Latest news with #BrandeisUniversity
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
US universities still a valuable investment for Chinese families
Agencies Jason Lin of Xiamen surprised his mother this year by applying to 10 undergraduate schools in the United States and receiving a US$15,000 annual scholarship from Brandeis University near Boston. There, he intends to earn a master's degree in economics over the next five years. But to his mother, it's like he's venturing into the wild, compounding the anxiety parents often feel when their adult children leave the nest. She's afraid of 'instability' in the US. And Lin, 19, has concerns that even a traffic ticket could get him deported. But he weighed the pros and cons, laid it all on the table for his mother, and decided on Brandeis in time for the coming fall semester. Despite a sharp increase in US-China tensions this year, Chinese students such as Lin are still pursuing American higher education much as they have in the past, but they are being more selective than before, according to applicants and university officials. 'Basically, the thought of going to the States came to me when I was in ninth grade,' Lin explained. He expects more academic freedom in the US than in other countries and recalls the 'vibe' in New York when he visited as a tourist. Well-known schools, highly ranked programmes associated with the majors of students' choices, and flexible financial aid packages have become bigger if the university campus is located in a relatively safe American city, it gets bonus points in the selection process among Chinese applicants. 'The US does have the pre-eminent global research universities, for now at least,' said Rory Truex, an assistant professor with Princeton University's Department of Politics. 'And many students are willing to take the risks to get access to that opportunity.' Some public and private universities across the US are expecting the number of students from China during the 2025-2026 term to be comparable to enrolment figures over the past five years. The University of New Mexico, a public school specialising in STEM and health-related disciplines, has 89 Chinese students on campus and expects 20 more this autumn, putting the total higher than at the same time last year or in 2023, according to campus communications director Steven Carr. The university welcomed 21 new Chinese students last autumn, and 16 at the start of the 2023 academic nationals appreciate that the school has affordable tuition; offers scholarships for undergraduates and graduate students; and features hands-on learning opportunities in graduate programmes, Carr said. He said the campus can sometimes offer 'resources tailored to international students'. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the United States would start 'aggressively' revoking visas issued to Chinese students and would 'enhance scrutiny' of new applications. The administration of US President Donald Trump was on track after its first 100 days to deport about half a million people this year, according to the Migration Policy Institute think tank. Singapore has been tipped to attract more Chinese students due to perceived instability in the US. In June, Trump announced that the US would indeed allow Chinese students into American universities, as part of a wider deal with China. However, many students and their parents were already on high alert over reports of students being denied visas, being detained at immigration checkpoints, or being shown hostility in America amid bilateral spats over trade and competing geopolitical ambitions. A pivotal moment came in May, when the Department of Homeland Security took steps to restrict the entry of new international students and considered revoking existing visas for current Harvard students, citing national security. But a federal judge blocked the government's move to bar foreign students and scholars from entering the US to study or work at Harvard, and the Ivy League school made that clear on its website. The University of California, San Francisco, admitted eight students from abroad for the upcoming academic year to its nationally ranked pharmacy graduate school, and five were Chinese nationals. One more was admitted from China but could not get a US visa. Last year, just four out of the School of Pharmacy's 127 students were from other countries. Applications from China, a perennial chief source of applicants, have shown no sign of slowing, said the school's admissions director, Joel Gonzalez. 'For the most part … when you look at the number of international students, probably the majority of them are going to be from China,' Gonzales said at his office in a tower of classrooms and university-run medical wards up the hill from San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and a city bus ride from Chinatown. Reasons for their applications 'could be the diversity of San Francisco versus somewhere in the [US] Midwest that might not be as inviting to a student in China', he said. 