Arcadia University President Oxholm Signs Leadership Letter Seeking Restoration of Title VI International Funding

GLENSIDE, Pa., Friday, July 15, 2011─One of Carl “Tobey” Oxholm III’s first actions as the new President of Arcadia University is to join the presidents of Georgetown University and Indiana University and other leaders in asking Congress to restore Title VI funding for international education programs.

"The mission of the academy, above and beyond teaching, scholarship, and research, must demonstrate a commitment to breaking down barriers and building relational and strategic links among people, institutions, cultures, and communities," said President Oxholm as he signed the Presidents' letter. "Few endeavors have such an immediate, yet long-lasting impact on learning as the experiential study component inherent in international education. As a society and as a nation, we would be headed in the wrong direction if our government were to reduce Title VI funding for international education. We join with the Association of International Education Administrators in calling on Congress to restore these funds and safeguard other essential programs that leverage real-world learning for the benefit of our society as a whole.” 

The U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI/Fulbright-Hays programs were cut $50 million, more than 40 percent, during last-minute negotiations on the Federal Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution, and the educators are seeking to restore funding in FY2012. The AIEA notes that these programs are a cornerstone of the U.S. government’s support for international education.

Acknowledging the tremendous pressures on the federal budget, the educators are urging that Congress restore the FY 2012 appropriations to the FY 2010 level of $125.881 million, which includes $108.4 million for Title VI-A&B; $15.6 million for Fulbright-Hays 102(b)(6); and $1.9 million for the Title VI-C, Institute for International Public Policy.

Media Contact: Lori Bauer, Arcadia University, 215-572-2970, 215-847-1819 (mobile), bauerl@arcadia.edu

About Arcadia University: Arcadia University is a top-ranked private university in metropolitan Philadelphia and a national leader in study abroad and international education. The 2010 Open Doors report ranks Arcadia University 1st in the nation in the percentage of undergraduate students studying abroad. U.S. News & World Report ranks Arcadia University among the top regional universities in the North, as one of the top study abroad programs in the nation, and a “top up-and-coming school.” Arcadia University promises a distinctively global, integrative and personal learning experience that prepares students to contribute and prosper in a diverse and dynamic world.

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Media Relations

Donna Whitlock
215-572-2969 (office)
whitlock@arcadia.edu

Laura Baldwin
215-572-2969 (office)
215-847-9304 (cell)
baldwinl@arcadia.edu