Advocacy

AIRC advocates for its members and for the IEM field through a variety of activities.

Activities include

• communicating with government and legislative leaders,
• speaking out on issues through the media, and
• issuing Advocacy Action Alerts to inform and urge members to act.

AIRC’s advocacy efforts have benefitted the IEM field and served AIRC members. For example, in 2021 AIRC played a leading role in modifying the harmful impacts of the THRIVE Act. In 2022, AIRC issued its recommendations for improving international student educational avenues in the United States.  Please read more below to learn more about this initiative.

As a member of the Alliance for International Exchange and an Advisory Council member of the US for Success Coalition, we are positioned to collaborate with NAFSA, EnglishUSA, AACRAO, and others to push for our priorities in a strong and unified manner. The AIRC Advocacy Committee facilitates member involvement in our advocacy efforts.

AIRC’s Recommendations for Advancing International Student Recruitment and Enrollment in the United States

International students today may choose from a wide array of non-credit and credit-bearing experiences and combine multiple experiences to advance their academic and career goals in a personalized way that works well for them. Students are looking for accessibility, value, relevance, and flexibility in their educational avenues, including in application processes, admissions, enrollment, course selection, learning modality, credit articulation, transfer, and study abroad.

International student mobility should refer to a movement both to and within the through a variety of entry and transition points. This updated understanding will help not only to formally recognize this dynamic process, but also will position the U.S. to compete effectively in recruiting and enrolling international students.

The U.S. needs to adopt an updated understanding of international student mobility to accurately describe the expansive educational avenues navigated by today’s international student. 

AIRC adopted the following recommendations:

RECOMMENDATION 1

PROMOTE THE MANY AND DIVERSE U.S. EDUCATIONAL ENTRY POINTS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MOBILITY

RECOMMENDATION 2

FACILITATE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ENTRY POINTS TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MOBILITY