The World Wise Podcast

The World Wise Podcast

By Rajika BhandariSociety & Culture
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The World Wise Podcast episodes

  • 5. An International Student's Passage From India: Aryan D'Rozario

    SHOW NOTES

    What does the international student experience look like in the US today? This is obviously a very broad question with many different nuances to it, but in this episode we look at what this experience has felt like in recent years, framed by the forces of the pandemic, the rising social justice movement globally, and a political and social environment that has not always felt friendly to international students. It’s also been a time when international students in the U.S. have turned to each other as never before, drawing support from a shared experience and coming together and organizing in ways that provide a sense of community but that also give voice to their needs and interests.

    This episode’s guest is Aryan D’Rozario, an international student first in the U.S. and now in the U.K. Originally from New Delhi, India, Aryan received a B.A. in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) in 2021. While at UCSC, Aryan also served for two years as the Undergraduate Representative on the university’s "Committee on International Education," which looked at matters related to international education on campus, including the allocation of resources for international education, the recruitment of international students, and their status and well-being. Aryan is now an international student again, but starting out in a different country this time. He is working on a master's at the University of Oxford in England, where his thesis will look at political views among Anglicized elites in Narendra Modi’s India.

    Episode Themes:

    • The experience of being an international student in the U.S. vs. the U.K.
    • How international students from India feel about studying in the U.S. today
    • Do international students understand their own agency and how can they better advocate for themselves and their needs?
    • The complex interplay between race and being foreign for international students. What international students in the U.S. can and should learn about the Civil Rights Movement and the history of race and politics in the U.S.
    • The impact of immigration policies on international students
    • How studying abroad shapes an international student’s academic interests, but also their political and social consciousness
    • Aryan's top tips for succeeding as an international student

      • Resources and Links:

      My Book: America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

      Website & Newsletter sign-up: www.rajikabhandari.com

      Twitter: @rajikabhandari

      LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari

      Instagram: @rajika_bhandari

      Facebook: @authorrajikabhandari

      54 min
    • 4. Leadership Lessons in International Education: Peggy Blumenthal

      SHOWNOTES

      This special episode of the show focuses on the history and evolution of the field of international education; the current state of student exchanges between China and the U.S.; and also the important role of leadership and mentoring in the field. Today’s guest, Peggy Blumenthal, has been at the forefront of the field, helping shape numerous programs and guiding generations of international education professionals in their work. Peggy currently serves as the Senior Counselor to the President of the Institute of International Education (IIE), and previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Institute. Before joining IIE, Peggy served as Assistant Director of Stanford University's Overseas Studies and then as Coordinator of Graduate Services/Fellowships for the University of Hawaii's Center for Asian and Pacific Studies. An expert on educational exchanges between the US and China, her earlier work focused on the development of U.S.-China exchanges as a staff member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Asia Society's China Council.

      Episode Themes:

      • Peggy’s personal journey of studying abroad in East Asia; her profound (and some funny!) moments of cultural immersion; and how this led to a lifelong dedication to a global career and in particular U.S.-China relations.
      • Key historical episodes in the field of international education, including the lesser-known Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program of the early 1900s.
      • Families’ aspirations for a global education and student flows between the U.S. and China.
      • The escalating refugee crisis in Ukraine and the role of organizations like IIE in supporting scholars and students from different world regions
      • The importance of mentoring and key leadership advice for women as they grow in their careers. 

        • Links to resources from this episode

        IIE's Scholar Rescue Fund

        IIE's Emergency Student Fund

        Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange

        Be sure to check out these other resources!

        My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

        Newsletter sign-up: www.rajikabhandari.com

        Twitter: @rajikabhandari

        LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari

        Facebook: @authorrajikabhandari

        Instagram: @rajika_bhandari

        50 min
      • 3. How and why we should measure the impact of colleges and universities: Phil Baty

        SHOW NOTES

        How do we measure what it means to be a quality college or university in today’s competitive global landscape? Student-level data and information is one thing, but looking at entire systems–especially complex ecosystems like universities--is quite another. Enter rankings, arguably a set of objective criteria and metrics on which students base their decisions and by which institutions are judged. But rankings are much more than just a metric: they reflect our philosophies and beliefs about what matters in a university education. 

        This episode's guest is Phil Baty, an expert who has been immersed in these sorts of institutional metrics for most of his career, helping shape and expand the Times Higher Ed World University Rankings. Phil is an international authority on university performance and strategy, with more than 25 years of experience in global higher education, including a decade as editor of the prestigious rankings. But Phil’s work at THE goes much beyond rankings, and includes leading major summits and thought leadership activities that engage university leaders, academics, business executives and policymakers. He has been listed as one of the top 15 “most influential” in education and is described as “one of the most powerful commentators, and arguably policy actors, on higher education.” He is also an award-winning journalist, and writes regularly on global higher education issues.

