The 2019 IIE Summit: The Future of International Education was held at Grand Hyatt New York, New York from February 17 to 19. IIE is a nonprofit organization which focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security, and its annual summits provide an opportunity to discuss the serious issues affecting international education and other important topics. IIE was established in New York in 1919 so this is its centennial year¹, and this year’s 3-day summit was attended by more than 600 people.

It focused on the themes of equity and access, higher education regarding emergencies, student mobility, scholars and innovation, and international partnerships, and Dr. Min-Ling Yang, Director of the Education Division of TECO-NY, was delighted to receive an invitation from IIE President and CEO Dr. Allan Goodman to attend. In particular, because promoting student mobility and building international partnerships are current challenges that all universities in Taiwan have been facing and have put great effort and resources into meeting.

Marie Royce, America’s Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, the keynote speaker of the 2019 IIE Summit, highlighted the importance of international education and said it was the number one priority for her office. She promised to do more to support this sector, saying, "We cannot continue with business as usual any longer. We must step up our game." She also said “International education makes America stronger” and pointed out that 58 current heads of state or government had studied in the US. “One-third of the world’s leaders… better understand the US, the values of our society and our people because of their time as students here”^2. 

The 2019 IIE Summit provided an invaluable opportunity for discussing cutting edge approaches to international education and its challenges. During her keynote speech, Assistant Secretary of State Royce cited the example of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen as an outstanding alumna of Cornell University and she affirmed Taiwan’s achievements promoting international education. Dr. Yang thanked Marie Royce for her recognition and endorsement of Taiwan’s commitment and contribution to international education and she extended an invitation to Assistant Secretary Royce to visit Taiwan again.

References:
1.IIE Website : https://www.iie.org/
2.The Pie News Website : https://thepienews.com/news/international-education-number-one-priority-for-us-state-dept-eca/

Photo:Dr. Min-Ling Yang (left), Director of the Education Division of TECO-NY, with Marie Royce, America’s Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs and the keynote speaker of the 2019 IIE Summit.