In This Issue:

CCIE wants to remind all our members that it is important to pay your 2006-2007 dues promptly. It is critical that every member be current with their dues in order for CCIE to continue to support activities such as the Newsletter, Web-Page, Workshops, and Student Scholarships and Faculty Grants. If your college has not already paid their dues, please make sure that the paperwork is being processed. CCIE gives each of you our sincere thanks for your continued support for CCIE.

Top

CCIE would like to welcome two new member colleges. That you all for supporting CCIE and showing through your membership the importance of international education for our California community colleges.
New Members: Allan Hancock College and Copper Mountain College

Top

CCIE was awarded an IFSA Foundation Grant to help further access to community college study abroad semester-length programs in California. The three-year grant, Providing Opportunities to Community College Study Abroad (POCCSA) includes three components:

1. institutional seed-money to create new semester-length study abroad programs;
2. student scholarships to study abroad;
3. Dissemination of Standards of Best Practices

• Institutional Grants: Each year, CCIE will host two competitions for Institutional Grants. During each cycle a total of 1-3 grants will be awarded. For criteria and application, please visit the CCIE webpage at www.ccieworld.org. Only CCIE member colleges who are current with their dues will be eligible to participate in either competition.
• GRANTING CYCLE (2007) Semester to Offer Program
• Spring 2007 (Duedate late February, 2007) Spring 2008 or Fall 2008
• Fall 2007 (Duedate late September, 2007) Fall 2008 or Spring 2009

Top

CCIE is please to announce the recipients of the 1 st POCCSA Student Scholarship Competition. A total of 14 applications were received. The following students were awarded scholarships ranging from $ 250 to $ 1,100. Congratulations to all students.

• Reginal Jarmillo. San Diego City College. Program in Florence
• Courtney Gregg. DeAnza College. Program in London
• Leslie Perea. San Diego City College. Program in Florence
• Paul S. Wong. San Diego City College. Program in Florence
• Tara Williams. Santa Rosa College. Program in Spain.
• Jasmine Reichardt. Lake Tahoe College. Program in London
• Nellie Whitlock. Santa Rosa College. Program in Spain
• Jessica Stephens. Santa Rosa College. Program in London

Top

The Scholar Ship is an academic program for undergraduate and post-graduate students aboard a dedicated passenger ship that traverses the globe as an oceangoing campus. Students and staff from around the world together form a transnational learning community designed to enhance their personal and professional development. The Scholar Ship embarks on this semester-long journey (16 weeks) around the world twice each year, commencing in September 2007 and each January and September thereafter. There are over 80 four month in duration professional development opportunities available for qualified individuals for each voyage. These include academic teaching staff, Intercultural Resident Counselors and other supervisory, academic support, administrative leadership and mental health counseling staff. CCIE Faculty and Staff are invited to find out more about our program and/or to apply for positions, please visit our website at www.TheScholarShip.com or contact Alfred Flores, Director, Transnational Onboard Life aflores@theScholarShip.com Positions include, meals and lodging on a modern cruise vessel along with a stipend and travel budget. This is a perfect opportunity for your sabbatical.

Top

The ScholarShip is an academic program for undergraduate and post-graduate students aboard a dedicated passenger ship that traverses the globe as an oceangoing campus. Students and staff from around the world together form a transnational learning community designed to enhance their personal and professional development. Students take a full academic load as well as an emphasis on intercultural education. One-third of the students will be from the United States while the remaining will be from countries around the world. The ScholarShip has given CCIE students the opportunity to participate in this unique program. Not only will some spaces be reserved for CCIE member college students, but scholarship opportunities of up to $ 10,000 will be awarded as well. For additional information visit www.TheScholarShip.com or contact Rosalind at rabyrl@aol.com for scholarship information.

