Speeches

Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Stephen Schwartz to
Departing Students to U.S. Colleges and Universities

July 13, 2005

I am very pleased to be with you today as you students prepare for what will be the most important adventure of your life, and you as parents prepare to deal with having your children so far away.  I want to re-assure you that they will be in good hands.

The United States eagerly welcomes all foreign students.  We are multicultural nation of immigrants.  Foreigners in our midst are not foreign.  In 2004 there were 572,509 international students enrolled at U.S. higher education institutions.  Mauritian students will fit in easily and make new homes with little trouble.  We are fortunate today to have with us a large number of Mauritians who have already done this and who will share their experiences - and advice - with you.

International students attending U.S. colleges and universities account for $13 billion in revenues each year. But beyond the economic benefits, we as a nation gain immeasurably from international students and scholars who study at our colleges and universities and conduct research at our leading medical and scientific facilities. 

After September 11, 2001 there was a drop in the number of foreign students who applied for and received visas to attend schools in the United States.  I am happy to say that those days are over.  In 2005, the number of student visas being issued has grown from the identical period in 2004.  97% of visa applications are processed in one or two days.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been a vocal advocate of the abiding U.S. tradition of welcoming students and other visitors to the United States. On March 9, she said "We will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and prevent terrorists and other adversaries from doing harm, even as we maintain the fundamental openness that gives our democracy its dynamism and makes our country a beacon for international tourists, students, immigrants, and businesspeople. We will keep America’s doors open and our borders secure."

The United States is the most dynamic and important country in the world.  Everyone can and does feel at home there.  I think you students deserve great praise for having achieved so much already and for having the foresight to want to live and learn in a place so instrumental in world affairs.  We have great educational institutions, but the more enduring value of your upcoming experience will be your familiarity with the United States and all it offers.  You will be enriched by the experience and so will the United States.  I expect that the experience will form lasting bonds between you and the United States and between Mauritius and the United States.

I studied in three different places in the United States and Europe and remain forever attached to those places, experiences, and people.  I wish you well in this new step in life’s great adventure.