Universities Rush to Set Up Outposts Abroad

International programs and students have long lent universities more diversity and cachet, while serving as informal diplomatic agents among nations. Finding and training the best talent can lead to innovative research, patents, economic growth and eventually alumni donations. University administrators in the US now discover that they are the experts in this exporting higher education and that there’s money to be made. Students in the Middle East can attend programs offered by Georgetown, Cornell, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon or Texas A&M, “without the expense, culture shock or post-9/11 visa problems of traveling to America.” As critics question the new “educational gold rush,” universities defend their plans for branches and promise high standards. In the internet age, any problems in quality or ventures into unsustainable programs could quickly tarnish the reputations of brand-name colleges. And the biggest danger for campuses based either in the US and abroad is the loss of diversity that brings new perspectives and approaches to solving problems. – YaleGlobal