Top

CCIE is pleased to announce that it is working with STA Travel to issue ISIC card applications directly to colleges which in turn can share them with their international students and with their study abroad students. Gary Rhodes from the Center for Global Education says of the ISIC card that “I continue to consider the ISIC Card a critical piece of smart student travel and also think that getting students connected to ISIC puts them a step forward in terms of both quality personal service and support in case of a challenge during their travel.”
The advantages of this arrangement are the following:

• Colleges are able to offer the ISIC card to their students without any paperwork or process time and without the need to pre-pay for the card in bulk
• The only work required from the Study Abroad office is to inform the students about ISIC and give them the application with the CCIE stamp. Students submit the application directly to ISIC.
• Income generated from the purchase of the cards will go directly into a STA Travel / CCIE Scholarship fund. CCIE member colleges whose students participate in this program will have 1st right to these funds. Please contact Rosalind if you are interested in having the ISIC cards for your students.

Top

CCIE, in collaboration with the PLATO project, which is administered by Gary Rhodes and the Center for Global Education is happy to announce a Competition for the best “Poster” that will help conduct outreach to diverse California community college students. $ 150 prize will be awarded to the best poster received. Students, faculty and staff are eligible to submit a design for a poster that will be used to promote Study Abroad at all of the California Community Colleges. Deadline for Submission is November 15. Please send all submissions to Gary Rhodes at grhodes@lmu.edu

Top

Fast Forward: Latin Culture Immersion is offering CCIE students the following scholarships on any of their programs, including tuition, accommodations, books and materials. Programs include Portuguese language in Brazil (Sao Paulo, Maceio and Rio de Jameiro) or in Portugal (Porto) and Spanish language classes in Argentina (Buenos Aires). Latin Culture Immersion also has Internships and/or Volunteer Work programs with local hospitals and orphanages.
50% scholarship to a student who participates on a Latin Culture Immersion program
10% discount to those who mention the CCIE web-site scholarship offer
For additional information, contact Nathan Robbins, International Program Director nathan@fastforward.com.br
www.fastforward.com.br Brazil and Portugal
www.australidiomas.com Argentina

Top

Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program brings visiting scholars and professionals from abroad to lecture at US colleges and universities. In addition to teaching courses, scholars give campus-wide and community lectures, help initiate international programs and contribute to curriculum development. Under the Scholar-in-Residence (SIR) Program, interested institutions submit proposals to invite scholars to teach one or more courses and to be in residence for a semester or an academic year. Proposals are welcome from individual institutions, as well as from consortia of two or more institutions. Institutions may suggest suitable candidates or have CIES recruit scholars from a particular world area. Community colleges are given priority in applications to host a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. Proposal guidelines and application forms may be downloaded from: http://www.cies.org/sir/ For more information, e-mail Senior Program Officer Karen Watts at kwatts@cies.iie.org or call her at 202.686.4004. The deadline to apply for a Scholar in Residence for the semester beginning in January 2008 is March 1, 2007

Top

U.S. Institute of Peace is accepting applications for its summer seminar for community college faculty and administrators, Global Peace and Security in Community Colleges and the Communities They Serve, May 29-June 3, 2007 in Washington, DC. The seminar will give participants the opportunity to carefully examine the nature of international peace and security and how community colleges can relate this to their students and local communities. Presenters will include leading authorities on global peace and conflict, as well as from the field of community college education. The application process is competitive. The Institute will cover the costs of lodging, and contribute to travel and incidental expenses. Community college faculty and administrators from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds are urged to apply. The application can be found at www.usip.org/ed/seminars/ccfs07.html. Deadline for applications is March 16, 2007.Contact David Smith, Senior Program Officer, Education, at dsmith@usip.org for more information

