American Society & Values
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16 November 2009 Societies Free of Internet Censorship Are Stronger, Obama Says The free flow of information on the Internet builds a stronger society, encourages creativity and helps people around the world participate in the political process and hold their governments accountable, President Obama told Chinese students in Shanghai. Speaking at a town hall meeting ahead of meetings with Chinese leaders in Beijing, Obama said he is “a big believer” in technology and openness and a “big supporter of noncensorship” even though it means that he finds himself the subject of constant criticism. In the United States, “the fact that we have free Internet or unrestricted Internet access is a source of strength,” and the president said open Internet use should be encouraged.
05 November 2009 Remarks by President Obama at Tribal Nations Conference Obama answers questions on U.S. treatment of tribal nations.
15 October 2009 New York Celebrates 400th Anniversary of Hudson’s Voyage In September 1609, Henry Hudson and the crew of his ship, the Half Moon, tasked with finding a shortcut water passage from Europe to the Indies, sailed into the harbor destined to become the site of New York City, then explored the river later to be named in Hudson’s honor. Now both the Netherlands and the United States are celebrating the 400th anniversary of Hudson’s arrival — an event that presaged some 50 years of Dutch control of the area until the New Amsterdam they established fell to the British and became New York City.
01 October 2009 The Obamas Visit Copenhagen to Support Chicago’s Olympic Bid President Obama will travel to Copenhagen, Denmark, to support Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games at the 121st International Olympic Committee Session, according to the White House. The president will depart Washington on October 1, arriving in Copenhagen on the morning of October 2 just before Chicago’s presentation to the IOC voting members. He will join his wife, Michelle Obama, who arrived in Copenhagen on September 30. Mrs. Obama is leading the U.S. delegation to the IOC session.
30 September 2009 Clinton Hails U.N. Resolution to Protect Women Against Violence Says violence against women is criminal, not cultural.
11 September 2009 Remarks at National Day of Service and Remembrance
10 September 2009 Obama Urges Congress to Pass Health Care Reform The U.S. Congress is grappling with proposed legislation to substantially reform America's $2.5 trillion health care system, despite the daunting challenge posed by solutions that may conflict with one another. In a nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress September 9, President Obama implored representatives and senators to overcome doubts and considerable misinformation that has plagued debate on reform since earlier this year, and support his proposals. Five committees in the Senate and House of Representatives are considering comprehensive reform proposals and four have completed work on bills. The White House did not submit its own proposed legislation, but instead submitted its objectives. (See also: Remaking the U.S. Health System Takes More than Presidential Will).
10 September 2009 Remaking the U.S. Health System Takes More than Presidential Will On September 9, when President Obama spoke to Congress and the American people about health care in a televised address, he underscored some fundamental principles of U.S. democracy: No branch of government has ascendency over any other branch and all governmental power derives from the people. In the address, Obama pushed back against critics of his reform plan, reiterating the urgent need to provide health care to all and trying to convince the American people reform is necessary.
08 September 2009 Address by President Obama to America's Schoolchildren Obama focuses on responsibility, staying in school.
04 September 2009 News of 1989 Hasn’t Reached Some Countries Article excerpted from The Berlin Wall: 20 Years Later, published by the Bureau of International Information Programs and available for free download in PDF form.
19 August 2009 Muslim Americans Find Their Voice Through Advocacy, Engagement Assad Akhter, the legislative director for a member of Congress, learned an interesting fact when he helped found the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association at the U.S. Capitol in 2005.
18 August 2009 Diversity, Faith Define Evolving Identity of Muslim Americans Two attributes connect individuals like professor Zareena Grewal of Yale University, writer and blogger Wajahat Ali, Congressman André Carson, fashion designer Nyla Hashmi, boxing coach Victor Perez, and California artist Dalah Faytrouni. They are Muslim and American — and constitute part of a remarkable community that, in large measure, mirrors the diversity of the United States itself.
12 August 2009 White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs Ambassador Rice to deliver a speech at New York University Center for Global Affairs; President to speak at 110th VFW National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona; health care and misinformation on "death panels" ; executive compensation.
06 August 2009 Sotomayor Confirmed as Newest U.S. Supreme Court Justice In a vote of 68–31, the United States Senate confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the 111th U.S. Supreme Court justice, and Sotomayor is expected to be sworn in to replace retired Justice David Souter on August 8. Speaking at the White House President Obama said he was "pleased and deeply gratified" that U.S. lawmakers had approved his nominee for the highest level of the judicial branch of the U.S. government.
