified to teach in Ontario. The move by CSU to establish a physical campus in Ontario builds on almost a decade of delivering distance education programs in Canada, and a partnership with the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences to deliver allied health programs. Some 200 Canadian students have reportedly completed their teacher training at CSU campuses in Australia. — Charles Sturt news release MexicoGrowing Private Sector Causing Concerns About Quality Control
There are currently more than 1,500 private colleges and universities in Mexico. Since 1993, college enrollments have almost doubled from 1.3 million to 2.5 million despite a reduction in the overall government expenditure on state universities. Reflecting a trend in Latin America, enrollments in the private sector in Mexico have, since 1985, risen from 15 to 33 percent of the national total. By comparison, in both Brazil and Chile over 70 percent of college students are enrolled at private institutions. Colombia is close behind with 67 percent, while private institutions in Peru and Argentina enroll 34 and 25 percent of tertiary-level students respectively. Not surprisingly, many academics and rectors worry about quality standards in an industry that is virtually unregulated. Others point to the fact that research is suffering as students increasingly opt for professionally oriented subjects, such as accounting and business, at the expense of the technical programs necessary for the technological advancement of the country. Mexico licenses programs — not institutions — and has recently begun tightening licensing requirements for new degree programs in response to concerns over quality standards. In 2004, the federal education department turned down 35 percent of applications, compared with 13 percent in 1994. In the 1990s, the government began a system of evaluating and accrediting university programs. To date, of more than 10,000 programs only 509 have been accredited, although officials are hopeful that a majority of programs will have been through the process within the next two decades. — The Chronicle of Higher Education United States of AmericaAcademic Associations Urge Government to Adopt More Welcoming Stance Toward Foreign Students Although the situation has improved somewhat over the last year, according to the group, the United States should do more to avoid the risk of doing “irreparable damage to [its] competitive advantage in attracting international students, scholars, scientists and engineers.” The group’s recommendations include making Visa Mantis clearances for foreign students and scholars studying in sensitive fields valid for the duration of an appointment in the United States. This would build on adjustments made earlier this year that extended the clearance for students from one year to up to four, and for scholars from one to two years (see March/April issue of WENR). The group also proposed that students and scholars be able to renew their visas in the United States, rather than having to return home to do so. At the same time, it urged the government to develop a strategy to encourage the exchange of ideas across borders and to actively recruit educators, students and scientists to come to the United States. All six of the group’s recommendations are available HERE. — Association of American Universities Study Lists Top International Markets for U.S. Distance Learning Providers
The study was done by Hezel Associates, a Syracuse, N.Y., company that specializes in distance education. It evaluated 42 countries where American institutions have shown interest in pursuing distance-education opportunities. The countries were limited to those in East Asia, Europe and Latin America. Countries in Africa and the Middle East were not included in the study, but the company plans to evaluate some of them later. The rankings in the Hezel study were based on variables such as the percentage of the population under the age of 45 and the projected growth of that age group in the next 20 years; economic conditions; the education level of the population; the availability of technology; the prevalence of spoken English; and the demand for American higher education. — The Chronicle of Higher Education Nation’s First New Public Research University in Decades to Open The last big wave of new campus development came in the 1960s, to accommodate the increase in demand from the baby-boom generation. This era marked the opening of such schools as George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the most recent University of California campuses, in Irvine and Santa Cruz. Since then, most states have simply squeezed more students into existing campuses or redirected more applicants to private or second-tier institutions. California is one of the few to have built even modest-size undergraduate colleges in recent years — the new California State University campuses at Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands — but none has attempted to launch a major research institution. — The Washington Post Foreign Scholars Get Visa Extension The new rules apply to foreign faculty members who hold “J” visas under the State Department’s Exchange Visitor Program. Scholars holding this category of visa are generally collaborating on projects with colleagues at US universities, or they are on short-term positions. Professors will now be able to enter and leave the United States an unlimited number of times over a five-year period. Once the visa expires, holders of the visa would have to wait two years before applying for another five-year visa. The visa extension is a victory for lobbyists who have long argued that most research collaborations take more than three years. — Inside Higher Ed.
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Immigration policy changes announced by the government in April could help universities recruit more international students. Students will now be allowed to work off campus and transfer to different programs or institutions without having to change their study permits. They will also be able to work in Canada for two years after graduation instead of the current one year, as long as the job is not situated in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. 