Top

CIEE International Seminars are intensive educational experiences that feature site visits, lectures, and discussions with overseas academics and colleagues. These seminars are open to all post-secondary faculty, administrators, and staff. Particular attention is being given to those from community colleges. Participants return to campus poised to incorporate an international dimension into administration, course design, research and teaching. 96% of attendees polled indicated that the seminar had a significant impact on his/her professional life. Visit www.ciee.org/IFDS.aspx for applications.
The Ping Fellowships provide assistance to faculty, administrators, and staff to participate on IFDS programs. Special consideration is being given to those from community colleges. Awards are in the amount of $1500 and are applied toward the applicant's program fee. Fellowship Application Deadline is January 15, 2007. For an application visit: http://www.ciee.org/IFDS/seminar_details/ping_fellowships.aspx
SUMMER SEMINAR LIST
Ghana Today: Challenges of a Developing Nation 0 6-17-27
Crossing Borders: Culture, Migration and Identity in Senegal + Cape Verde : 6/3 - 6/14
Building a Multiracial, Multicultural society in South Africa: 6/3-6/13
Civil Society, Politics, and Religion in Turkey: 6/19 - 6/30
Uganda : Interdisciplinary Approaches to Public Health: 7/16 - 7/26
Post-war development and reconciliation in Cambodia and Vietnam: 7/1-7/13
China 's Silk Road: 6/13 - 6/26
Exploring China's Southwest: Culture, Society and Ethnicity on the Frontier: 6/13 - 6/25
Cybercities: Exploring the New Business Economies of South India: 6/1- 6/12
Gender and Developing in India : 7/8 - 8/21
Contemporary and Popular Japanese Cultures and Societies: 6/23 - 7/1
Understanding Contemporary Korea: 7/8 - 7/15
International Institutions and the Challenge of Globalization: 6/3 - 6/11
London as text: Art, Theatre and Cultural Identity: 6/11 - 18
Muslim Communities in Contemporary Europe: France & the Netherlands: 6/4 - 14
Transylvania ; at the crossroads of peoples and cultures: 6/11-21
The Celtic Tiger: Reality or Myth: 7/1-7
Reassessing Past and Contemporary Italy : 6/4-11
Eastern Europe and EU Expansion: Dividing line to west or new frontier to east: Poland and Ukraine: 6/9-18
Global Tourism and Sustainability: Spain : 6/21-28
Exploring the coexistence and challenges of neighboring cultures: Spain & Morocco - 5/28-6/8
Changing Social Face fo Brazil - 5/25 - 6/3
Economic Reform, Regional Integration and Democratization: Chile & Argentina - 6/5-14
Development, democracy and human rights in Costa Rica - 7/16-24
Cauldron Caliente - multiple perspectives on racial identity and social privilege - Dominican republic - 5/29 - 6/5
Revolution and neoliberal reform in Nicaragua - 7/3-10

Top

The Joing Statement can be found at www.aacc.nche.edu

Top

Below is an OP-ED article from the New York Times written by Robert Gates, president of Texas A&M University and former director of central intelligence. It is a forceful argument for the importance of having international students on campus. Gates says that "no policy has proved more successful in making friends for the United States, during the cold war and since, than educating students from abroad at our colleges and universities."
“International Relations 101" By ROBERT M. GATES. New York Times.
Published: March 31, 2004

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. — Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are on the brink of achieving an unanticipated victory, one that could have long-term consequences for the United States.

Over the decades, millions of young people from other countries have come to America to study at our colleges and universities. Many have remained here to start companies, to keep us at the forefront of scientific and technological discovery, to teach in our schools and to enrich our culture. Many others have returned home to help build market economies and to lead political reform.

After 9/11, for perfectly understandable reasons, the federal government made it much tougher to get a visa to come to the United States. Sadly, the unpredictability and delays that characterize the new system — and, too often, the indifference or hostility of those doing the processing — have resulted over the last year or so in a growing number of the world's brightest young people deciding to remain at home or go to other countries for their college or graduate education. Thousands of legitimate international students are being denied entry into the United States or are giving up in frustration and anger.

At 90 percent of American colleges and universities, applications from international students for fall 2004 are down, according to a survey by the Council of Graduate Schools that was released earlier this month. According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, applications from China have fallen by 76 percent, while those from India have dropped by 58 percent. Applications to research universities from prospective international graduate students are down by at least 25 percent overall; here at Texas A&M, international student applications have fallen by 38 percent from last year.

Not surprisingly, universities in Australia, Britain, France and elsewhere are taking advantage of our barriers and are aggressively recruiting these students. According to the Chronicle, foreign student enrollment in Australia is up 16.5 percent over last year; Chinese enrollment there has risen by 20 percent.

Why should we be concerned? For starters, it is a sad reality that relatively small numbers of American students pursue graduate degrees in engineering and science. As a result, the research efforts at many American universities depend on international graduate students. They do much of the laboratory work that leads to new discoveries.

More troubling is the impact that declining foreign enrollments could have in the war on terrorism. To defeat terrorism, our global military, law enforcement and intelligence capacities must be complemented with positive initiatives and programs aimed at the young people in developing nations who will guide their countries in the future. No policy has proved more successful in making friends for the United States, during the cold war and since, than educating students from abroad at our colleges and universities.