04 August 2009 Ramadan in a Multi-Faith Family Ilana Alazzeh was born in San Francisco to an Israeli mother and Pakistani father. She currently attends Smith College in Massachusetts, where she stays active in community service and interfaith work, regularly speaking on panels regarding Islam and religious pluralism.
04 July 2009 Fourth of July Message by President Obama (PDF) "
Today we are called upon to remember not only the day our country was born, but also the indomitable spirit of the first American citizens who made that day possible. We are called to remember how unlikely it was that our American experiment would succeed at all; that a small band of patriots would declare independence from a powerful empire; and that they would form, in the new world, what the old world had never known - a government of, by, and for the people."
30 June 2009 Freedom of Information "Built on Principles of Open Government" When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on July 4, 1966, "he built on the principles of open government and citizen participation enshrined in the Declaration [of Independence]" signed by the Founding Fathers in 1776, said Melanie Pustay, director of the Office of Information Policy (OIP) at the Department of Justice.
29 June 2009 Michelle Obama Defines Own Role as First Lady The role of first lady is arguably the most powerful and influential nonelected, nonappointed position in the White House. However, despite having a large staff, and one of the most premiere pieces of real estate, the White House, as her office, the first lady has no formal job description and the U.S. Constitution makes no mention of the role of the commander in chief’s spouse.
29 June 2009 U.S. States Seek Fair Method for Selection of Judges In any trial, the judge plays one of the most important roles. In the U.S., how these judges are selected — and the role citizens play in selecting them — varies. At the federal level, judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, as the U.S. Constitution requires. But within states, the process differs, Adam Skaggs, democracy counsel for the Brennan Center for Judicial Studies at New York University, told America.gov.
12 June 2009 Access to Government Information Going Digital A survey conducted in March as part of national "Sunshine Week" found that while increasing numbers of U.S. state government documents are being posted to the Web, some of the most basic and important records — like death certificates, gas pump overcharge records and school bus inspection reports — aren’t there. Sunshine Week is an annual event focused on open government and freedom of information.
12 June 2009 Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think A documentary film based on a Gallup Poll study has its world premiere.
10 June 2009 White House Document on Advancing the Role of Women Series of documents central to Obama administration’s agenda.
09 June 2009 U.S. Courts Form Juries to Maintain Impartiality In the U.S. criminal justice system, the opinions of twelve citizens play a crucial role. The panel of citizens observes the trial, then deliberates on whether the accused is guilty. To be on the panel, commonly known as the jury, U.S. citizens are selected and screened through a process known as voir dire..
08 June 2009 US-UK Fulbright Commission announces more awards for 2009-10 The US-UK Fulbright Commission has announced a further increase in the number of its prestigious awards for the coming academic year. Now in its 61st year, this competitive award scheme will be sending outstanding men and women both ways across the Atlantic to study, lecture and/or research at centres of excellence in the US and the UK. Information on the US-UK Fulbright Awards Programme as well as biographic information on the 2009-10 scholars is available at http://www.fulbright.co.uk/fulbright-awards.
08 June 2009 Freedom of Information Is Bedrock of Free and Open Societies The 43-year-old Freedom of Information Act is considered a bulwark of democracy by scholars, journalists and common citizens seeking information held by the U.S. government. Enacted in 1966 and refined over the years, allows individuals and organizations (including non-U.S. citizens and groups) to request access to unpublished documents held by the executive branch of the federal government without having to provide a reason for the request.
04 June 2009 President Obama Proclaims June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month Calling on Congress and the American people to "work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity," President Obama issued a presidential proclamation June 1 in honor of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.
29 May 2009 Obama Administration Breaks New Ground on the Internet During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama impressed Americans and the world with his deft use of the Internet and social networking technologies. Now his administration is using the Internet to make government more accessible and include citizens in the policymaking process. The Open Government initiative, calls for more citizen participation to enhance government effectiveness and for greater collaboration across all levels of government and with the private sector to harness innovative tools.
