VZCZCXRO0837
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHNY #0654/01 3431257
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081257Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7200
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 OSLO 000654 
 
FOR EUR/NB ALAN MELTZER, MARTIN MCDOWELL 
FOR ECA/A/E/EUR, B. DUFFY 
FOR EUR/PPD, ANDREA STRANO, LEA PEREZ; R, RICK RUTH 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  NA 
TAGS: KPAO OEXC PREL NO
SUBJECT:  TURNING THE TIDE ON EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE: 
A VIEW FROM NORWAY 
 
¶1. Summary:  Faced with a dramatic decline in student numbers over 
the past 15 years, Embassy Oslo made student mobility and the 
promotion of U.S. education a top Mission-wide priority.  By 
building partnerships with interested organizations; outreach 
efforts to alumni, advisors, teachers and students; and aggressive 
public diplomacy with the support of ECA and EUR/PPD, we are turning 
the numbers around.  Following the narrative are a summary of post 
initiatives and our checklist for success that may be of interest to 
the Department and posts facing similar challenges.  End Summary. 
 
---------------------------------- 
By the Numbers:  A Troubling Story 
---------------------------------- 
¶2. Figures from the Open Doors 2008 annual report on international 
academic mobility show the number of Norwegian students in the U.S. 
dropped from 2,098 in 2000 to 1,191 in 2006.  The number of students 
earning a full university degree in the U.S. is now one-third of 
what it was 15 years ago.  Laanekassen, the government agency that 
provides funding for students, reports that 18,939 Norwegians 
studied abroad in 2006, meaning that the U.S. is capturing only 6.3% 
of the study-abroad market. Student surveys show that the biggest 
obstacles to study in the U.S. are the lack of GON funding for the 
freshman year (the GON only recognizes a three-year Bachelor's 
degree under the Bologna process; the comparatively complex U.S. 
university application process; increased international competition 
for Norwegian students; and the high cost of tuition and living in 
the U.S. 
 
----------------------------- 
Building Block:  Partnerships 
----------------------------- 
¶3.  The Embassy and the Norway Fulbright Commission brought together 
a broad partnership to brainstorm and develop solutions. The 
partnership includes representatives from GON ministries and 
contractors, national research groups, Norwegian-American cultural 
groups, Fulbright, Norwegian international student organizations and 
AmCham. Both the Ambassador and the PAO attend the meetings.  Each 
partner has taken responsibility for tasks and reports on progress 
during quarterly meetings, thereby adding accountability. We also 
created a Web portal connecting to all Norwegian Web sites offering 
information on study in the U.S. 
 
----------------------- 
Building Block:  Alumni 
----------------------- 
 
¶4.  The Embassy has organized a dozen college-specific receptions 
over the past year, most hosted by the Ambassador, to help identify 
and mobilize Norwegian alumni of American universities.  The alumni 
are reminded of their positive experiences in the U.S., have the 
opportunity to connect with other alumni, and are asked to join one 
of the embassy's educational initiatives: 
 
--The Speaker Bureau - Norwegian alumni are the best voices to reach 
young Norwegians.  We ask them to visit high schools and civic 
organizations to talk about life in America and their experiences on 
campuses. 
 
--The Mentor Program - Public Affairs works with educational 
advisors at our partner organizations to match students to alumni 
based on field of study, institution of interest and possible 
scholarship experience.  This encourages students to keep working 
through the application process and helps reticent Norwegians brag 
about their accomplishments in their personal essays. 
 
--Volunteer Counselors - Public Affairs is linking volunteers to 
ANSA, the Norwegian student advising organization, which will 
provide them with advising training.  An American Fulbright alumna 
living in Norway is  the first to become a trained educational 
advisor and she visit schools to give presentations on study 
abroad. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Building Block:  Student Advisors 
--------------------------------- 
¶5. Norwegian high school advisors are busy teachers and most have no 
international or specific U.S. experience.  In a trial project, we 
held an all-day training seminar to acquaint the advisors with the 
reasons and procedures for studying in the U.S.  The seminar 
included a panel of human resource directors from two of Norway's 
largest employers to emphasize the value businesses place on an 
American education. Feedback on the seminar was enthusiastic.  We 
will engage this group with college rep visits and more information, 
and have scheduled a second seminar for January outside of Oslo. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Teacher Outreach:  Frequent and Flexible 
---------------------------------------- 
 