I take a back seat to no one in concern about our security at home in an age of terrorism. I am now the president of Texas A&M, but I spent nearly 30 years at the Central Intelligence Agency, ultimately serving as director under President George H. W. Bush. I learned during that time that protecting our security requires more than defensive measures; we have to win the war of ideas, too. For this reason, we simply cannot tolerate a visa process that fails to differentiate quickly and accurately between legitimate scholars and students — and individuals who may pose genuine security risks.

Senior officials in the White House and in the Departments of State and Homeland Security understand the importance of solving the visa processing problem. But carrying out post-9/11 visa policies and procedures has been badly hamstrung by a lack of resources, unrealistic deadlines and shortcomings in scanning technologies and background checks. American universities have had a difficult time tracking foreign student applicants as they move through the screening process — and there are just too many people in visa offices who are indifferent to the importance of these students to America.

Universities are willing partners in strengthening homeland security. This is not the 1960's. We are working with the government to keep track of international students. But averting a serious defeat for the United States — and serious problems for all its research universities — will require urgent action by Congress and the administration. Beyond the risk to economic, scientific and political interests, we risk something more: alienating our allies of the future.

Robert M. Gates, the director of central intelligence from 1991 to 1993, is president of Texas A&M University.

Top

A Message from Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs,
regarding Improvements to U.S. Visa Processing
January 29, 2007

The United States is one of the most open and engaged societies on Earth, maintaining vibrant family, commercial and educational links with peoples and countries across the globe. As a leader in the travel industry, you fully appreciate the national economic impact of international visitors. Foreign travelers contribute almost $105 billion annually to the American economy; international students account for an additional $13 billion. Important as that is, the economic impact is only part of the story. Visitors' positive experiences in the United States indelibly shape their opinions and understanding of our nation and our people. The purpose of this letter is to describe steps we are taking to ensure that our national "welcome" to qualified visitors begins with their application for a U.S. visa, by providing efficient, professional and dignified service to every applicant. We have worked tirelessly over the past five years to improve the transparency, efficiency and predictability of the U.S. visa process. This has been a real challenge, for our staff and for the traveling public, as necessary legal and procedural changes to the visa process have been introduced continuously throughout this period. Our task is to vigilantly protect U.S. border security and at the same time to maintain America's openness to legitimate travelers - a policy we call "Secure Borders, Open Doors." Working closely with the international business and travel community, academic groups, and other stakeholders, we have introduced features designed to streamline visa processing. Recent improvements include: - An electronic visa application form, which reduces errors, eliminates duplicative data-entry, and so increases the number of applicants each office can interview daily;- All consular offices post their visa appointment wait times on-line, so travelers can plan accordingly; - We give scheduling and processing priority to students and urgent business travelers; - We have added 570 consular positions worldwide, and are transferring some positions to ensure that workloads are evenly distributed; - We are making significant investment in technology to speed processing and improve data sharing with other government agencies. I am pleased to say that these efforts have produced results. In Fiscal Year 2006, overall nonimmigrant visa issuance rose 8% over the previous year. Business/tourist visa issuance rose 12% worldwide, and student visa issuances were up 14%. Processing delays have been cut dramatically: 98% of qualified visa applicants are approved within two days of their visa interview. We have "turned the corner" and will continue our efforts in this positive direction. Meanwhile, visa demand is surging, especially in key emerging travel markets such as China, India and Brazil. Adding more staff and more resources are part of the answer; we are also piloting creative new approaches, leveraging technology and proven best business practices, to meet this challenge. Over the next two years we plan to introduce a variety of enhancements, including: - A start-to-finish all-electronic visa process; - A centralized visa appointment management system that will ensure that over 90% of requests for visa appointments can be handled within 30 business days; - Technological innovations including remote data collection and interview via digital videoconference. As we implement our plans, we genuinely welcome suggestions and comments from private sector stakeholders. At the same time, we depend on you and others in the private sector to help spread the word that the U.S. welcomes international visitors and that the visa application process is not a daunting ordeal, as it is sometimes still depicted in the press. News media are quick to report negative stories - many of which recycle complaints about problems that have long since been addressed and solved, or describe increasingly rare instances of long waits for visa approval. We believe our efforts are striking the right balance between security and openness. The Bureau of Consular Affairs is committed to working with the international business and travel community to maintain and enhance our welcome to legitimate travelers. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Sincerely, Maura Harty Assistant Secretary Bureau for Consular Affairs Department of State, Washington, DC