28 May 2009 Asian-American Graphic Novelist Gene Yang Turns Life into Comics Gene Yang started publishing his comics at the local copy store under the name Humble Comics in 1996. Within 10 years, Yang, who also teaches computer programming at a high school in California, had become the national bestselling author of the first graphic novel to be nominated for the National Book Award. Yang spoke with America.gov writer Sonya Weakley about his work.
26 May 2009 Obama Picks Sonia Sotomayor to Serve on U.S. Supreme Court President Obama announced May 26 that he will nominate U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be a Supreme Court justice. If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, who the president said has "a depth of experience and a breadth of perspective that will be invaluable as a Supreme Court justice," would be the first Hispanic to serve on the highest court in the United States.
14 May 2009 Secretary Clinton Remarks at the New York University Commencement Ceremony
11 May 2009 Graphic Novels: An Evolving Art Form Tackles New Themes In recent years, Asian-American artists and writers have attained considerable prominence as creators of sophisticated comic books and graphic novels, lending an adult sensibility to a medium that once appealed mostly to a juvenile audience.
07 May 2009 Obama Proposes Massive Global Health Initiative The U.S. is launching a six-year global health initiative that will help some of the poorest regions of the world fight health challenges that kill people who could otherwise be saved with improved health care, says President Obama.
06 April 2009
Authors of Young-Adult Books Reflect on Issues of Race — Part One
Authors of Young-Adult Books Reflect on Issues of Race — Part Two
Does race matter? The concept of a "post-racial" society is popular, but America's youth, lacking memories of racial segregation and integration, offer unique perspectives. To capture a snapshot of those views, America.gov posed questions to two authors of young-adult books about issues they explore in their work. In part one, author Sherri L. Smith, who recently published her fourth novel, Flygirl, comments on two topics she tackles in her books. Her first novel, Lucy the Giant, was selected for the 2003 Best Books for Young Adults list by the young adult division of the American Library Association.
20 March 2009 United Nations Condemns Persecution Based on Sexual Orientation The U.S. is joining 66 other United Nations member states in condemning the persecution of individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. "The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world," Robert Wood, State Department acting spokesman, said in a statement.
11 March 2009 Remarks by Michelle Obama Honoring Women of Courage We must stand for ourselves, each other and justice for all, Michelle says.
29 January 2009 Black History Month Honors Legacy of Struggle and Triumph Each February, Black History Month honors the struggles and triumphs of millions of American citizens over the most devastating obstacles — slavery, prejudice, poverty — as well as their contributions to the nation’s cultural and political life.
26 January 2009 Michelle Obama Presents Modern Image for Black Women Every time Michelle Obama appears as first lady, the combination of her professional and domestic success challenges stereotypical media images of black women in America. As the first black woman to become first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama is shattering generations-old stereotypes about black women and working mothers.
14 January 2009 Americans Celebrate Achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. Americans on each third Monday of January honor the life and achievements of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., the 1964 Nobel Peace laureate and the individual most associated with the triumphs of the African-American civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s. As a political organizer, supremely skilled orator and advocate of nonviolent protest, King was pivotal in persuading his fellow Americans to end the legal segregation that prevailed throughout the South and parts of other regions, and in sparking support for the civil rights legislation that established the legal framework for racial equality in the United States
08 January 2009 Retired Justice O'Connor Discusses U.S. Judicial System America.gov presents a conversation with retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Justice O'Connor is the first woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court. The United States owes its success as a nation and a society to its constitution, the document that guarantees the freedom and rights of every American citizen.
02 January 2009 Alaskans Celebrate 50 Years of Statehood When U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward engineered the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, people called the decision "Seward's Folly." Few could understand why the United States would want 1,517,000 square kilometers (586,000 square miles) of cold, barren land.
2008
04 December 2008 Decking the Halls of America's Most Famous Residence The holidays have arrived at the White House. First lady Laura Bush officially announced the decorative scheme for her eighth and final holiday season in the famous residence on December 3. "This year we have a very appropriate theme. It’s 'A Red, White and Blue Christmas,' which I think is perfect for our last year," said Mrs. Bush, whose husband will leave office in January. "A patriotic holiday — a way to celebrate our great country."
07 November 2008 Veterans Day Honors Those Who Served in U.S. Military November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, and parades, ceremonies and tributes to veterans are planned in small towns and large cities throughout the country to honor those who have served in the U.S. military.
