_______________________, read first time and referred to Committee on
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION recognizing the importance of
international education.
Whereas, Congress declared 2006 the Year of Study
Abroad, recognizing the need to educate future American
leaders toward a global economic future, to increase global
understanding, and to lead to better security;
Whereas, Multiple states have endorsed the creation of
resolutions to support study abroad, and Indiana officially
recognizes the significant contribution to study abroad that
Indiana students have already made;
Whereas, According to the Institute of International
Education's (IIE) Open Doors national survey of colleges
and universities, 7,369 university students from Indiana
studied abroad in 2004-2005, the last year for which
statistics are available;
Whereas, Institutions of higher education in Indiana have
been leaders in the commitment to study abroad with Indiana
ranking eleventh in the nation for the number of students
studying abroad;
Whereas, The leading destinations for students studying
abroad nationally are the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain,
France, Australia, Mexico, Germany, China, Ireland, Costa
Rica, and Japan;
Whereas, Indiana recognizes the need to support these links
for cultural understanding and commerce;
Whereas, According to a 2005 random survey sponsored by
NAFSA: Association of International Educators, 77 percent
of adults in the United States agree that students should have
a study abroad experience during college;
Whereas, The economic importance of trade between
Indiana and the rest of the world has been tracked and
established by the international trade division of the Indiana
department of commerce whose figures indicate that Indiana
had $13,000,000,000 in exports in 2004 and has 13
international trade offices worldwide;
Whereas, Indiana has 45 institutions of higher education
and, according to IIE's Open Doors Report for 2005-2006,
Indiana received 13,992 international students, up 6.4
percent from 2004-2005 and ranking tenth nationwide;
Whereas, These international students and their families
contributed over $302,400,000 in tuition, fees, and living
expenses to Indiana's economy;
Whereas, Purdue University ranked third and Indiana
University ranked seventeenth in total international student
enrollment among United States colleges and universities;
Whereas, Indiana welcomes people from around the world
who choose to come to our state for education, work, or
visiting and values the benefits of contact that people in our
state receive from working, living, and studying with people
from different countries;
Whereas, Indiana recognizes the importance of a diverse
population and workforce in maintaining and attracting
population and general commerce to our state as well as
ensuring a globally focused population; and
Whereas, Hoosiers recognize the necessity of attracting and retaining diversity in our communities, workforce, and institutions of higher education, and we recognize the benefits of retaining our globally competent college graduates in our state: Therefore,
SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly encourages and
recommends students and faculty to promote international education
as part of curricular and extracurricular life at the state's public and
private colleges and universities.
SECTION 2. That the state supports international educational
endeavors in higher education and, by doing so, contributes to global
awareness among public officials, business leaders, educators, and all
residents of Indiana.
SECTION 3. That the Principal Clerk of the House of
Representatives transmit a copy of this resolution to Governor Mitch
Daniels and the presidents of all Indiana colleges and universities.