Study Abroad Advisor
Advocating for Study Abroad
Convincing Our Apparent Opponents to Become Our Natural Allies
By Carl A. Herrin
The consensus is growing in Washington and in the international education community that public support for study abroad, foreign language learning, and international competencies has turned the corner, that we are headed for sustained support from our public officials. Indeed, after the early days of this Republican congress--when no educational overseas exchange program seemed good enough to keep--it appears we are about to see a new American consensus in support of international education.
But if this is the case, then it will only be so because advocates for education abroad have done with public policymakers what they naturally do with their clients--students, teachers, scholars, and others: They have convinced them one person at a time that to study overseas is to take a fundamental step in self-improvement. Progress has been achieved because we have worked hard to convince our apparent opponents to become our natural allies.
Precisely because the verdict is not in, it is imperative that we all continue to make our cases to policymakers in support of study abroad. To make study abroad the norm instead of the exception, the effort must be carried forward at all levels: in the community through support of groups like Partners of the Americas and Sister Cities, in educational institutions (including K-12), and among our colleagues in business and the professions.
The Two-Part Task
We face a double task in making our case to policymakers: First, we must all abandon the view that because we know study abroad to be vital in so many ways to individual participants and to our nation, it is therefore obvious to everyone else. Action only occurs when it is called for by those who effectively make their case.
While I have been heartened to hear that both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress agree that international exchange is critical to our national interest, their agreement is no commitment to act. Indeed, there is still opposition to federal financial support for high school and undergraduate study abroad. Congressional staff members often express one (and often both) of the following views: there is little educational utility in study abroad at the undergraduate level, and study abroad is little more than a vacation from the rigors of real school here in the U.S.
The second part of our task is making the case that study abroad must be an integral part of the educational experience, a key component of the educational preparation we all need in a knowledge-based economy. We all have our own views on what to say in that regard--a business student is likely to have a different perspective from an engineering student; a high school student will see things differently than a language teacher. All these separate views need to be part of the chorus in support of study abroad.
Each of us must make our case from the perspective with which we are most comfortable. Whether in terms of national security or mutual understanding and cultural competence, pick the argument and the story that makes the most sense to you and start telling it. And then tell it again and again. And again.
How to Make the Case
While amongst ourselves--returnees, study abroad advisers, teachers--we are often enthusiastic and passionate about what study abroad has meant to us and why someone else must participate in a similar experience, we may not know how to get through to policymakers. Many years ago, a colleague, Norman Peterson, wrote a pamphlet for the Liaison Group for International Educational Exchange (now the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange) entitled Advocacy and the International Educator: Ten Principles for Effective Work with Policy-Makers. The pamphlet was a veritable Ten Commandments for lobbying policymakers in support of exchange activities. While no longer in print, it remains a key guide to how to tell your story effectively. Here are six of the most important principles from Norm's pamphlet:
Remember the policymaker's perspective. This is the commandment we should master before we even approach a policymaker. To secure support for your position, you must first visualize how the policymaker could support the position from his or her perspective. How does your issue speak to their fundamental goals, assumptions, and values?
Build a coalition. Collaborative efforts in pursuit of positive policy on study abroad issues have been evident in every single key success for the field over the past 15 years--arguably since the original creation of the Fulbright program in 1946. Successful coalitions often form quickly to address an individual issue but then sustain themselves for further work.
Never lie. In the policy arena--as in life generally--the only enduring currency you have is your integrity. Policymakers like to trust individuals and groups they view as expert. But violate that trust and nothing you say in the future will matter. Acknowledge your interest in a position you advocate (e.g., your institution gets grant funds from the program you are supporting), and alert the policy maker to any major argument against your position and what interest group might make that argument.
Build relationships for the long term. Nothing is more difficult for an advocate than seeking support at the last moment. To avoid such a situation, initiate and maintain a relationship--even if it's only by mail--with your representative or the key policymaker whose support you need. The easiest way to build an ongoing relationship is to introduce yourself and show the policymaker that you have resources and expertise that may be of use to him or her. Since members of Congress are always responding to constituents' requests for information, including information about study abroad opportunities, share an overview of your program with them. I do this most often by bringing former program participants to policymakers or by writing to representatives to tell them that my organization has selected one of their constituents to participate in one of our programs. I also try to be in periodic touch with policymakers (and especially their staffs) even when I don't have a key issue pending before them.
Involve policymakers in your activities. If you run a study abroad program, invite the policymaker--college president, governor, senator--to a program orientation, ask them to join you for a site visit to the overseas program location, or have them meet with returnees to discuss the impact of the study abroad experience. Local events for members of Congress are often very attractive venues because they provide an opportunity for media coverage and interaction with constituents.
Remember that position means influence. While sometimes uncomfortable, the truth is that some policymakers --especially among legislators--are more important than others simply by virtue of the position they hold in government. Find those policymakers and work to maximize your impact with them. If your representative is not one of them, work with your elected official in a coalition to address your concerns to the key policymaker who is in a position to effect your issue.
Always Say Thanks
Finally, always say thank you. Even if you did not get what you wanted, that person probably remains in a position to influence your issues again in the future. A note of thanks for hearing you out is a courtesy too commonly forgotten.
Five Easy Lines
Making your pitch for study abroad--whether to a prospective student or a congressional representative--needn't be cause for great anxiety. The potential opening lines are probably limitless. But in the interest of getting started, below are my suggested first sentences for five advocacy targets.
The Student. A study experience overseas will change your life, help you focus your plans for the future, and make you more employable.
The Dean or Provost. A good study abroad program will attract better students, enhance our international reputation, and provide a valuable new institutional linkage for our faculty.
The State Legislator. A new scholarship program for study abroad would help our state compete in the global marketplace by encouraging our residents to learn a foreign language and understand other cultures.
The U.S. Senator. Continued funding for the XYZ program (Fulbright, NSEP, Title VI, Title VIII, etc.) will directly aid U.S. national security by building the necessary international competencies to compete in the world economy and understand better how others in the world think about our country.
The Secretary of State (or her deputy for public diplomacy). Renewing our commitment to the Second Mandate (President Carter's directive to the U.S. Information Agency emphasizing support for the movement of U.S. students and scholars abroad) of the Fulbright-Hays Act by engaging American citizens in study abroad is one of the most effective and low-cost methods for achieving the public diplomacy objective of informing foreign publics about the U.S. and how our society operates.
CARL A. HERRIN is Government Relations Liaison for ACTR/ACCELS, 1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036. For a copy of the pamphlet, "Advocacy and the International Educator," write to the author or send a request via e-mail to herrin@actr.org. For more information about the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, visit the web site at www.alliance-exchange.org, or e-mail info@alliance-exchange.org.
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