Latest news with #FulbrightProgram
The Hindu
30-07-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Ashram School alumnus nominated to governing board of CSR, Indore
Academician and member of the University Grants Commission, Sachidananda Mohanty, an alumnus of the Ashram School who has served on the governing board of the Auroville Foundation, has been nominated to the governing board of the UGC-DAE, Consortium for Scientific Research (CSR), Indore. He was nominated by the Chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Vineet Joshi, for a three-year term. Prof. Mohanty, former Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Odisha, has received numerous national and international accolades, including awards from the British Council, Salzburg Global Seminar, the Katha Foundation, and the Fulbright Program. A prolific author, he has written 30 books that have been published by leading international forums, like Oxford, Routledge, and Sage publications. Prof. Mohanty is the son of the late Panchanan Mohanty, former Financial Advisor to the Government of Odisha, and noted Odia poet Bidyut Prabha Devi. The UGC-DAE Consortium, Indore, established in 1989, is one of the Inter-University Centres set up by the UGC. As an autonomous institution, it aims to promote advanced research and teaching in areas involving sophisticated scientific infrastructure, including accelerators, lasers, and nuclear reactors.
New Indian Express
29-07-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Sachidananda Mohanty new UGC-DAE CSR member
BHUBANESWAR: Academician Sachidananda Mohanty has been nominated as a member of the governing board of the UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research (CSR), Indore. He has been nominated by the chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Vineet Joshi for a three-year term. The UGC-DAE Consortium, established in 1989, is one of the inter-university centres set up by the UGC. As an autonomous institution, it aims to promote advanced research and teaching in areas involving sophisticated scientific infrastructure, including accelerators, lasers and nuclear reactors. Mohanty is a current member of the UGC and a former vice-chancellor of the Central University of Odisha. He has received numerous national and international accolades, including awards from the British Council, Salzburg Global Seminar, the Katha Foundation and the Fulbright Program. Mohanty has written 30 books which have been published in leading international forums like Oxford, Routledge, Sage publications, etc.
Politico
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Academic with history of incendiary remarks to lead US Institute of Peace
'We look forward to seeing him advance President Trump's America First agenda in this new role,' the statement said. USIP has been in turmoil in recent months as the administration and its Department of Government Efficiency sought to close the organization and withhold funding. The State Department said the institute has in recent decades 'slipped in its mission' to provide research, analysis and training in diplomacy. In February, several dozen Democratic House members signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio opposing Beattie's appointment to his current role. They cited his 'white nationalist loyalties and public glorification of our adversaries' authoritarian systems,' which included praise of the Chinese Communist Party and dismissal of its campaign against the largely Muslim Uyghurs. Beattie also drew widespread condemnation for a 2024 social media post on X in which he wrote 'competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.' Beattie, who previously served as a visiting instructor at Duke University, has since been at the forefront of the Trump administration's efforts to overhaul the State Department's Fulbright Program and shutter its Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub. Trump signed an executive order firing USIP President George Moose and most of USIP's board in February. The remaining board members, including Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, subsequently installed Department of Government Efficiency staffer Kenneth Jackson, as acting president. DOGE staffer Nate Cavanaugh later took over as acting president. The Trump administration laid off most of the embattled institute's staff in March following a tense standoff between USIP staffers and DOGE employees at the institute's headquarters. A federal judge subsequently blocked the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the organization, which was founded in 1984.