OSLO 00000654  002 OF 005 
 
 
¶6. The chances of a student considering study in the U.S. are 
significantly increased when encouraged by an enthusiastic teacher. 
Last fiscal year, Public Affairs gave grants to support two groups 
of Norwegian teachers going on study tours to the U.S.  To reach 
more teachers and students through direct contact, we launched a 
"Visit the Embassy" program and sent American officers to give 
presentations at middle and high schools.  Officers from the 
Consular and Political/Economic sections, as well as the Deputy 
Chief of Mission and Ambassador, have participated in these outreach 
efforts.  The U.S. Presidential election proved a topic of great 
interest and we have had 14 presentations since the start of this 
fiscal year, also telling our "captive" audiences about study in the 
U.S.  These visits expose the students to an American outside of the 
television screen and also forge ties with the teachers--some of 
whom have already become repeat requesters.  In the same period, we 
organized talks with eight different university student groups in 
different cities. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Student Outreach:  Contests and Visits 
-------------------------------------- 
¶7. In addition to the outreach to classes, the Embassy as a whole 
adds a youth element to every possible program.  We invited science 
students to a breakfast with Buzz Aldrin and student leaders to a 
meeting with Nobel Peace Prize laureates Al Gore and Rajendra 
Pachauri.  We organized student activities for Arbor Day and to 
celebrate the return of a joint polar expedition, invited 150 
students to our Independence Day Event, had a youth component at our 
Interfaith Thanksgiving, and invited youth groups on U.S. Navy ship 
tours.  We used an essay contest to select participants for the Ben 
Franklin Summer Institutes and have 4-5 slots reserved for 
Norwegians to attend the Fulbright Outstanding Student Summer 
Institutes.  This year's Ben Franklin student representative has 
convinced his school's administration to work with Public Affairs to 
identify a sister school in the U.S. for class exchanges, video 
conferences and other joint projects.  Our Washington-funded Student 
Video Diaries competition offered video cameras as prizes for 
students who wrote the best proposal about how they would use the 
cameras to document their experiences during their year abroad in 
the U.S. 
 
-------------- 
Two-way Street 
-------------- 
¶8. It has been important to both promote the U.S. to Norwegian 
students and also encourage more Americans to come to Norway.  This 
demonstration of mutual respect has paid off by better cooperation 
and good public diplomacy.  The Ambassador and the Norwegian 
Ambassador to the U.S. traveled for three days across the Midwest 
visiting schools and promoting both sides of exchanges.  This 
generated  energy at the schools and substantial publicity.  The 
Embassy has helped the GON target U.S. schools and connected the GON 
and the Department of Education to ease federal student-aid 
accounting requirements. 
---------------------- 
Building Block:  Press 
---------------------- 
¶9. Our educational exchange project was launched with a major news 
conference involving all the partners, including the GON.  The 
Ambassador then traveled across Norway, generating high visibility. 
We work persistently to place stories on educational mobility in 
major media, local outlets, college web sites and niche media like 
Norwegian-American heritage magazines and newsletters.  The Embassy 
has generated surveys showing interest in U.S. study and other 
issues that have led to media coverage. Because U.S. education is 
something highly admired internationally, it can prove an attractive 
story for media. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Building Block:  Public/Private Partnerships 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶10. The Embassy has provided the organization and obtained funding 
from several shipping companies to convene maritime schools from 
both nations to a conference where they developed a broad exchange 
program and potential joint degrees.  The Ambassador supported this 
with a reception for the schools and the funders.  An Economic 
Officer has created several internships for U.S. students in 
Norwegian law firms and major businesses.  The Embassy is working to 
get corporate sponsors to provide host families for Norwegian high 
school students to fill a shortage which prevents several hundred 
willing students from studying in the U.S. 
 
------------------- 
Making it Political 
------------------- 
¶11. The Embassy has worked hard to force the GON to address the 
dropping student numbers through approaches to various ministries, 
heads of political parties and interested business and labor groups. 
 
OSLO 00000654  003 OF 005 
 
 
We also encourage Norwegian groups, such as the student organization 
ANSA, to speak publicly on the issues. We focus on getting funding 
for the freshman year and have succeeded in getting it on the 
political agenda, with all the opposition parties supporting our 
proposal.  We continue lobbying the government; with 2009 an 
election year, we hope to see our work pay off on this issue.  The 
GON has tried to calm the issue by spending more money on 
educational exchange to the U.S. through scholarships, grants to 
promote partnerships, and marketing. 
 