'And we're the top-ranked programme in California, so I can't help but think that those variables come into play.'It was another well-ranked programme, Human Computer Interaction, that drew Zhou Yubo to the University of Michigan for his graduate studies in August. Now he is just waiting to see whether he gets the necessary student visa, having already waited more than six weeks. The 22-year-old, with a tech-related undergraduate degree and two previous stays in the US, said he believed the campus in Ann Arbor would be 'a good place to study hard', due to what he sees as a lack of entertainment options compared with other university towns. Personal careers are now more important to US-bound Chinese students than visa issues or geopolitical pressures, said Perry Link, a comparative literature-Chinese professor at the University of California, Riverside. 'The graduate students, who are mostly in STEM fields, are interested in joining the international quest to advance scientific learning in universities or companies in the US,' Link said. 'Undergraduates are usually full-tuition-paying students from wealthy or fairly wealthy backgrounds in China,' he said. 'A lot of them study business or accounting and are looking for careers in the US or in family-affiliated firms back in China. They like to position themselves to do well in both systems – Chinese and American.' Another Ivy League school, Cornell University, has similarly found little change this year from last, despite some Chinese students having a little trouble getting visas, said Wendy Wolford, vice-provost for international affairs. Cornell lets students without visas start their studies at one of Cornell's three 'top' partner schools in other countries, she said. The California State University campus in the inland college town of Chico counts Chinese nationals as 3.5 per cent of the international student body, public relations director Andrew Staples said. The relatively small, crime-free city of 101,000 people is a selling point, he added. Students from second- and third-tier Chinese cities may go for the state school's relatively low tuition and living costs, compared with schools in bigger American urban areas, Staples said. 'Chico's setting as a university town offers an accessible and immersive American college experience that appeals to students and families alike,' he said.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Chinese eyeing US degrees turn more discerning – is the opportunity still worth the risk?
Jason Lin of Xiamen surprised his mother this year by applying to 10 undergraduate schools in the United States and receiving a US$15,000 annual scholarship from Brandeis University near Boston. There, he intends to earn a master's degree in economics over the next five years. But to his mother, it's like he's venturing into the wild, compounding the anxiety parents often feel when their adult children leave the nest. She's afraid of 'instability' in the US. And Lin, 19, has concerns that even a traffic ticket could get him deported. But he weighed the pros and cons, laid it all on the table for his mother, and decided on Brandeis in time for the coming fall semester. Despite a sharp increase in US-China tensions this year, Chinese students such as Lin are still pursuing American higher education much as they have in the past, but they are being more selective than before, according to applicants and university officials. 'Basically, the thought of going to the States came to me when I was in ninth grade,' Lin explained. He expects more academic freedom in the US than in other countries and recalls the 'vibe' in New York when he visited as a tourist. Well-known schools, highly ranked programmes associated with the majors of students' choices, and flexible financial aid packages have become bigger draws. And if the university campus is located in a relatively safe American city, it gets bonus points in the selection process among Chinese applicants. 'The US does have the pre-eminent global research universities, for now at least,' said Rory Truex, an assistant professor with Princeton University's Department of Politics. 'And many students are willing to take the risks to get access to that opportunity.'
Wall Street Journal
22-07-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
‘Jewish Giving' Review: Charity and Survival
There's an old fundraiser's saying that Brandeis University used to be the Jewish Harvard, until Harvard became the Jewish Harvard. Many other prominent educational, scientific and cultural organizations that had once been pillars of 'the establishment' in the U.S.—and sometimes even excluded Jews—now have Jewish benefactors, directors and patrons. When some of those benefactors and patrons withheld multimillion-dollar gifts to some universities in response to recent anti-Israel campus protests, their actions attracted national attention. The importance of Jewish philanthropy for non-Jewish organizations is one of the themes of Jack Wertheimer's 'Jewish Giving: Philanthropy and the Shaping of American Jewish Life.' Despite a reputation for concentrating on inward-looking causes, Jewish philanthropists have long given a large proportion of their resources to secular concerns. In fact, by the 2010s, Mr. Wertheimer notes, 'larger proportions of American Jews gave to nonsectarian causes than to Jewish ones.' At the same time, he writes, Jewish donors sustain 'a vast network of Jewish institutions and initiatives designed to enhance the lives of American Jews and provide aid for Jews in other lands.' Despite signs that Jews have become less attached to their religion, these 'legacy institutions,' Mr. Wertheimer reports, are receiving 'renewed appreciation.' His book explains why that is important.