Chicago Tribune
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Bradshaw: What international admissions mean for Northwest Indiana
As a college admissions consultant based in Crown Point, Indiana, I work with families across the country — and around the world. But lately, I've noticed a growing unease among parents right here at home. The question isn't just 'Can my child get into Purdue or IU?' It's 'Why is it getting so hard?' Part of the answer lies thousands of miles away. In 2025, the United States has made it more difficult for international students to study here. Visa approvals are slower. Government scholarships, like the prestigious Fulbright Program, are shrinking. Earlier this year, dozens of international Fulbright awards were revoked with no clear explanation, prompting the resignation of the entire Foreign Scholarship Board. These weren't administrative errors — they were signals. To the world, they read as: You're no longer welcome here. And yet, demand has not declined. The Ivy League remains the pinnacle of aspiration for students from around the globe. But more than ever, international students are setting their sights on public universities — especially top-tier flagships like Purdue, Indiana University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These institutions offer world-class research, respected brand names, and — crucially — more seats. This is where the issue becomes very local. Many families in Northwest Indiana are starting to feel boxed out. Their sons and daughters have worked hard, maintained strong GPAs, and taken AP or dual-credit courses. But even with solid credentials, admission feels more uncertain. The culprit, they say, is an increasingly competitive — and global — pool of applicants. And they're not wrong. Public universities were founded to serve in-state students. But over the past two decades, many of these schools have faced serious budget cuts. To stay afloat — and competitive — they've turned to full-pay students. That often means international students and out-of-state applicants who bring in significantly more tuition than Hoosier residents. It's become a flashpoint in the broader debate about fairness, access, and the mission of public education. For local taxpayers, it raises uncomfortable questions: Why is my kid struggling to get into a school we help fund? Why does it feel like universities are recruiting abroad while ignoring students here at home? These are fair questions — and they deserve honest answers. From the university's perspective, admitting international students is often a financial necessity. It's not about turning away locals — it's about survival in a system where state funding has steadily declined. International applicants often pay full freight, don't require financial aid, and boost a university's global reputation. In that light, it's easy to see why admissions offices view them as essential. But optics matter. And so does public trust. When families in Crown Point, Valparaiso, or Merrillville feel that their children are being squeezed out by students from Beijing or Bangalore, it erodes confidence in the system. Meanwhile, the international students are adapting too. As the front door to elite schools narrows, many are entering through the side: enrolling first at second- or third-tier U.S. colleges, with plans to transfer after a year or two. They know the rules. Once they're on American soil, with good grades and recommendations, the odds of getting into a top school improve dramatically. But in 2025, it's a complex game of positioning, paperwork, and planning. Positioning means understanding how to present yourself in a way that aligns with what top colleges are seeking. For example, a student interested in economics might build a unique profile by launching a financial literacy podcast for teens, demonstrating initiative, leadership, and a passion for their field — qualities that resonate with admissions committees beyond just grades and test scores. Allysia Findley, a member of the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal, shared her thoughts with me on how writing for a high school newspaper can help shape one's career: 'I do think writing for a student newspaper can foster intellectual curiosity, originality, and an appreciation for the First Amendment. Original reporting and angles are more important than ever in the AI age. A student's reporting for a school newspaper may also provide a better reflection of his writing skills than an essay, which can be generated by a chatbot.' Paperwork refers to the increasingly burdensome and technical side of the process: financial aid forms like the CSS Profile and FAFSA, and supplemental essays tailored for each school. Planning is the long-term strategy: selecting the right courses and extracurriculars early in high school, deciding when to take the SAT or ACT, and understanding when to apply early decision versus regular. A well-advised student might decide to apply Early Decision to the University of Pennsylvania, knowing their odds are statistically stronger in that round — but only after confirming that Penn is a genuine first choice and that the family can commit financially. As someone who advises both U.S. and international students, I tell them the same thing: stop obsessing over rankings. The U.S. News & World Report list may dominate headlines, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Some of the best programs in engineering, AI, business, and agriculture are found at public institutions that rarely make the top 10. In fact, some of the most cutting-edge research in America is happening not at Ivy League campuses, but at places like Purdue, Michigan State, and Texas A&M. For Northwest Indiana families, that should be reassuring. Your child doesn't need to get into Harvard to thrive. But they do need a smart strategy. So who gets in? This question often catches local families off guard. The students who prepare early, understand the real admissions landscape and adapt their approach. They treat college admissions not as a lottery but as a carefully planned process that can be learned and strategically navigated. That includes understanding how the competition prepares, and applying to a broad mix of academically appropriate schools — even if they aren't household names. Most of all, it means staying informed. Whether you're a family in Crown Point or Bangalore, the college landscape is shifting. The American dream is still within reach.