------------------------ 
Motivating U.S. Colleges 
------------------------ 
¶12. The Embassy has worked to engage U.S. colleges and universities 
in increased exchange agreements and more recruiting in Norway.  The 
"Ambassadors Tour" discussed above led to the formation by the 
Norwegian-American Foundation of the "North American Learning 
Alliance," wherein six schools across the U.S. have agreed to 
consolidate and streamline application processes and do joint 
marketing.  The University of Minnesota has made Norwegian students 
eligible for in-state tuition and it added a sophisticated Web 
portal for interested Norwegian students. 
 
--------------------------- 
Washington Support Critical 
--------------------------- 
¶13. Post deeply appreciates the support that ECA and EUR/PPD has 
given to our educational exchange efforts. Two examples: 
--Student Video Diaries: Public Affairs received $15,000 to support 
a student competition and video production.  We gave video cameras 
to seven Norwegian students going to high schools and colleges in 
the U.S. to record their experiences through their own eyes. A 
special Facebook account lets other students share in these videos, 
which will be edited into a short promotional video at the end of 
the school year. 
--The new Educational Exchange Coordinator position has been the 
single most important element in our efforts.  PAS could not fight 
this battle without the funding to support the new staff member. 
 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Results so Far:  Momentum and Progress 
-------------------------------------- 
¶14. Although the various sources of statistics tracking Norwegian 
students in the U.S. present different numbers, an upward trend is 
clear. 
-- GON statistics track all Norwegian students receiving government 
funding.  In most cases this does not include students in their 
freshman year or any self-paying students. Tracking only the 
students on 1-2 semesters exchange programs, reflecting GON 
priorities, the number went from 580-791 in one year.  The combined 
total of exchange students and full degree students increased 14% in 
the past year. 
-- Open Doors compiles numbers provided by U.S. institutions and 
includes self-funded students, freshman, full-degree and exchange 
students. These figures show that Norway sent 1,264 students to the 
U.S. this year, an increase of 73 students, or 6.1% over last year. 
-- Visa statistics mirror these rising figures.  Issuance of F-1 
student visas increased by 33%; J-1 visas for exchange students and 
visitors increased 20%; and M-1 visas to non-academic students 
increased by 72%. 
-- The number of Fulbright applicants increased by 30% last year; 
the quality of the applicants increased as well.  In Europe, Norway 
was bested only by France and tied by the UK in the number of 
Fulbrighters sent to the U.S.  In per capita terms, Norway is by far 
Europe's leading contributor of Fulbrighters! 
 
---------- 
Next Steps 
---------- 
¶15. The Embassy intends to boost student numbers by expanding our 
existing programs and exploring still others, including: 
--Student Fairs - Public Affairs is subsidizing a joint booth with 
Fulbright and other partner organizations at Norway's biggest 
educational fair.  We are also inviting American colleges to 
participate, including the North American Learning Association (a 
consortium of six colleges with ties to Norway).  We will organize 
presentations by Norwegian alumni on their alma maters throughout 
the day. 
-- Sports Scholarships - We have identified sports as an area where 
Norwegians have skills that U.S. colleges appreciate and fund.  We 
are developing a strategy for connecting sports associations and 
athletes with American coaches and recruiters and creating a sports 
scholarship information packet for advisors, sports associations and 
students. 
--Advisor Seminars - Given the success of our first advisor seminar, 
Public Affairs is planning to offer similar seminars both in Oslo 
and around the country. 
 
OSLO 00000654  004 OF 005 
 
 
-- Media outreach - We are exploring new ways to take advantage of 
traditional and non-traditional media to reach untapped audiences. 
We continue to promote our Facebook group and will arrange a Web 
chat on study in the U.S.  We are looking at ways to collaborate 
with a local media organization that is hoping to develop a Web page 
devoted to American educational opportunities. 
-- High School Exchanges - Recognizing that high school exchanges 
also play a positive role in building bilateral ties and in the 
numbers of students seeking higher education in the U.S., the 
Embassy is exploring ways to support such programs.  In recent 
years, the number of Norwegian high school students interested in 
studying in the U.S. has far surpassed the number of available host 
families.  One idea is to ask a large American business or civic 
network to identify and recruit new host families.  If successful, 
such an effort would yield another 100-150 Norwegian students 
traveling to the U.S. every year. 
 
---------------------- 
Summary of Initiatives 
---------------------- 
 
¶16. 
--BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: 
By developing partnerships including the GON, private sector, 
student organizations and others, we have leveraged resources for 
the project. 
 
--SPEAKERS BUREAU: 
By sending Norwegians and Emboffs to speak at schools, we created 
opportunities to promote exchanges. 
 
