Nearly half of young men of colour age 15 to 24 who graduate from high school will end up unemployed, incarcerated or dead. This jarring statistic is just one of many highlighted in two new reports that were released this week by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center at an event held in collaboration with the Harvard University’s W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The reports, The Educational Experience of Young Men of Colour: A Review of Research, Pathways and Progress and Capturing the Student Voice, are especially relevant given the need for these young men to attain postsecondary degrees if the nation’s economy is to thrive and compete globally.

The reports provide the most comprehensive data, research findings and recommendations to date to improve the educational experiences and pathways of young men of colour. The qualitative research study, conducted in collaboration with the Business Innovation Factory (BIF), provides findings from 92 in-depth personal student interviews that are captured through video storytelling.

The reports seek to give a balanced view of the educational issues that exist for young men of colour across four minority groups — African Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinos and Native Americans — throughout the K-20 pipeline. According to the findings, just 26 percent of African Americans, 18 percent of Hispanic Americans, and 24 percent of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders have at least an associate degree. The reports also provide an analysis of the postsecondary pathways for young men of colour and identify the barriers and catalysts to college.

“At a time when our nation is committed to reclaiming its place as the world leader in higher education, we can no longer afford to ignore the plight of our young men of colour,” said Gaston Caperton, College Board President.

“As long as educational opportunities are limited for some, we all suffer. We rise as one nation and we fall as one nation. But if we keep working hard — if we keep listening to each other and to our students — we can soften our landings and reach historic new heights.”

“These reports cast into stark view what all Americans, unfortunately, have known for a long time: that access to education in this country is a right that not all of our children enjoy in equal measure,” said Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. “But the devastating numbers and the sobering statistics are a call to action through the recommendations outlined in this innovative report. Only with genuine and profound educational reform can we create equal opportunities for young men of colour and indeed for all Americans.”

Key recommendations outlined in the studies include encouraging policymakers to make improving outcomes for young men of colour a national priority, increasing community, business and school partnerships to provide mentoring and support for these young men, and improving teacher education programmes and providing professional development training that includes cultural and gender-responsive training.

To view the full College Board press release, please click here.

43,000 hopefuls applied to the 2,800 spots for the incoming freshman class which is a record high for the university. According to university officials, the number of applications is up 15% from last year and is almost triple the number from a decade ago.

Many other institutions in Boston, including Harvard, Tufts, Brandeis and Boston College have experienced the increases in applications from high school seniors, the rise at Northeastern is noticeable by the sheer size of the increase.

Philomena Mantella, senior vice president for admissions said that the number of international students has also leapt by more than 42 percent in just one year, to just under 4,500 applications.

The rise in applicants could be due to the university now offering students the opportunity to graduate in four years instead of the traditional five year commitment, they’re also still able to fit in two six-month placements of job-training.

The university also has a good reputation for its overseas connections and extensive global reach, in placing undergraduate students in co-ops in 69 countries and on all 7 continents including Antarctica.

It could also be argued that one of the reasons for the increase is due to the university hosting an admissions conference, OACAC, last year – inviting 700 high school counsellors from across the world to take part.

Overseas Association for College Admission Counselling (OACAC) is an affiliate of the National Association for College Admission Counselling (NACAC). It strives to serve students as they make their choices about pursuing postsecondary education. Their conferences bring together college counsellors and careers advisors from all over the world to meet with college admissions representatives to build relationships and help aid students through the international application process. It is an annual event which will be taking place this July at the University of Calgary.

Internationalizing the Campus 2010: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities showcases efforts across higher education to better prepare students for a global economy and an interconnected world, and takes an in-depth look at the five distinguished recipients of the 2010 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalisation: Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania; Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York; Loyola University Maryland; Northeastern University in Massachusetts; and University of San Francisco in California.

A hallmark of these 2010 Simon Award winners is the support and participation of their campus leadership, faculty, visiting scholars, staff, students, and communities in creating an integrated global approach to the curriculum, campus programmes, and outreach on their campuses.

Three other institutions included in the report received the 2010 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for outstanding and innovative work in a specific area or programme related to international education. They are the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York, La Roche College in Pennsylvania, and the College of the Atlantic in Maine. Named for the late Senator Paul Simon (D-Ill.), both awards seek to recognise institutions where international education is infused into the learning environment.

Senator Simon was a strong advocate for international education throughout his career in public service. His efforts were instrumental in the creation of the National Security Education Programme, and his visionary leadership remains central to current efforts to establish a national programme to dramatically increase opportunities for American college students to study abroad.

The 2010 NAFSA selection jury included Ron Roberson (jury chair; Howard Community College), Mary Devins (Connecticut College), Jeff Riedinger (Michigan State University), Neal Sobania (Pacific Lutheran University), and Priscilla Stone (Washington University in St. Louis).

For more information on the awards, visit: www.nafsa.org/SimonAward.

i-studentgroup will be attending the 17th annual OACAC Summer Conference. This year the Conference is being hosted by Northeastern University, situated in the thriving city of Boston, Massachusetts.