14 October 2008 Nobel Prize for Economics Goes to American Professor American academic Paul Krugman was awarded the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in recognition of his "analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity," according to the Nobel Committee, which announced the award October 13.
22 September 2008 Arab Americans Encouraging Community to Make Voice Heard As part of its Yalla ("Let’s go") Vote campaign, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is encouraging its community to engage in the political process and make its voice heard. Many in the community are doing just that, saying that, like other Americans, their top concern in the 2008 election is the economy.
09 September 2008 Secretary Rice Remarks at the Annual State Department Iftaar Dinner.
29 August 2008 Presidential Message on Ramadan 2008 Bush thanks the Muslim community for their contributions to America.
28 August 2008 U.S. Muslims Observe Ramadan in Supportive Environment Muslims in the U.S. typically observe Ramadan and fulfill their other religious obligations with the encouragement and support of non-Muslim friends, colleagues and neighbors, say U.S. State Department officials Seema Matin and William Lawrence.
11 August 2008 Many Americans Change Religious Beliefs Sitting in Saturday school at age 10, John Mesirow began to disagree with what he had been taught throughout the early years of his childhood. The more he listened, the less it made sense. "People are responsible for their own actions," he said. "To try to blame things on God or take comfort in God seemed irrational to me."
08 August 2008 Opening Ceremony Kicks Off 2008 Summer Olympic Games On 08/08/08 at 8:08 p.m. local time, more than 90,000 athletes, heads of state, journalists, sports enthusiasts and spectators will attend the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing National Stadium. China, which is hosting the XXIX Olympiad, will open the Summer Games with an extravagant more than three-hour ceremony that will include thousands of actors, dancers and performers.
05 August 2008 2008 Games Could Mark "Strike Three" for Baseball in Olympics Even as athletes from around the world gather in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, baseball is headed for what may be its final turn at bat as an Olympic sport. Voting by secret ballot at their 2005 meeting in Singapore, members of the International Olympic Committee decided to eliminate baseball -- and also softball -- from the quadrennial games starting in 2012. They became the first sports dropped from the Olympic program since polo was jettisoned in 1936.
25 July 2008 Record Number of Overseas Visitors Coming to United States Despite increasing airfares due to rising fuel prices, record numbers of international travelers are coming to America. It's a bargain for people outside the United States to come here. Hotel room rates in New York, for example, are up 11 percent in dollar terms, but only a mere 1.5 percent increase when calculated in euros, according to Bobby Bowers of Smith Travel Research in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
24 July 2008 Sports Exchanges with Iran Build Bridges Sports exchanges are one tool to help rebuild bridges between U.S. and Iranian societies after 30 years of estrangement, said Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns at a July 9 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on U.S. relations with Iran.
02 July 2008 Highest U.S. Court Examines, Interprets Constitutional Right The right of U.S. citizens to keep and bear arms cannot be denied by state or local governments, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled June 26, but it also found the right is not unlimited and can be regulated without violating the Constitution.
27 June 2008 Survey Finds Americans Are Religious, Tolerant, Nondogmatic The typical American believes in God (92 percent), believes in absolute standards of right and wrong (78 percent), prays at least weekly (75 percent), believes in life after death (74 percent) and believes in sacred scripture as the word of God (63 percent). But that typical American is also tolerant of other peoples' beliefs and strikingly nondogmatic in the sense of not believing his or her own religion to be the only path to salvation or to have a monopoly on truth.
30 May 2008 John Updike Explores How Art Mirrors America’s Soul The award winning author author examines artworks that illuminate U.S. culture, history and character.
09 May 2008 Ellis Island Honors Immigrants to United States
Some 40 percent of Americans can trace their ancestry to immigrants who passed through the Ellis Island immigration center between 1892 and 1954.
08 April 2008 Milestones in U.S. Women's History Some of the outstanding people and events that moved women’s rights forward.
03 April 2008 Martin Luther King Jr.: A Life Remembered in Words and Song A new book and CD, issued in tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., are helping to teach U.S. schoolchildren about the history of their nation's civil rights movement from its earliest days in the 1950s to the present, emphasizing the movement's ongoing commitment to equality, justice and racial reconciliation.
