International Education

Theodore M. Vestal Ph.D.

International education in the United States is at a significant crossroads. The magnanimity of the 102nd Congress has raised the possibility of federal financial support of international studies to a new level. The newly established governing board of the National Security Education Act can provide unprecedented coordination of federally supported international education programs. If federal financial support can be maintained and coordination achieved, the objectives of the IEA of 1966 can be realized in the 1990s. The academic community and public policy makers need to be made aware of the opportunities at hand in order for this to be possible. U.S. education generally and higher education specifically have a responsibility to improve our international capabilities in order to meet the post-Cold War challenges of a complex world.

PrefaceThe Challenge of International EducationWhat is International Education?Federal Government Involvement in International EducationThe Mosaic of International EducationThe History of the IEA and Its Major ActorsThe IEA as Part of LBJ's Legislative ProgramThe IEA before the House of RepresentativesThe IEA before the SenateThe President Signs the IEA into LawAdministration Plans for Implementing the IEAThe IEA and Appropriations CommitteesWhy the IEA was Defeated: CongressWhy the IEA was Defeated: The PresidentWhy the IEA was Defeated: The Academic CommunityThe Legacy of the IEA in the Office of EducationThe Role of Private FoundationsWhat the IEA Might Have AccomplishedThe National Security Education Act of 1991Administration of the NSEAThe Magnanimous 102nd CongressThe Future and the Three StreamsAppendix (Public Papers of President Lyndon B. Johnson about the International Education Act of 1966)Remarks at the Smithson Bicentennial Celebration, September 16, 1965Special Message to the Congress Proposing International Education and Health Programs, February 2, 1966Statement by the President on the Message on International Education and Health, February 2, 1966Index