International Student Forum/ Message Board

On January 20, amid great fanfare, Barack Hussein Obama II was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Although the excitement generated from Obama's campaign and inauguration permeates all parts of the US and indeed the world, perhaps no sector of society should be as enthusiastic as those in international education.

Aside from being the first black US President, Obama is the son of an international student from Kenya and a US mother, has a name that sounds Muslim, and lived for four years in Indonesia as a child. His presidency puts an altogether different face on the US - a face far more reflective of a multi-cultural, internationalized and progressive nation, a nation that, without any further action, immediately appears much more welcoming to people of every faith and race around the world.

But many in international education hope there will be further action. Experience abroad will be much more prized in Obama's administration - you can read about the international life of several of his close advisers in the Newsweek article, "A Team of Expatriates": http://www.newsweek.com/id/180207 With a more worldly view, hope runs high that the Obama administration will continue to reduce barriers to entry for foreign students, and will work to permit recent international student graduates to stay in the US and work longer and more easily. In his own words, from a November 2007 interview with Michael Arrington of TechCrunch.com: http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/26/qa ... gy-issues/

"I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes improvement in our visa programs, including our legal permanent resident visa programs and temporary programs including the H-1B program, to attract some of the world’s most talented people to America. We should allow immigrants who earn their degrees in the U.S. to stay, work, and become Americans over time."

What do you think? Will Obama's presidency make a difference in the global perception of the USA, and will he make the USA a more attractive destination for international students? Post a reply and let us hear your thoughts.

I think that having President Obama in office will definitely encourage more foreign exchange students to come here to the US

After Bush there's nowhere to go but up. So I think we expect improvement for everyone not only for International students.