EDUCATION #4 - FOLLOW-UP TO THE SECRETARY'S INDONESIA

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000519 STATE FOR S/P, EAP/PD - RFERGUSON-AUGUSTUS, EAP/MTS, ECA/A/S/A - DMORA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL ID SUBJECT: EDUCATION #4 - FOLLOW-UP TO THE SECRETARY'S INDONESIA VISIT: MISSION INDONESIA'S HIGHER EDUCATION STRATEGY Ref.: A) Jakarta 373 B) Jakarta 379 C) Jakarta 460 ¶1. Over the last decade, Australia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Great Britain, and other countries expanded and modernized their student recruiting systems in Indonesia. The United States did not with unfortunate and predictable results: the U.S. is no longer the top destination for Indonesian students and there are just half as many Indonesian students in the United States now as there were a decade ago - despite record numbers of Indonesians studying abroad. The mission is developing ideas to implement the Secretary's vision of doubling the number of Indonesian students in the U.S. to make up for this lost decade. ¶2. International data indicate that Indonesia may be a symptom of a broader trend: declining American competitiveness in the world higher education market. According to statistics compiled by the American International Recruitment Council, the total number of international students in the United States stagnated over the last decade, despite massive increases in the number of foreigners studying abroad. In other words, while in absolute numbers it appears that we are treading water, the reality is our market share has sunk dramatically. ¶3. In recent weeks, the Mission has been working with EAP to develop approximately $30 million in possible programs to support the Secretary's goals. These programs are essential in moving forward on the education agenda. Unless coupled with a targeted mission strategy, however, these programs on their own will not be sufficient to double the number of Indonesian students in the United States within five years. To accomplish that goal, the Mission has had some suggestions for an education promotion strategy and action plan. ¶4. One of the first steps in the plan will be to identify and engage other stakeholders with an interest in promoting U.S. higher education. Obvious stakeholders include American universities, Indonesian alumni of U.S. schools, private recruiters, and local education institutions. In Indonesia, the Mission is probably the only entity capable of focusing the efforts of this diverse group. ¶5. Another important step will be emulating the methods of our most dynamic competitors. This includes improving our student advising system, establishing a nationwide alumni alliance; advertising on line and in the mass media; creating and distributing promotional materials; and utilizing the full public affairs tool set, including exchanges, English teaching, DVCs, media placements, the Mission Outreach Program, etc., for maximum effect. ¶6. Finally, the mission will identify key schools and other institutions which produce the largest number of students with the educational and financial background needed to study overseas and target them for outreach programs. Because these schools also train a disproportionate number of the country's future economic and political leaders, targeting them will support our broader public affairs goals as well. ¶7. Much of this strategy is uncharted territory for U.S. Missions abroad. As this plan unfolds, the Mission will develop methods which can be used in other countries. Indonesia will be a proving ground for strategies that can be rolled out in other parts of the world. ¶8. Because of college application timelines, we expect that this year's efforts will not have a significant impact on this year's student numbers but will instead form the basis of future growth. ¶9. Not all elements of the following action plan can be undertaken with existing resources. Some critical aspects of the plan require funding and support from Washington. This is no small effort; the strategy will require substantial and sustained effort and a major realignment of Mission priorities. ¶10. Finally, there is one issue that is out of the Mission's control but which affects our ability to recruit students as well as how we are perceived: the SAO process. Incidents in which students have missed entire semesters or been forced to switch programs because their visas could not be released have put a chill in many potential students, particularly those with Muslim-sounding names. We hope that Washington can look at how to ease the burden of the SAO process on student visa applicants by either fine tuning the criteria or devoting more interagency resources for faster resolution. The Plan in Detail -------------- ¶11. In discussions with alumni and educators, we have identified several general steps which must be taken to maximize the number of Indonesian students choosing to study in the U.S. Working alone and with other stakeholders, the Mission will undertake activities to: - significantly increase contact potential students have with Americans and Indonesian alumni; - develop and distribute effective and informative promotional materials; - make it easier for potential students to research and apply to American schools; - debunk misperceptions about the visa process and America's openness to foreigners; - highlight the value and augment the prestige of an American education; and - identify and engage key institutions and organizations which can support our efforts. Key Plan Components -------------- ¶12. The Mission will undertake specific activities to accomplish the above goals including: - Identify critical source institutions: A small fraction of Indonesia's high schools train a majority of the students who will eventually study abroad. The Mission will identify these institutions and prioritize