New York Post
07-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
World's Jewish population still hasn't recovered from the Holocaust, shocking analysis shows: ‘Reminder of how many people we lost'
The world's Jewish population has yet to recover from the Holocaust that wiped out more than a third of its members, a stunning new analysis shows. There were an estimated 16.6 million Jews alive in 1939 before the Holocaust killed more than 6 million of them. By comparison, there are about 14.8 million Jews alive today, according to the Pew Research Center. 6 The world's Jewish population has yet to recover from the Holocaust that wiped out more than a third of its members, a stunning new analysis shows. Bettmann Archive The Jewish population did increase by 6.2%, going from 13.91 million to 14.8 million, between 2010 and 2020, figures show. But globally, the overall non-Jewish population jumped 12.3%, from 7 billion to 7.87 billion, during that same time frame, the study said. 'During this time, the rest of the world's population grew about twice as quickly,' Pew noted. Jews account for a tiny 0.2% of the global population. 6 There were an estimated 16.6 million Jews alive in 1939 before the Holocaust killed more than 6 million of them. Getty Images The study's findings come at a vulnerable time for Jews, who are battling a rise in antisemitism triggered by the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. 'Have Jews made up for the loss of people killed in the Holocaust? The answer is no,' said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. 'It takes a long time to replace a third of the population. It still hasn't happened. It's a reminder of how many people we lost in the Holocaust,' he said. 6 The study's findings come at a vulnerable time for Jews, who are battling a rise in antisemitism triggered by the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. AFP via Getty Images 6 Weak and ill survivors of the Buchenwald concentration camp after its liberation. AFP via Getty Images Pew acknowledged that precisely estimating the size of the world's Jewish population is difficult. Its estimates in Israel are based on the Israeli Ministry of Interior's population register of Jews. Outside of Israel, the definition of Jewishness is based on self-identification with Judaism as a religion. The overwhelming number of the world's Jews live in Israel/the Middle East/North Africa (6.8 million) and North America (6.1 million), mostly in the United States, the study says. The Jewish population jumped by nearly 18% in and around Israel but just 0.6% in North America in the previous decade. 6 'Have Jews made up for the loss of people killed in the Holocaust? The answer is no,' said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. Corbis via Getty Images But it dropped by 8% in Europe, from 1.39 million in 2010 to 1.28 million in 2020, and 37% in sub-Saharan Africa, from 80,000 to 50,000, for the same period. The population increased by 2% in the Asia-Pacific region, rising from 180,000 to 190,000. 'Between 2010 and 2020, the Middle East and North Africa surpassed North America to become the geographic region with the largest Jewish population,' Pew said. 'This is primarily because Israel added over 1 million Jews to its population between 2010 and 2020, compared with an increase of just 30,000 in the U.S.' 6 The overwhelming number of the world's Jews live in Israel/the Middle East/North Africa (6.8 million) and North America (6.1 million), mostly in the United States, the study says. REUTERS Israel and the United States are the only countries with millions of Jewish residents, with 85% of Jews worldwide living in one of the two countries combined. Sarna said the Jewish birth rate is lower in many Western societies as it is for non-Jews, with the exception of Orthodox Jews who marry younger and have larger families.