        Episode Themes

        • The growth and regional expansion of the THE World Rankings
        • Why it is important to measure the global and social impact of universities and what role the SDGs play
        • Even though they often come under attack, Phil presents four compelling arguments for the value of rankings
        • What the merger and collaboration of THE and Inside Higher Education means for the field of international higher education
        • How Phil’s early experiences in the West Bank, Pakistan and Afghanistan inspired his international career in journalism
        • Phil’s personal journey as a first-generation college student, and the importance of increasing access and inclusion for students from all backgrounds

          • Links to resources from this episode

          Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

          Follow Phil Baty on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram

          Be sure to check out these other resources!

          My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

          Newsletter sign-up: www.rajikabhandari.com

          Twitter: @rajikabhandari

          LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari

          Facebook: @authorrajikabhandari

          45 min
        • 2. A Life of Multirooted Belongings: Vishakha Desai

          SHOW NOTES

          Episode Summary:

          How do we remain global in our worldview yet locally rooted in our day-to-day lives? For those of us who live between cultures, an enduring questions is how to shape our lives in a way where we draw upon our multiplicities and varied experiences. For many of us this has also meant adapting to new homelands and cultures and for others it has meant engaging with the world through periods of travel and education, allowing these experiences to broaden one’s understanding of home and the world.

          This episode’s guest is Dr. Vishakha N. Desai whose work and life embodies how education, culture, and migration fuse together to create a truly global outlook. Dr. Desai is perhaps known most for having been the President and CEO of the Asia Society, a global nonprofit that forges closer ties between Asia and the West through arts, education, policy, and business. Dr. Desai currently serves as Senior Advisor for Global Affairs to President Lee Bollinger of Columbia University; Department Chair of the Committee on Global Thought; and is Senior Research Scholar in Global Studies at the School of International and Public Affairs. Trained in Indian classical dance, Dr. Desai is a noted scholar of South Asian Art and history and is well known for her leadership in presenting contemporary Asian art to American audiences and in developing innovative approaches to the relationship between culture and foreign policy in Asia.

          This episode is based on her new book, World as Family: A Journey of Multi-rooted Belongings, which is both a deeply personal narrative of her life but is also filled with wisdom that many of us can use as we negotiate the idea of identity and being global.

          Episode Themes:

          • How to develop a deeply rooted sense of belonging, yet remain global in one’s orientation and actions
          • The multilayered, shifting, and hybrid identities of immigrants
          • Being Asian American in the U.S. today
          • Navigating leadership as a woman, an Asian, and an immigrant
          • The role of the arts in fostering global dialogue and understanding
          • The important role of cultural and educational exchanges, and how one such organization—AFS—has navigated the pandemic

            • Links to resources from this episode:

            Vishakha Desai’s book: World as Family: A Journey of Multi-rooted Belongings

            Vishakha Desai’s website: www.vishakhadesai.com

            AFS Intercultural Programs: https://afs.org

            Be sure to check out these other resources!

            My book:  America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

            Newsletter sign-up: www.rajikabhandari.com

            Twitter: @rajikabhandari

            LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari

            Facebook: @authorrajikabhandari

            Instagram: @rajika_bhandari

            45 min
          • 1. Ukraine: An international student perspective and the unfolding refugee crisis

            SHOW NOTES

            The UN estimates that 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine in just one week. One of the most damaging and lasting impacts will be on education as millions see their learning disrupted: only 5% of refugee students globally are able to access higher education and that number will now rise. International students from Ukraine and those who are international students within Ukraine have also been affected. In this opening episode of the show, we learn first-hand from a Ukrainian student about the current situation, and we hear from an expert on refugee student issues on what this latest crisis means for the world's growing population of refugee students. 

            • Kostyantyn Domaratskyy is an international student from Ukraine at Christian Brothers University in the U.S., where he is pursuing an MBA and is also an athlete.
            • Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser is Associate Professor of International Education & International Affairs and UNESCO co-Chair in International Education for Development at The George Washington University where his research focuses on access and integration of refugees and migrants into higher education. He is the founding director of the Refugee Educational Advancement Laboratory or REAL and writes extensively on these issues as well. His latest book is Higher Education in the Era of Migration, Displacement and Internationalization.

              • Episode Themes:

              • Ukrainian international students in the U.S. and how their campuses are supporting them 
              • Ukrainian and Russian students in the U.S.: Separating the political from the personal
              • The current situation in Ukraine and the ongoing global refugee crisis
              • Challenges refugee students face as compared with international students
              • What U.S. groups are doing to support refugee students
              • A Ukrainian international student's message for the rest of the world

                • Resources from the episode:

                International education for enlightenment, for opportunity  and for survival: Where students, migrants and refugees diverge

                A World of Refugees: The Outbreak of War in Ukraine 

                The Presidents' Alliance's RESPONSE Campaign

                No Lost Generation

                1939 All Over Again 

                 A list of vetted charities

                Razom Emergency Response 

                IIE Emergency Student Fund

                Other links:

                America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility

                LinkedIn: @rajikabhandari

                Twitter: @rajikabhandari

                34 min

              About The World Wise Podcast

              From the publisher's feed

              The World Wise Podcast is a weekly take on the intersections of education, culture, and (im)migration. Join Dr. Rajika Bhandari, international higher education expert and author of America Calling: A…