(Excerpts from Inside Higher Ed News)

• The U.S. Departments of Education and State issued a joint statementof principles Monday articulating “a renewed U.S. commitment to international education.”
• The agencies committed to “participate in a coordinated national approach to international education, including study in the United States by international students, researchers and scholars; study abroad for Americans; international research collaboration; and the internationalization of U.S. campuses and classrooms.”
• The statement also included a commitment to “implement policies, procedures and protocols so as to facilitate international education and authorized practical experiences while promoting program integrity and protecting national security.” The term “authorized practical experiences” refers to the curricular practical training (CPT) and optional practical training (OPT) programs, both of which allow international students to gain work experience in the U.S.
• Although the statement was short on specific policy plans, international education groups welcomed the show of support from the Biden administration and the promise of greater interagency coordination, which leaders in the field have long called for.
• Experts on international education say it’s been more than 20 years since the federal government issued a similar statement. Former president Bill Clinton issued a policy memorandum in April 2000, his last year in office, directing the vice president to coordinate the U.S. government’s international education strategy.