| Internationalization of higher education refers to the flow of high and abstract knowledge across the borders based upon national policies and with mobile staff, curricula, research and branch campuses abroad as usual channels. Currently, internationalization has become one of the trends of the world higher education. What's more, it is an inevitable path for China's modern education to go through. Since the September11th Event, US has entered the Post-9/11 Era and its higher education has been taking on such characteristics as the following.Firstly, the terror attack brought non-traditional challenges to US. The new conservatism-led federal government pursues severe policy. USA Patriot Act, i.e. Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 was issued, which set obstacles on the way of international students, teachers and disciplines, etc.Secondly, the numbers of students entering US soil is falling down within the consecutive four years. Meanwhile, the foreigners'lives in US are getting worse and worse. US native students are being sent to some sensitive regions as Asia, Africa and Latin America regarded as strategic ones in the course of which the Defense Ministry and the department of intelligences play dominant roles.Thirdly, less foreign faculty is entering US but a few government-related programs develop as smoothly. Universities and colleges are encouraging their staff to go abroad for exchange purposes. Such measures as planning, teaching global competence, certificates and contracts are welcomed by an increasing pool of faculty members.Fourthly, the internationalization of curricula is granted as the tool to maintain national goals of security and cultivation of citizens of global competence. As a result of that, the comprehensive program of courses appeared bearing instability, bi-channeled, multi-type, individualism and conservative, government control and university's freedom-oriented value picture of mixture.Fifthly, the main departments in charge of state safety is in great need of foreign language talents and serving the country has developed into one dominantly overwhelming factor affecting the instruction of languages. Consequently, such critical languages as Arabic, Pashto, Chinese, Persian and Urdu have been developing so fast.Sixthly, the foreign nationals academic activities are under severe control and supervision. The deemed-export policy threatens the teachers and their students' scientific research. Meanwhile the arts and humanitarian teachers'freedom of speech is limited too. And those who are bold enough to challenge the rules and the authority are punished for their unlawful acts.Seventhly, US universities are rushing abroad mainly towards the middle eastern and Asian regions to run branch campuses with the pressures, push and pull forces. Most of them are harvesting achievements, whereas about others are troubled by the conflicts of cultures, politics and financial problems.On the whole, in the Post 9/11 Era US acts and relative policies are leading the internationalization of higher education to a new direction, which causes the being of serving the national interests and broadening the highly abstract knowledge. Openness and control, bringing and sending, acquiring and losing are emerging simultaneously on university campuses, which reflect the nature of a double-edged sword effect.
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