31 March 2008 Martin Luther King's Dream Lives on 40 Years After His Death On April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, an assassin's bullet took the life of Martin Luther King, the main architect and the leader of the nonviolent civil rights movement in the United States. He was 39 years old. The medical examiners said King died with the heart of a 60-year-old, because he had for so long carried the burden of so many. Some 100,000 Americans stood outside the church at the time of his funeral.
17 March 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Is Marked by Diversity and Change Religious affiliation among U.S. residents best can be described as "diverse and extremely fluid," according to a new poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey queried more than 35,500 adults age 18 and older living in the United States. It was conducted by telephone in 2007 in both English and Spanish.
12 February 2008 President Bush Celebrates African American History Month
05 February 2008 Diversity One of America's Greatest Assets Podcast examines America's diversity in past and present.
04 February 2008 Bangladeshi American Is First Muslim Chaplain in Marine Corps A man who once was a student in the United States from Bangladesh has become the first Muslim chaplain in the U.S. Marine Corps, using his love for God and humanity to help U.S. military personnel of all faiths and backgrounds.
17 January 2008 Martin Luther King's Dream of Racial Equality It was a march and a speech that the world cannot forget. August 28, 1963, an estimated 250,000 people marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington where they heard Martin Luther King Jr. give a speech of unsurpassable eloquence. Known ever since from its "I Have a Dream" passages, the speech gave impassioned voice to the demands of the U.S. civil rights movement -- equal rights for all citizens, including those who were born black and brown.
20 December 2007 Women Setting New Records as State Supreme Court Judges Although it has taken a long time in U.S. history, today women commonly serve on the highest courts in the country. Many of these women overcame great obstacles to achieve their positions.
18 December 2007 Interfaith Festival Joins Muslim, Jewish, Christian Communities Religion is not a part of the conversation among her friends at school, but treating each other with respect is, says Jessica, 14, at an interfaith dinner organized by Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders.
17 December 2007 Indian-American’s Experience Drives Her Immigrant Rights Advocacy When Deepa Iyer moved from India to Kentucky she was 12 years old, an awkward age for drastic adjustment. Blazing a path from there to being the executive director of the increasingly influential South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow took a combination of hard work, timely opportunity and key influences that shaped her perceptions of democracy.
14 December 2007 American Muslims Travel to Mecca for Annual Pilgrimage Young American Muslims, many professionals in their 20s, are traveling to the Middle East to perform the Hajj, according to travel industry experts in the U.S. This is a new trend, said Rita Zawaideh, a tour operator based in Seattle who specializes in educational travel to Jordan and other parts of the Middle East. Although Zawaideh handles airline reservations for her clients performing the Hajj, she refers land packages to Muslim tour operators in the United States.
11 December 2007 New Film on America To Be Shown at U.S. Consulates, Embassies Visitors to U.S. consulates and embassies soon will be able to watch a short film that introduces them to America’s people and landscapes, conveying the simple message that America is a diverse, interesting and friendly place.
07 December 2007 Religious Leaders Condemn Terrorist Acts Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders in the U.S. have joined together in an interfaith peace-building effort to condemn terrorism and the violence it causes. In supporting this initiative, the Fiqh Council of North America issued a fatwa, or religious edict, saying "there is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism."
03 December 2007 Americans' Political Divisions Not Necessarily Bad, Experts Say Although Americans feel politically divided today, this polarization is not necessarily a bad thing, political experts say. Today, the division among Americans is often depicted in the colors red and blue. American history has shown that there are periods of polarization and periods of consensus in the political landscape. This current era of polarization is seen by many as beginning in the years following the end of the Cold War.
09 November 2007 Veterans Day Honors Those Who Served in U.S. Military The November 11 holiday created to pay tribute to U.S. veterans of World War I has been expanded in more recent times into the annual Veterans Day, honoring all those who have served in the U.S. military.
31 October 2007 Improved U.S.-Arab Relations Hinge on Security, Prosperity Officials, diplomats and policy advisers gathered in Washington in late October to examine ways to improve relations between the United States and the Arab world. "We are beneficiaries of Judeo-Christian AND Islamic cultures," said John Duke Anthony at the 16th annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference sponsored by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Corporate Cooperation Committee.
22 October 2007 Louisiana Elects First Indian-American U.S. Governor Bobby Jindal made history when Louisiana voters chose him, the son of Indian immigrants, as their next governor. He is the first Indian American to be elected as a state’s chief executive.