--EDUCATION WEB PORTAL: 
Post funded the development of a one-stop-shop Web portal 
(usastudier.no), with links to our partner organizations, to help 
Norwegian students find all the information they need to study in 
the U.S. 
 
--STUDENT ADVISING VOLUNTEERS: 
Training volunteers so they can give presentations and concrete help 
to students. 
 
--STUDENT VIDEO DIARIES: 
PAS distributed six video cameras to Norwegian students who agreed 
to film moments of their educational exchange experience in the U.S. 
 Their submissions are continuously uploaded into a special Facebook 
account and we promote this group to all students interacting with 
the Embassy. 
 
--NETWORKS OF ALUMNI CHAPTERS: 
By identifying Norwegian alumni chapters of American institutions, 
Post has been able to recruit returnees to serve as mentors and 
speakers. 
 
--NEWSLETTER: 
Post sends an e-newsletter three times/year to connect people, 
inform them of opportunities, recruit them for programs and tell 
them about our programs. 
 
--PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENT: 
FCS and other sections work with Amcham to build support for 
educational exchange from business.  Public Affairs developed a 
survey for AmCham business members, to show the high value placed on 
an American education.  An AmCham job fair for returning Norwegian 
alumni of American institutions is planned. 
 
--NGO INVOLVEMENT: 
NGOs serve on our educational exchange task forces.  Conoffs attend 
NGO pre-departure orientations and offer organization-specific visa 
appointments. 
 
--ENCOURAGE U.S. STUDENTS TO STUDY IN NORWAY: 
By making this a two-way effort, we have generated GON support and 
built ties that contribute to Norwegian students traveling to the 
U.S. 
 
--PRIVATE SECTOR INTERNSHIPS: 
Post is encouraging Norwegian businesses and law firms to offer 
American students fully-supported internships in their companies and 
to seek places for Norwegian students in U.S. businesses. 
 
--MEDIA AND JOURNALISTS: 
We actively look for ways to promote educational exchange through 
newspaper inserts, collaboration with education-oriented Web sites, 
and in setting up Web chats linking students to advisors. 
 
-- WORK WITH UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS TO ENCOURAGE BILATERAL 
AGREEMENTS: 
PAS used a reception for the rectors of all Norwegian universities 
 
OSLO 00000654  005 OF 005 
 
 
to encourage them to improve student mobility.  We encouraged them 
to maximize use of bilateral agreements and also asked the rectors 
to energize their faculty, either by sending them on an exchange or 
by encouraging them to find new links with American universities. 
 
--YOUTH OUTREACH: 
Using grants, we recruit for summer programs and encourage 
participation in Embassy events. 
 
-- NORTH AMERICAN LEARNING ASSOCIATION (NALA): 
Post is promoting this new consortium of six American universities 
with strong ties to Norway; they have been invited to exhibit in the 
Public Affairs booth at an upcoming education fair and we will host 
a reception for their alumni to mobilize them to recruit Norwegian 
students. 
 
-- PROMOTION OF SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS: 
PAS is building relationships with sports associations in Norway as 
a way to recruit for American sports scholarships.  We are 
developing a sports scholarship starter kit and have invited a 
university coach to come to Norway as an IIP speaker to talk about 
athletic opportunities in the U.S. 
 
-- MARITIME INSTITUTIONAL EXCHANGE: 
We supported the development of a formal bilateral exchange of 
students between Norway's maritime institutions and four maritime 
institutions in the U.S. 
 
------------------------- 
Our Checklist for Success 
------------------------- 
¶17. 
-- PERSONAL LEADERSHIP 
by the Ambassador (weekly task force meetings, frequent speeches). 
 
-- FOCUS RESOURCES 
by making it a priority for entire Mission, not just Public Affairs 
(e.g. Consular and Political/Econ section outreach during other 
travel). 
 
-- Build YOUTH OUTREACH 
into many embassy events. 
 
-- PARTNERSHIPS 
with public and private organizations that focus on education. 
 
-- POLICY ADVOCACY 
with political parties and government. 
 
-- Use all possible State Department PROGRAM FUNDS 
to reach target goals (grants, speakers, etc.). 
 
-- BE VISIBLE 
at public fairs, events, giving speeches and in the media. 
 
-- Have a DEDICATED STAFF MEMBER 
to manage educational exchange program. 
 
-- ENERGIZE 
and unite other STAKE-HOLDERS. 
 
-- SUSTAINED and frequent INTERACTION 
with schools, teachers and students. 
 
-- EXPLORE NEW MEDIA: 
Facebook and other social networking sites, Web portal, Web chats. 
 
WHITNEY