Top

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS

NCAGE will host a meeting in April to outline a common Global Studies course that can be used at all CCs and will transfer to CSUs and Ucs. The initiative to have a common course is being led by Joan Powers, Mission College. Course outlines from various UC, CSU and Private Universities have been compiled. Any community college that has a similar course is encouraged to send their outlines to Rosalind at rabyrl@aol.com prior to this meeting. Additional information will be forthcoming.

Top

General CCIE Information

International Business Student Exchange program with Ecole des Sciences et Techniques Commerciales in Marseille, France

ESTC is a fully accredited higher education school of business located in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille.  They offer International Business courses at the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree levels, as well as paid internships in local companies.  ESTC is a certified testing center for the TOEIC and TFI (Test de Francais International).  CCIE Member colleges have an unique opportunity to work directly with ESTC in broadening their international business certificate and degree programs.  If your college is interested in establishing an exchange program with ESTC, please contact Parma O’Bar, International Program Coordinator at parmaobar@estc.fr 

Top

CCIE COLLEGE SPOTLIGHTS

Spotlights on CCIE member colleges will be provided in future Updates. Please send any information that you would like to share about your college, including information on any international guests who have recently visited your college, and related international educational activities to Rosalind. In addition, if any of your students or faculty have received international related scholarships or grants, please share that with CCIE so that we can publicly congratulate your students.

Top

UPDATE YOUR COLLEGES’ INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS ON CCIEWORLD.ORG

Please review the CCIE web-site to make sure that you college is accurately listed. The CCIE web-site includes information on all programs related to international education and highlights awards, grants, and other information to showcase your college. Please send any updates to Rosalind at rabyrl@aol.com

Top

Top

UPCOMING EVENTS

October 5-7: CCIE CONFERENCE at the Fremont Marriott Hotel October 12: FACCC Annual Conference: Wilshire Grant Hotel, L.A. November 1-3: NAFSA Region XII Conference: Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas November 1-3: ACIIE Fall Conference - Washington DC November 16: CCIE ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING AT THE CCLC CONFERENCE: Costa Mesa Hilton     8:30 - 9:30 CCIE Annual Business Meeting (everyone is welcome to attend)     9:30- 12:00 POCCSA Grant Recipients Share Best Practices March 1-3, Forum Conference “Standards in a Diverse World: The future of Education Abroad” http://Www.ciee.orgAustin Marriott at the Capitol February 18-22, 2007: AIEA Conference “The Global University: Challenges and Opportunities” Washington D.C. February 22-24, 2007: Association of Academic Programs in Latin American and the Caribbean (AAPLAC) Conference: New Haven, Connecticut. www.aaplac.org

Top

BENEFITS OF COLLEGE & DISTRICT CCIE MEMBERSHIP

Members of full status are entitled to:

a) ability to vote in all elections and to enjoy other rights and privileges accord to all members; b) access of CCIE Website and inclusion of college / institution in Website; c) access to a collaborative network of community colleges who are devoted to international / intercultural education; d) access to CCIE thematic workshops at reduced rates (TBA); e) access to the CCIE International Negations Modules Project (INMP); f) access to technical assistance team on global competence and its development on community college campuses; g) eligibility for CCIE faculty and staff grants; h) eligibility for CCIE student scholarships; I) eligibility for officer positions; j) inclusion in CCIE annual reports that documents the individual activities of member colleges and which is shared with colleges and organizations throughout the state and nationally; k) inclusion of College in CCIE list-serve; l) participate in the annual business meeting; m) receipt of CCIE on-line monthly newsletter; n) receipt of the CCIE quarterly Directory of Study Abroad Programs; o) receipt to reports and publications prepared by CCIE experts; p) reduced CCIE conference fees.

 
Please Support CCIE With Your Active Participation!