Education Team Highlights

September 2012 – UnderSecretary Sanchez Leads Education Mission to Brazil

August 30 to September 6, 2012 Commerce Under-Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez led an Education Trade Mission of 66 U.S. institutions of higher education to Brasília, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro to introduce them to Brazilian students and academic leaders. Delegates for this largest-ever Education Trade Mission participated in education fairs and visited local schools. This mission supported the National Export Initiative by assisting U.S. institutions of higher education in entering or expanding in international markets. Under Secretary Sánchez and Ambassador Shannon inaugurated the EducationUSA fair in Brasília, the first time it has ever been held in Brazil’s capital. Mission delegates also received briefings at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, and participated in a mini-fair at a local high school. In addition to the main student recruitment fair, the mission also participated in two mini-fairs at São Paulo-area private high schools and in a matchmaking program where 31 Brazilian colleges and universities met with their American counterparts. In Rio de Janeiro, the participants visited local high schools in addition to the main student fair. Major press attention followed the mission throughout and helped set record attendance. Brasilia : 2,800 attendees (first time for fair) Sao Paulo: 2,700 (last year 800) Rio de Janiero: 2,500 (last year 1,000) All stops surpassed previous EducationUSA attendance records (1,800 in Santiago). Westchester USEAC Director Joan Kanlian was Project Officer of the ODO team that included Greg Thompson of the North Texas USEAC and Amy Ryan of the Atlanta USEAC. This is the first time that the Dept. of Commerce and the Dept. of State’s EducationUSA worked in close cooperation to prepare a comprehensive program for US higher education institutions. ********************

August 2012 – Vietnam Virtual Education Fair

CS Vietnam and the Global Education Team organized the second of its 2012 Virtual Education Fair series, kicked off by Commercial Counselor Sarah Kemp. The Global Education Team recruited six premiere schools spanning the states of Illinois, Oregon, Missouri, Florida, and Hawaii. CS Vietnam screened and mobilized the top 13 Vietnamese student recruitment firms from Hanoi and top 19 from Ho Chi Minh city. U.S. schools received a customized market report on the Vietnamese education market.

CS Vietnam has identified education as a best prospect for U.S. exports, and it is also one of Ambassador's highest priorities for his tenure in Vietnam. Given that the number of Vietnamese students studying in the U.S. is around 15,000, Vietnam has become the 8th largest market for sending students to the United States. CS Vietnam has played a key role in growing these numbers via conferences, Gold Key Services, Webinars, marketing efforts, etc. The Virtual Education Fair program is part of FCS Vietnam's multi-pronged effort to amplify interest among U.S. educational institutions in Vietnam. All activities should appreciably boost Export Successes and revenue for the Commercial Service. Special focus is on the following market segments: 4-year colleges and universities, community colleges and private high schools.

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June 2012 – CS Clearwater and the University of South Florida Host Indian Education Delegation

Commercial Officer Rachel Kreissl of the Tampa Bay USEAC hosted an Educators Delegation led by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) on June 4th, 2012. The delegation led by IACC consisted of 16 representatives of 10 institutions. Officer Kreissl took the lead for Tampa Bay. She also coordinated the delegation’s visit with follow up visits with other Florida USEACs. In Tampa, she obtained the interest and cooperation of the University of South Florida (USF), one of the area’s biggest and most well-known universities. The delegation also visited the University of Tampa (UT).

On June 4th, the delegation arrived in Tampa with a full day schedule to visit both USF and the University of Tampa (UT). The five hour program at USF included a welcome breakfast and presentation from Dr. Roger Brindley, Associate VP for Global Academic Programs, USF World. Representative university Deans and Directors from 19 programs and colleges within USF participated in the program throughout the rest of the scheduled day. The delegation and Officer Kreissl then visited UT for a shorter but well-attended visit. The heads of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program, International Admissions, and the Sykes Business School all participated in a two hour program which included presentations by these school officials and a tour both of the Sykes Business School and the ESL facilities.