Abstract
International students have contributed to the internationalization and diversification of U.S. higher education; yet, when COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus) struck, it became evident that this subset of the U.S. higher education student population was left unaccounted for and unprotected. This manuscript underscores the unimaginable damage and disruption that can occur when a global crisis of the highest magnitude meets under preparedness, pre-existing discrimination, and impulsive policy-making. It also highlights, for context, past crises and their impacts on international students, thus establishing a trend which places international students at the epicenter of the blow’s concomitant with crises of different nature. Moreover, the manuscript provides considerations higher education stakeholders should reflect upon, as well as the following implications for higher education institutions: a) Establish support systems, b) create a sustainable emergency/crisis relief fund, c) seek and maintain non-local partnerships, d) get in good trouble, and e) develop intervention programs. In enacting these tangible solutions, institutions would be able to guide, serve, and support international students more effectively during and after crises.
Highlights
Review of LiteratureIn reviewing the extant literature on international students and past crises that have impacted U.S higher education, the primary goal is to highlight the extent to which international students have influenced U.S higher education and underscore their susceptibility to acute disturbance by catastrophic events
International students have contributed to the internationalization and diversification of U.S higher education; yet, when COVID-19 struck, it became evident that this subset of the U.S higher education student population was left unaccounted for and unprotected
First, we review how international students have been affected by different types of crises in the past, seek to understand how institutions may have been complicit in creating some of those challenges
Summary
In reviewing the extant literature on international students and past crises that have impacted U.S higher education, the primary goal is to highlight the extent to which international students have influenced U.S higher education and underscore their susceptibility to acute disturbance by catastrophic events. In addition to providing students with scholarships or other financial aid, campus-based internationalization initiatives, such as study abroad experiences, curriculum enrichment and commitment to teaching disciplines within a global context, and strengthened foreign-language instruction (Siaya & Hayward, 2003) help to boost the competitiveness, prestige, and strategic alliances of institutions (Altbach & Knight, 2007) These institutional actions increase interaction and connection with international students which, in turn, aid in accustoming international students to U.S life and promoting retention and an overall positive learning experience among students (Hegarty, 2014). This boosted the overall U.S economy, and contributed to the prosperity of higher education institutions that sought out and chose to invest heavily in international students In addition to their positive economic impact, international students help shape the “personality” of an institution (Hegarty, 2014) by diversifying the student population, increasing cultural exchange, and enriching educational input and output through the sharing of unique perspectives (Wu et al, 2015). International students are often highly ranked in their home countries, meaning some of the best and brightest students are leaving their countries to study in the U.S, catalyzing academic competition and jumpstarting new, divergent ways of thinking (Wu et al, 2015)
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