US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT1201

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001201 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR S, R, ECA, NEA FROM AMBASSADOR 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, KPAO, SCUL, OIIP, XF, KU, STUDENT VISAS 
SUBJECT:  Getting Foreign Students Back to U.S. 
Universities: What We're Doing and What We're Learning 
 
1.  Summary/Recommendations:  Over the last six months, 
Embassy Kuwait has begun a coordinated effort to reverse an 
alarming decline in the number of Kuwaiti students choosing 
U.S. colleges and universities.   A significant percentage 
of current government, oil industry and private sector 
leadership in Kuwait hold U.S. degrees and hold the United 
States in very high regard.  We have a strategic interest in 
making sure that the next generations of leaders in Kuwait 
have experienced the excellent educational opportunities in 
the U.S.  And of equal importance, they will benefit from a 
sustained formative period when they can get to know what 
makes the U.S. tick, why Americans respond to the world in 
the way we do, and how democracy works in action.  The 
United States also benefits from the personal interactions 
between American students and their counterparts from the 
Arab and Muslim world.   In this report, we provide a 
summary description of what we are doing to address the 
problem of declining matriculations, and some of the 
preliminary lessons we have learned.  We welcome feedback 
from other posts that are engaged in similar activities, as 
well as from Washington agencies and educational 
associations, such as NAFSA, AMIDEAST, IIE, and others. 
 
2.  Recommendations:   We have two specific recommendations. 
First, the Department, (perhaps co-sponsored by U.S. 
educational bodies), should commission a market survey in 
the GCC countries (and elsewhere if desired) to learn more 
about what is influencing the choices students and parents 
in the Gulf make regarding higher education.  As a 
government, we seem to be responding to this problem based 
largely on anecdotal information, not specific and recent 
data.  Second, we recommend that the Secretary make a major 
address on the topic at a U.S. university.  Secretary Rice's 
background in academia brings a new dimension to our 
efforts, and her personal involvement would add considerably 
to the visibility and credibility of efforts to bring more 
students to the U.S. 
(End Summary/Recommendations) 
 
The Problem 
----------- 
 
3.   Academic institutions and the media have been 
highlighting the loss of foreign students for some time.  In 
the fall of 2004, Embassy Kuwait recognized that the problem 
in Kuwait was even worse than we imagined and that the 
precipitous drop in the number of Kuwaitis studying in U.S. 
colleges and universities needed to be addressed in a 
concerted fashion.  The 35% drop in Kuwait enrolments in the 
U.S. since 9/11/2001, greater than the decline in Saudi 
Arabia, was alarming for two principal reasons: 1) the loss 
of the immediate/intensive exposure of young Kuwaitis to 
America and Americans, and 2) the long-term loss to the 
United States of a cadre of leaders in government, business, 
education and other sectors who receive not only a high 
quality education, but who understand American culture and 
the way Americans respond to the world.    Given the gravity 
of the situation, we didn't have the luxury of sitting back 
and studying the problem before attacking it.  So to a great 
extent we are learning as we go. 
 
 
What We're Doing 
---------------- 
 
4.  In summary form, below are steps we have taken to 
encourage more students to study in the U.S.: 
 
--  Under the leadership of the Ambassador, formed an 
interdisciplinary group within the mission to develop and 
implement actions.   The Cultural Attach is the Executive 
Director of the Group, with participation by the DCM, CONS, 
FCS, PD, Office of Military Cooperation, POL, and ECON. 
 
 
--  Developed a stronger working relationship with AMIDEAST 
Kuwait, which is the designated educational testing and 
counseling agent in Kuwait.  AMIDEAST personnel help us 
diagnose the problems, provide advice on strategy and help 
in program implementation.  We cooperate closely with 
AMIDEAST in orientation and counseling programs. 
 
--  Developed links with the National Union of Kuwaiti 
Students.  This group, particularly its U.S. branch, is an 
excellent source of advice.  The U.S. branch is also media- 
savvy, using their winter holiday vacation in Kuwait to host 
events, call on ministers, and give interviews.   A lunch 
hosted by the Ambassador for them received excellent 
coverage, as did a speech by the Ambassador at one of their 
events. 
 
--  Worked the press on the issue.  We boiled down the 
Ambassador's speech to the Kuwaiti students into a long op- 
ed, which was carried in every daily. 
 
--  Upgraded our Embassy website coverage of student issues, 
including visa info and counseling information.   We also 
made a laminated card with web-based resources for more 
information on "Studying in the USA," that we distribute 
widely. 
 
--  We opened an e-mail account, kwtstudyintheus@state.gov, 
for feedback from the public on student issues.  (This 
account has not received as much input as we expected.  We 
probably could market it better but it may not be a 
particularly useful tool for feedback.) 
 
--  Started a list of distinguished Kuwaiti alumni of 
American universities and are including an on-line 
registration form on our public web site for alumni. 
 
--  Started to encourage alumni chapters.  This has been 
slow going in Kuwait, where the social life focuses more on 
families and friends than on affinity or professional 
organizations. 
 
--  Participated in U.S. university recruiting events. 
Working with FCS and AMIDEAST, the Ambassador, PD officers 
and consular officers have participated in these events that 
have received good public coverage. 
 
--- Expanded our Consular outreach to prospective students. 
Vice Consuls brief students and parent groups at recruiting 
events and other educational fora.  This has been very 
successful in dispelling some of the myths about the 
difficulties in obtaining student visas. 
 
--  Focused more attention on English language programs for 
youth.  Besides addressing the key issue of attaining 
adequate TOEFL scores to study in U.S. schools, offering 
English language training affords an opportunity to discuss 
concerns about study in the U.S.  (Our English language 
program is a key part of our overall outreach program to 
young Kuwaitis.) 
 
