It is very uncomfortable being in international education right now.  

Losing job security is a peculiar sensation. For the most part, higher education has a way of making it’s employees feel immune to recessions because people often return to school during economic downturns and people also seek out degrees when the economy is in an upswing. Despite this phenomenon, it’s not uncommon to be concerned about the viability of smaller, private, liberal arts colleges; as many such institutions have closed doors over the past ten years, primarily due to enrollment challenges. Being an international educator at such an institution presents many opportunities for concerns. But 2020’s “full stop” of our international education livelihood is a new kind of stress for which words cannot adequately describe. It is especially jarring as the profession feels beat down from multiple aggressors. The pandemic shut down all forms of global mobility, the Black Lives Matter movement put a much needed spotlight on equity and inclusion issues in international education, and the current federal administration is increasingly laser focused on dismantling the entire international student immigration program. 

This cursed pandemic, which shows no end in sight, indefinitely hobbled international student mobility (and travel for everyone else), leaving gaping, exposed holes of job responsibility for study abroad advisors, international student recruiters, and international student advisors in higher education. It’s hard to blame senior level administration for placing study abroad in the campus-restructuring cross-hairs, given the expense of paying employees who are, for the most part, unable to do their jobs. At this point it seems that international educators are all slowly accepting armageddon and banking on hope to get through unscathed or at least less-scathed. In all honesty, it seems pretty unlikely that the pandemic will abate soon enough for international education to avoid severe lay-offs in higher education. 

Higher education, most definitely, carries the burden of perpetuating injustice and bias against BIPOC students and faculty. International education, like most areas of academia, would do well to reevaluate its purpose and outputs through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens. In many ways the recent recognition of international students as a marginalized student group on campus has resulted in significant and much needed gains in academic and social support. Hopefully, many international educators are taking advantage of their newly found downtime to assess diversity, equity, and inclusion within their international admissions, study abroad and international student services programs. This data can be a powerful catalyst to drive much needed change across campus for these programs.  

Finally, the federal administration has, since the start of it’s four year tirade, been unceasing in undermining immigration policy for international students. From the travel ban (early 2017) to the on-line education restrictions (summer 2020) the Department of Homeland Security has made it abundantly clear to international students that they are not welcome here, at least at the federal level. Programs, such as optional practical training, which offers work experience to int’l student graduates, and has traditionally been a huge draw bring students to the US, are actually in danger of being completely rescinded, if not just severely restricted. Additionally, policy change is being proposed that will drastically limit the amount of time an international student may use to complete a degree. This change is so rigid, it will eliminate any option for international students to change their major or transfer to other institutions. Many of the large university systems and research universities push back using legal counsel to file lawsuits against these policies; as the loss of international student enrollment has a direct impact on revenue at US universities. It remains to be seen how the scale will balance itself with the need for international student enrollment revenue and the concerns being voiced about equity, inclusion and diversity of international students on campus.  

The recent election results give hope to beleaguered international educators.  The president-elect and his party have already shown themselves to be strong proponents of international education and immigration. DACA came into being under our last democrat administration and is likely to be revitalized by the incoming administration.  It’s hard to say how long (or if ever) international student enrollments will rebound after four long years of open hostility from DHS. Either way, it is, unfortunately, very likely that many international educators will be forced to leave their jobs or have their position restructured to another part of the university.