The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expressed its intention to undertake actions to support a renewed focus on international education. This was announced recently during the English USA 2021 Stakeholders Conference.
Speaking on behalf of the DHS, Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement Eva Millona said that the Department will be “working in every step of the way with stakeholders” to make sure that their voices are heard.
At present, the DHS has nine memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with different universities and programs. “We are very serious about how we involve our stakeholders, how we bring their voices to the process that we lead,” said Millona.
The assistant secretary was very enthusiastic about the Department’s different partnerships with various programs, adding, “I’m very excited to continue with additional MOUs that we think are extremely important to building a strong workforce not just for the DHS but for the country generally.”
The DHS is serious about winning trust among its stakeholders and the country as a whole. Millona said that it would do all it can to regain trust among its stakeholders and the country as it vows to work to include English language programs in international education.
It wasn’t just the DHS that was keen on including English language programs in international education. Other stakeholders such as English USA, NAFSA, TESOL, UCIEP, ACCET, and CEA supported the move. The group issued a joint statement to the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Homeland Security.
In addition, there is also talk of the U.S. government reinstating the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council. This move will present more opportunities for collaboration and meaningful means to strengthen English language inclusion. And with the old council being composed of university presidents and association CEOs, the new one will simply be a means to have even more meaningful stakeholder engagement that’s meant to improve international education for all.
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