A total of nearly 900 counsellors, advisors, university admission staff, and other professionals in the higher education sector are set to attend the 3-day conference, which begins on Thursday the 15th of July.

The Conference will include the usual blend of educational workshops, hospitality and networking sessions and the high school/ college fair – which i-studentgroup are sponsoring.

Special events this year also include a New England dinner at Babson College, the annual OACAC dodgeball tournament and a closing gala set in the New England Aquarium, which lines Boston harbour.

For further information on the OACAC conference, visit: www.northeastern.edu/oacac

Alternately an OACAC app for Smartphone’s can be downloaded from the Apple Store or the Blackberry App World. Just search for OACAC Bos10. The app includes a conference schedule, campus map and details of the educational sessions.

See you in Boston.

The fellowship’s goal was to introduce American students to all aspects of Saudi culture, and Cournoyer said the experiential learning opportunity left him much wiser, inspired and globally enlightened.

Cournoyer was selected as one of nine current college students — all Model Arab League standouts at their respective universities — to participate in the 10-day fellowship. The trip, June 7 to 16, was organized by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, an American nonprofit that strives to improve Americans’ knowledge and understanding of Arab culture. It was co-sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission to the U.S.A. and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education.

In his group’s guided travels across the country, Cournoyer had some memorable experiences. He shared tea and coffee with Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, a Saudi billionaire. He met Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, longtime director of the Saudi Arabian intelligence agency, who shared his views on Saudi Arabian history and the Kingdom’s foreign affairs policies. And he heard John Sfakianakis, a leading economist and group general manager at Banque Saudi Fransi, discuss the oil industry’s place in Saudi Arabia’s economic future.

The fellowship also included visits to several universities and museums showcasing the country’s history, scientific advancements, and oil drilling and production process.

“It strengthened my interest and appreciation for society in the Middle East,” said Cournoyer, a political science and international affairs double major.

Cournoyer said he discovered there are more opportunities for women than is commonly believed in the West, and the fellowship strengthened his understanding of how closely religion is integrated into every element of Saudi life.

“What we saw was much more dynamic and had much more depth to it than the perception that the only thing going on over there is exporting oil,” he said.

Cournoyer, who said he is eager to return one day to learn more about the culture, has been selected as the secretary-general of the 2011 National Model Arab League Conference in March in Washington, D.C.

Story courtesy of Northeastern University. To view the original release, click here.

We are delighted to announce that the latest installment of the i-studentadvisor series of regional USA magazines is now online. The new Region XI contains information about Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Click here to launch the USA Region XI issue.

In previous years we have released one annual USA magazine but to give you the most detailed and up-to-date information about all the states for 2010 we are releasing eleven regional issues based on the eleven NAFSA (Association of International Educators) regions.

These new regional issues allow you to explore each state in more detail, learning about the state’s education system as well as more general information about living in the state. The new Region XI issue contains articles from education boards, institutions, education associations and even personal introductions from state governors. The Region XI guide breaks down the information into handy state-by-state chapters so you can build up a clearer picture of what each state has to offer. You can always browse our previous regional issues to learn about other US states and remember to look out for upcoming regional editions.

Working with the various institutions, associations, individuals and organisations on this issue has been a pleasure and has helped us to create a magazine that paints a vivid picture of what it is like to live and learn in the Region XI states. Here are some of our favourite articles from the latest issue:

Education Excellence in America’s Smallest State

Vermont: International Perspectives

Why Attend College in Massachusetts?

You can also check out the latest Counsellor Chronicles chapter where counsellors, authors and international educators contribute articles of a global interest to the guidance counsellor community.

Don’t forget you can also check out all our other US regional guides, country guides and subject specific guides at www.i-studentadvisor.com

You can also subscribe free to get all the latest i-studentadvisor issues direct to your inbox.

As always we welcome any comments, feedback or questions you may have about the latest Region XI magazine and any of our other publications. Email us at editorial@i-studentadvisor.com or leave a comment below.

The admissions process at Tufts usually asks students to submit two short essays from a choice of seven essay titles in support of their applications, however for the prospective class of 2014 they have invited applicants to submit a short video in place of one of the essays. The guidelines are that the video should say something about the applicant and be around one minute in length.

“[It] seemed like an interesting way to gather new perspectives on our deep and talented pool of applicants,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin. “And it has been — applicants have used the video option in all sorts of creative ways and, like the unexpected following they have spawned in YouTube, the admissions officers are enjoying this new part of our supplemental application.”

Out of 15,000 applications so far, over 1,000 videos have been submitted as an optional part of the process.

You can view some of the most popular video applications on the Tufts Daily website.

A surprising hit on YouTube has been Amelia Downs’ “Math Dances” with over 50,000 views so far. You can view Amelia’s video below.

Math Dances: Tufts\’ Optional Essay: 6b