AllAfrica
23-06-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
Behind Trump's flip-flop on Chinese student visas
President Donald Trump appears to have walked back plans for the US State Department to scrutinize and revoke visas for Chinese students studying in the country. On June 11, 2025, Trump posted on his social media platform TruthSocial that visas for Chinese students would continue and that they are welcome in the United States, as their presence 'has always been good with me!' The announcement came weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that his department would begin scrutinizing and revoking student visas for Chinese nationals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, or whose studies are in critical fields. The contradictory moves have led to confusion among Chinese students attending college or considering studying in the United States. Over time, Chinese nationals have faced barriers to studying in the US. As a scholar who studies relations between the two nations, I argue that efforts to ban Chinese students in the United States are not unprecedented, and historically, they have come with consequences. Student visas under fire The Trump administration laid out the terms for revoking or denying student visas to Chinese nationals but then backtracked. Photo: STAP / Getty Images / The Conversation Since the late 1970s, millions of Chinese students have been granted visas to study at American universities. That total includes approximately 277,000 who studied in the United States in the 2023-2024 academic year. It is difficult to determine how many of these students would have been affected by a ban on visas for individuals with Chinese Community Party affiliations or in critical fields. Approximately 40% of all new members of the Chinese Communist Party each year are drawn from China's student population. And many universities in China have party connections or charters that emphasize party loyalty. The 'critical fields' at risk were not defined. A majority of Chinese students in the US are enrolled in math, technology, science and engineering fields. A long history Since the late 1970s, the number of Chinese students attending college in the U.S. has increased dramatically. Photo: Kenishiroite / Getty Images via The Conversation Yung Wing became the first Chinese student to graduate from a US university in 1852. Since then, millions of Chinese students have come to the US to study, supported by programs such as the 'Chinese Educational Mission,' Boxer Indemnity Fund scholarships and the Fulbright Program. The Institute for International Education in New York estimated the economic impact of Chinese students in the US at over US$14 billion a year. Chinese students tend to pay full tuition to their universities. At the graduate level, they perform vital roles in labs and classrooms. Just under half of all Chinese students attending college in the US are graduate students. However, there is a long history of equating Chinese migrants as invaders, spies or risks to national security. After the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, the US Department of Justice began to prevent Chinese scholars and students in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and math – from returning to China by stopping them at US ports of entry and exit. They could be pulled aside when trying to board a flight or ship and their tickets canceled. In one infamous case, Chinese rocket scientist Qian Xuesen was arrested, harassed, ordered deported and prevented from leaving over five years from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, the United States and China began ambassadorial-level talks to negotiate repatriations from either country. After his experience, Qian became a much-lauded supporter of the Communist government and played an important role in the development of Chinese transcontinental missile technology. During the 1950s, the US Department of Justice raided Chinatown organizations looking for Chinese migrants who arrived under false names during the Chinese Exclusion Era, a period from the 1880s to 1940s when the US government placed tight restrictions on Chinese immigration into the country. A primary justification for the tactics was fear that the Chinese in the US would spy for their home country. Between 1949 and 1979, the US and China did not have normal diplomatic relations. The two nations recognized each other and exchanged ambassadors starting in January 1979. In the more than four decades since, the number of Chinese students in the US has increased dramatically. Anti-Chinese discrimination The idea of an outright ban on Chinese student visas has raised concerns about increased targeting of Chinese in the US for harassment. In 1999, Taiwanese-American scientist Wen Ho Lee was arrested on suspicion of using his position at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to spy for China. Lee remained imprisoned in solitary confinement for 278 days before he was released without a conviction. In 2018, during the first Trump administration, the Department of Justice launched its China Initiative. In its effort to weed out industrial, technological and corporate espionage, the initiative targeted many ethnic Chinese researchers and had a chilling effect on continued exchanges, but it secured no convictions for wrongdoing. Trump again expressed concerns last year that undocumented migrants from China might be coming to the United States to spy or 'build an army.' The repeated search for spies among Chinese migrants and residents in the US has created an atmosphere of fear for Chinese American communities. Broader foreign policy context An atmosphere of suspicion has altered the climate for Chinese international students. Photo: J Studios / Getty Images via The Conversation The US plan to revoke visas for students studying in the US and the Chinese response is being formed amid contentious debates over trade. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian accused the US of violating an agreement on tariff reduction the two sides discussed in Geneva in May, citing the visa issues as one example. Trump has also complained that the Chinese violated agreements between the countries, and some reports suggest that the announcement on student visas was a negotiating tactic to change the Chinese stance on the export of rare earth minerals. When Trump announced his trade deal with China on June 11, he added a statement welcoming Chinese students. However, past practice shows that the atmosphere of uncertainty and suspicion may have already damaged the climate for Chinese international students, and at least some degree of increased scrutiny of student visas will likely continue regardless. Meredith Oyen is associate professor of history and Asian studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