19 October 2007 New Film Introduces Visitors to the United States and Its People
10 October 2007 President Bush Attends Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration at White House
09 October 2007 Consumer Protection Has Deep Roots in U.S. History The efforts of the U.S. government and social activists to protect American consumers from dangerous products and unscrupulous manufacturers stretch back to the beginning of the 20th century.
07 September 2007 Program Brings Poetry to Mass Transit Systems When visitors to the U.S. get on the bus, subway or train, they might be surprised in several cities to find themselves reading poetry rather than advertisements. Usually the poetry is in English, but some bilingual posters have featured poems in Cherokee, French, Russian, Spanish and Japanese.
30 August 2007 Immigration Seen Adding 105 Million to U.S. Population by 2060 Since the founding of the U.S., its population has been growing at a rate that some scientists say is unprecedented in human history. Some believe that this population explosion made the U.S. one of the most prosperous countries of the world, but others point to congestion, urban sprawl, traffic, pollution, loss of open spaces and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions as negative effects of rapid population growth.
30 August 2007 After Facing Mobs 50 Years Ago, Nine Go Home to Honors As schools across America begin a new year, Little Rock’s largest high school is planning a 50-year reunion expected to attract presidents and poets. But all eyes will be on nine professionals in their mid-60s - the Little Rock Nine, the first blacks to attend all-white Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment sparked resistance and a constitutional crisis that would advance civil rights in America.
27 August 2007 Term Limits Help Prevent Dictatorships Even as Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez seeks to change Venezuelan law that, in effect, could make him that country’s "president for life," a similar scenario for a U.S. president is regarded as highly unlikely. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits an American president from serving more than two full four-year terms in office.
Education |
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Our sister site, America.gov has this special feature on Youth & Education.
18 November 2009 International
Enrollment at U.S. Colleges Again Breaks Records For the second year in a row, record numbers of men and women
from outside the United States chose to study in U.S. institutions of higher education. “I
am delighted to see the large increase in the number of international students
who are choosing to study in the United States,” said Under Secretary of
State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale in welcoming the
report, Open Doors 2009. “The all-time high number of international
students who studied here in the 2008/09 academic year testifies to the quality
and diversity for which American higher education is known around the world.”
16 November 2009 Numbers of Americans Studying Abroad Up 8.5% A
record number of U.S. students are studying abroad, reflecting the value of an
international academic experience as preparation to live and work in a global society.
According to the Open Doors 2009 survey, the number of Americans studying abroad increased by 8.5% to 262,416 in the 2007/08 academic year. This increase builds on two decades of steady growth and represents four times as many U.S. students than in 1987/88.
16 November 2009 International Students Come to United States in Record Numbers The number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by 8% to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008/09 academic year while the number of “new” international students — those enrolled for the first time at a U.S. college or university in fall 2008 — increased by 16%. This represents the largest percentage increase in international student enrollments since 1980/81.
See also these older articles for comparative purposes:
• November 2007 First-time International Student U.S. Enrollments Up 10.2 Percent
• November 2007 Record Numbers of U.S. Students Are Studying Abroad
02 October 2009 In Building Schools for Girls, Mountaineer Honors Sister's Memory Mountain climber turned humanitarian Greg Mortenson says his work of the past decade building schools in remote villages across Pakistan and Afghanistan has taught him one overriding lesson: Westerners can "drop bombs, build roads or put in electricity, but until the girls are educated, a society won’t change."
08 September 2009 Address by President Obama to America's Schoolchildren Obama focuses on responsibility, staying in school.
30 August 2007 After Facing Mobs 50 Years Ago, Nine Go Home to Honors As schools across America begin a new year, Little Rock’s largest high school is planning a 50-year reunion expected to attract presidents and poets. But all eyes will be on nine professionals in their mid-60s - the Little Rock Nine, the first blacks to attend all-white Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment sparked resistance and a constitutional crisis that would advance civil rights in America.
Philanthropy
The U.S. Treasury Department continues to engage with both the charitable sector and affected communities to advance our shared interests in a free, open, tolerant, and charitable society. Related articles:
• 19 August 2008 U.S. Government Offers Help Distributing Donations as Antiterror Measure
• 21 August 2008 U.S. Treasury, Muslim Charities Intensify Dialogue on Safe Giving
• 15 August 2008 Opening Remarks of Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing
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American Society & Values