them in recruiting and other outreach efforts. - Seek out and emulate best practices: We will also review EducationUSA's activities from top to bottom to identify strengths and weaknesses. EducationUSA will also seek out best practices from our competitors and sister organizations around the world. - Engage U.S. partners: Effective recruiting requires close collaboration with U.S. institutions of higher education. Ambassador Hume has already written the top twenty schools receiving Indonesian students in 2008, as well as 70 schools which have demonstrated interest in Indonesia. AMINEF/EducationUSA followed-up those letters with an offer of assistance for recruitment. We will further follow up by requesting promotional materials, alumni lists, and key contacts - including email and Facebook/Friendster addresses of Indonesian student "Ambassadors" who can correspond with potential students. We will assist them in holding information and outreach sessions by DVC and other means. - Build relations with private student advisors: numerous private advisors provide fee-for-service assistance to students wishing to study abroad. We will identify reputable advisors, provide information to them, and encourage them to promote American schools. - Enlist alumni and other allies: Indonesian alumni and Indonesian students in the U.S. are powerful recruiting tools. These groups tend to be enthusiastic, motivated and eager to support our programs if given space to do so. The Mission is identifying individual alumni and alumni groups in order to form a nationwide American alumni alliance. The Mission is now recruiting a full-time LES alumni coordinator, who will greatly enhance our efforts in this area. - Honor our Alumni: The Mission will host a mega-event which honors and highlights the contributions of notable alumni. - Establish an eminent persons group: The Ambassador will form an advisory committee of prominent alumni which will prepare recommendations for promoting American higher education and help engage local media. - Improve access to testing facilities: At present, students living outside of Jakarta must travel great distances in order to take standardized tests, a burden students heading to competitor countries do not bear. The Mission will work with Educational Testing Service (ETS) to find ways to expand the number of standardized testing sites around the country, and possibly reverting to the use of the paper-based TOEFL. - Monitor emerging trends: The Indonesian student market is evolving. Two segments that are growing rapidly are post graduate and community college programs. To ensure that Mission efforts remain up to date, the consular section will monitor these trends and the education working group will ensure we can take advantage of them. - Engage in strategic outreach: The Mission will send information packets to key high schools and other institutions. The Mission will also target these schools for outreach by EducationUSA, Mission personnel and Alumni. - Augment participation in recruiting fairs: numerous organizations regularly organize recruiting fairs in major cities around the country. The U.S. only occasionally participates. We will carefully investigate the pros and cons of participating in additional fairs (cost vs. benefits) and increase participation in those fairs proven to attract large numbers of students who are serious about study abroad. - Refute inaccurate visa myths: the Consular section will organize an active outreach program to counter myths about the student visa process. Outreach will include information sessions as well as sessions for the media. - Mobilize the public diplomacy toolset: The public affairs section will strategically employ tools such as outreach to old and new media, speaker programs, American Corners, etc. to support the goal. - Develop and exploit online resources and tools: A bilingual website will be developed and promoted to assist potential students (and their parents) around the country. We will also organize counseling and question and answer sessions, perhaps via blogging or podcasts or DVC. We will also utilize social networks to promote American higher education. - Prepare promotional materials: We will collect and prepare promotional materials, including video, posters, handouts, brochures, etc. (Note: ECA recently funded a single country outreach coordinator for Indonesia. The position reports to IIE through its Indonesia partner, IIEF, and is based at EducationUSA in AMINEF office in Jakarta.) - Public Relations and Advertising: Competitor countries advertise regularly in national and specialized media such as in-flight magazines. They also have sophisticated branding and promotional strategies. We will identify media partners and firms which can assist in developing and executing a public relations strategy, including designing and placing advertisements, producing locally appropriate marketing videos, and in building an on-line presence. New resources will be needed to finance this effort. How Washington Can Help -------------- ¶13. There are additional ways that Washington Agencies can assist in these efforts: -- Support requests for specific funding: A comprehensive outreach/marketing strategy is currently being prepared, which will include new resource recommendations to achieve our goals, including possibly upgrading and expanding advising centers in Indonesia. Before May 1, Mission will review the report, set priorities, and request additional FY 2009 funds. - Create a senior private sector advisory committee in the United States comprised of public and private institutions of higher education to explore ways they can work together and with the Department to promote American higher education abroad. - Review the SAO process to fine tune the criteria or devote more interagency resources to eliminate the SAO backlog. HUME