--  Lobbied Kuwaiti officials to direct more scholarship 
students to the U.S.  This has been an uphill battle, as the 
GOK is consciously diversifying choices for students and 
additional universities are opening in Kuwait and other GCC 
states.  We are still pushing on a request requests to the 
Education Ministry for access for our educational advisors 
to offer voluntary presentations in local public high 
schools.  AMIDEAST is already active in the elite private 
schools. 
 
--  The Office of Military Cooperation - Kuwait (OMC-K), in 
conjunction with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency 
(DSCA), proposed that the Kuwait Chief of Staff of the 
Military enable Kuwaiti students enrolled in U.S. colleges 
to participate in Reserve Officer Training Courses (ROTC) 
offered at U.S. colleges.  The offer to Kuwait is for Kuwait 
students in the U.S. to be able to attend all of the 
U.S. ROTC requirements including the summer programs with 
U.S. military service components that U.S. students do. 
Upon completion of college and the ROTC curriculum, Kuwait 
would recognize the U.S. ROTC training by commissioning the 
Kuwaiti as an officer in the Kuwaiti Military.  This is the 
first time such an initiative has been offered to a foreign 
country.  At present, there is interest by the Kuwait Chief 
of Staff, but the offer has not yet been accepted. 
 
What We're Learning 
------------------- 
 
5.  Many of the "lessons learned" below appear somewhat 
obvious, but they weren't obvious to us until we started to 
attack the problem and deal more systematically with the 
different actors.  We still have considerable knowledge gaps 
in regard to motivating students to choose the U.S. 
 
--  "Visa Fear" can be overcome.   We believe we have turned 
the corner in convincing people that it is not inordinately 
difficult for qualified applicants to apply for and receive 
a student visa.  This has been achieved through our outreach 
program and by giving priority to applicants for student 
visas.  Clearance procedures have improved steadily in the 
last two years and wait times are down dramatically. 
 
--  There is still some worry about treatment of Arabs in 
the U.S.  Parents don't want their children put at risk of 
intrusive treatment at U.S. immigration points or 
discrimination where they study.  Even some Kuwaitis 
educated in the U.S. have shared with post their concern 
about sending their children to study in the U.S. because of 
fear of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment in America. 
Talking to Kuwaitis who are studying in the U.S. has 
revealed this to be a minor problem, but the few negative 
experiences are the ones that are broadcast and amplified in 
the small and talkative Kuwaiti society.  This misperception 
needs to be addressed continuously, stressing that the U.S. 
welcomes Arabs and Muslims as students and visitors, and 
providing examples of their success in the U.S. 
 
--  Meet the Competition.  The options for students are 
expanding quickly.  A young Kuwaiti can now choose between 
two universities in Kuwait with American curricula: the 
American University of Kuwait and the Gulf University of 
Science and Technology, (associated with the University of 
Missouri-St. Louis), as well as an Australian college. 
They are also attracted to the American University in nearby 
Sharjah, UAE.  In addition, the UK, Australia and others are 
perceived as easier to get into (no TOEFL or application 
fees in England) and these countries are eagerly recruiting 
in Kuwait using the selling points of easier admissions and 
visa processes. 
 
--  U.S. schools are not in the market enough.  Very few 
U.S. universities are taking advantage of FCS and privately 
managed educational recruiting missions to the Middle East. 
A recent FCS-assisted show had a considerable number of 
participants at its first stop in Dubai, but the numbers 
dropped off sharply for the second stop in Kuwait.   It 
turned out the private firm organizing the events had 
subsidized the travel to Dubai.  In addition, we have seen 
almost no evidence of U.S. institutions making use of 
Kuwaiti alumni for recruiting purposes. 
 
--  The best recruiters are current students or recent 
grads.  The recruiting effectiveness of a person in or close 
to the peer group of aspiring students is exponentially 
higher than that of an embassy officer or university 
official.  We see this phenomenon over and over again at 
recruiting events. 
 
--  There may be a big summer school market.  Most Kuwaiti 
students do not come home from the U.S. to Kuwait in the 
summer.  The heat deters them, so many attend summer classes 
and vacation in the U.S.  We believe there may also be an 
untapped market for summer-only students, who would then be 
an ideal pool of potential candidates for subsequent full- 
time study in the U.S.  Most of the summer students now are 
in English language programs, but this could be expanded 
with some good marketing. 
 
--  PD educational programming ought to be continued, in 
part as a feeder system into U.S. higher education.  ECA 
programs such as ACCESS (in-country English language 
programs for non-elite youth), YES (one year of high school 
in the U.S.) and PLUS (third and fourth year of 
undergraduate study in the U.S.) are ideal programs whose 
participants would desire and qualify for higher education 
in the U.S.  Anecdotal evidence indicates that YES alumni, 
for example, desire to continue their college or university 
education in the U.S. 
 
--  There is a need for more promotional materials and 
marketing.  Private global media resources and Hi Magazine, 
Radio Sawa and Al-Hurra could be utilized for additional 
marketing or for features on studying in the U.S.  Also, IIP 
and the Office of Broadcast Services may be ideal avenues 
for obtaining more high-quality and easy-to-use promotional 
materials on studying in the U.S.  An attractive glossy 
magazine or brochure on the topic in Arabic and English for 
distribution, as well as a broadcast-quality documentary 
video in Arabic on "University Life in America" for 
broadcast on local and regional television, would be welcome 
additional tools for our on-the-ground efforts at increasing 
the numbers of Kuwaitis studying in the U.S. 
LEBARON