The Commission on Presidential Debates chose four colleges to host presidential and vice presidential debates for the 2012 general election next October, according to the organization's website. University of Denver, Hofstra University and Lynn University will host the presidential debates, and Centre College will host the vice presidential debate. The format of the debates will be announced in early 2012, and moderators will be chosen that summer, according to the organization's website. The commission also released the 2012 candidacy criteria, which allow the participation of any candidate who is constitutionally eligible, appears on a minimum number of state ballots and has the support of 15 percent of the national electorate as shown in public opinion polls.
Approximately 100 American and Indonesian leaders in government and higher education gathered in Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss efforts to increase academic connections between the two countries, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Obama administration aims to increase diplomatic relations between the two countries, and allocated $165 million to support study abroad programs and partnerships between American and Indonesian universities over five years. Though numbers of American and Indonesian students participating in exchange programs between the two countries have decreased over the past decade, various academic institutions have attempted to reverse this trend. Recent efforts include Cornell University's joint study of climate change and Highline Community College's hosting of faculty members from Indonesia.
Japanese business executives are scrambling to increase the number of Japanese workers fluent in English, the language of global business, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Tuesday. Hiroshi Mikitani, Harvard Business School alumnus and founder of Rakuten, Japan's largest online retailer, recently announced that his 6,000 employees must become proficient in English by next year or be fired, The Chronicle reported. Although Japanese students begin learning English in elementary school, few speak English well by the time they enter the workforce, according to The Chronicle. The number of Japanese students who study abroad has also dropped nearly 50 percent in the last 14 years, The Chronicle reported. In response to most Japanese universities' refusal to waive fees for students studying abroad, organizations such as the Nippon Keidanren, Japan's largest business federation, have organized scholarship funds and study abroad programs for students. Japanese universities may not be able to keep up with the demand for English-speakers created by Japan's economic upturn, however, and many companies have already begun hiring abroad, The Chronicle reported.
