I don’t think this column fully underscores the severity of the issue. . . The United States is going to be facing a severe labor shortage when the boomers retire. 80 Million Boomers…40 Million Gen X. Thought Gen Y is roughly 75 Million people, it’s going to be a while before enough of the make it into the working world. What we need to fill that gap are talented foreigners; keeping talented foreign grad students and those with H1B visas would a great start.
In the fall of 2005, roughly 220,00 foreign students enrolled in graduate programs in the United States, according to a report issued by the Council of Graduate Schools. More than half of those students matriculated into science programs. Nearly half of engingeering students and 40% of those studying the physical sciences are foreign born.
If USC is any judge of funding for graduate programs, a fair share of these students pay little for the privilege of studying in the US. In order to make graduate programs more attractive, many schools provide options that make students fully funded, particularly the PhD programs. Isn’t it foolish to pay for the training of brilliants scientists and other professionals, only to let them take their skills back to their homelands, where they compete with Americans? Rather, isn’t it in our best interests to retain them as professionals and welcome them to the “tossed salad” that is the American population?
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I dont know if I would regard it as foolish, however I would categorize as sort of educational colonialism. Educating foreign Graf students and somehow hoping I’d encouraging them to return to their homelands – there is, I think, a tacit belief that they will take their American experiences back with them and spread our values even if only small portion of our values rubs off.