Samford University President Thomas E. Corts will attend the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Jan. 5-6 in Washington, DC.
The Secretaries will engage leaders of U.S. higher education in a renewed partnership to strengthen international education, emphasizing its importance to the national interest. Secretaries Rice and Spellings called the Summit, organized by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, to initiate a dialogue on the need for government to work collaboratively with the non-governmental sector on the future of U.S. higher education in a global arena.
About 120 university and college presidents from leading public and private institutions, community colleges, historically black institutions and other institutions will attend from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
"Through this Summit, Secretary Rice and Secretary Spellings and their respective Departments want to reach out to college and university presidents to reinforce a common interest in attracting foreign students and scholars to U.S. institutions," said Karen Hughes, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. "Of equal importance is seeking investment in educating globally competitive U.S. students to work in fields of international interest."
Samford's international program offers study on five continents. The University has owned its own study center in London since 1984, where several hundred Samford students take courses each year. Samford trustees also have approved the purchase of land for a study center in Elstall, Germany, on the outskirts of Berlin.
Among other topics, the upcoming Summit will focus on how to attract foreign students and scholars to the United States, as well as how to encourage more American students to receive part of their education abroad.