Los Angeles Times
02-07-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
After centuries of isolation, ultra-Orthodox Jews engage with the world more than ever
NEW YORK — Frieda Vizel left an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in New York in a crisis of faith at 25. But instead of cutting ties, she became a successful online personality and guide to the tight-knit world she had been raised in. She gives sold-out tours of Williamsburg, Brooklyn — home base of the Satmar dynasty — and runs a popular YouTube channel focused on the subculture engaging more with the outside world after centuries of separation. In mid-June, Vizel took a group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim tourists to see synagogues and schools, and visit kosher delis and shops. Instead of Barbie dolls, there were little ultra-Orthodox Jewish figurines. The rabbinically approved products included cellphones without screens, and DVDs and MP3 players preloaded with approved music and films, so no internet connection is needed. Yet ultra-Orthodox men on the street offered friendly greetings and praise for Vizel's recent postings even though rabbis advise them to avoid the internet unless needed for business, family or other essential needs. 'It's an interesting moment,' Vizel said. 'They're saying, 'What is the whole world saying about us?'' Williamsburg and a handful of other locations worldwide — from Monsey, New York, to Stamford Hill, London to Bnei Brak, Israel — host the strictest followers of Orthodox Judaism. In a minority religion it's a minority set apart by its dedication above all else to the Torah and its 613 commandments, from No. 1 — worshipping God — to less-followed measures like No. 568 — not cursing a head of state. One in seven Jews worldwide are strictly Orthodox, or Haredi. It's a population of roughly 2 million out of 15 million Jews, according to Daniel Staetsky, a demographer with the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research. In a 2022 report, he projects that the strictly Orthodox population could double in size in 15 years. Another study projects that a third of American Jews will be Orthodox by 2063. Many in the community marry young and have large families. 'You're getting three generations of ultra-Orthodox for every two generations of Reform Jews in the U.S.,' said Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at the Pew Research Center. 'They are becoming the face of Judaism,' Vizel said. It's happening while many Reform Jews in the U.S. are becoming less religious and intermarrying. That means that Jewish Americans as a whole are becoming either Orthodox or more secular, Cooperman said. 'There has been a major change, I think, that has taken place over the last generation or two and that is the polarization of American Jewry, much as we've seen the vast polarization of America as a whole,' said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University. Among American Jews aged 18 to 29, 17% are Orthodox — a bigger share than in older generations, Pew found. And as a growing number of American Jews are Orthodox, a greater percent is Republican. Still, the majority of American Jews remain Democrats. The Pew Research Center found in 2020 that 75% of Orthodox Jews voted or leaned Republican. Walking out of Gottlieb's Restaurant with his salami sandwich, Samuel Sabel — a grocery store worker and journalist — said that 'a lot of the policies Republicans have go together with our beliefs,' citing school choice, and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage as examples. Orthodox political activism is 'at the highest point it's ever been,' said Rabbi Avi Shafran, the retired director of public affairs at the Orthodox group Agudath Israel. 'No question about that.' 'There is time and money and ability and savvy and education that allows for a much more, aggressive, much more positive and active effort on political things,' he said. But while cultural issues are important, 'when push comes to shove, we'll vote our interests, our immediate interests, not the larger issues that are always on the table,' Shafran said. 'We are practical,' he said. 'Put it that way.' Vizel guided her group past 'Get out the vote' signs in Yiddish, along with a campaign letter from Donald Trump in the window of Gottlieb's deli. In New York City's Democratic primary for the mayoral election, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo intensely courted Orthodox communities, counting at least 36 sects and yeshivas — religious schools — among his supporters. But Cuomo suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Zohran Mamdani in a demonstration of grassroots organizing over bloc voting. In Florida, Orthodox Jews backed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis before he signed a expansion of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, a movement that has galvanized religious groups across denominations. But the election this month for the World Zionist Congress — an international body predating Israel that controls more than 1,500 square miles (3885 square kilometers) of land there, along with about $1 billion a year from land sales — showed dominance by the Reform bloc despite intense campaigning by Orthodox parties and strong results ahead of coalition building. The 2020 Pew study found that Reform Jews are 37% of the American Jewish populace, followed by Jews that claim no particular branch — 32% —and then Conservatives at 17% . The Orthodox make up 9%. The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish group in North America, said 'it's a mistake to assume unaffiliated Jews don't care about being Jewish — many do, and Reform Judaism often reflects their spiritual and moral values. 'Reform Jews continue to hold overwhelmingly liberal worldviews and political values,' Rabbi Rick Jacobs wrote. 'In the aftermath of October 7th, many have deepened their connection to Jewish peoplehood while remaining firmly committed to justice, equity, and peace through the Reform Movement.' Rabbi Pesach Lerner founded the Orthodox party Eretz Hakodesh five years ago to compete in the election for the World Zionist Congress. The main American party representing Reform Judaism in the Zionist Congress had a better individual showing than Lerner's in voting in the United States, but Orthodox parties did well and said they were optimistic that coalition-building would let them compete with traditional liberal Jewish interests. Reform Jews and their allies 'went so far to the left of traditional, of national, or family values, in 'wokeism,' that I'm glad the right finally decided that they can't sit back on the sidelines,' Lerner said. Weissenstein writes for the Associated Press.
