US universities seek Israeli students; will they come home when school’s out?

It may come as a surprise to some, but the government of the United States – specifically, the State Department – is in the business of recruiting college and university students from around the world to programs in the United States. EducationUSA is a global network of more than 400 advice centers, including one in Israel, supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State. The programs offered by the organization provide opportunities for study in a wide range of subjects, with institutions offering scholarships for the best and brightest.

It’s a big deal for Israeli students, who, if they were to study at home, would most likely never achieve the professional status or have access to the educational opportunities afforded them by a higher education experience. But is it a good deal for Israel?

Most definitely, said Arona Maskil, the director of the Tel Aviv branch of EducationUSA. “One of the most popular programs for Israeli students at US schools is the MBA program,” she told the Times of Israel. “Most of the Israelis who get MBA degrees in the US work for American companies for a few years, and then return to Israel, with skills and outlook they could only pick up in the US. Those graduates bring an added value for Israeli businesses, and they are usually recruited for top positions in Israeli companies.” When an Israeli company hires an American-educated MBA, the combination of knowing Israeli society and business, together with their American-acquired business skills, makes for an unbeatable combination that is almost guaranteed to benefit the company – and the Israeli economy.

Until a few years ago, student recruitment was handled by the schools, or by numerous private and public agencies. The result was that there was a great deal of confusion, said Maskil; there was no central authority, students were getting incorrect or misleading information, and they were just not learning about the best opportunities. “Several years ago, it was decided to bring all the foreign advisory centers under a single umbrella. Students now have a single address where they can learn about programs, take advantage of resources, make applications, or work with mentors and guides who show them the best way to present themselves, how to write essays, complete applications, and so on.” The group also helps students accepted into programs find apartments, register with Social Security, secure visas, and so on. EducationUSA is modeled after the Fulbright program (also sponsored by the State Department), which for years has been recruiting top students and professionals from around the world for its programs at US institutions.

One way the organization recruits students is through information fairs, with the next one to be held in Tel Aviv on July 5 and 6. Officials from two dozen schools will be in residence, presenting their MBA programs to prospective students. At least 10 of the schools, including Columbia University, Booth Busines School of the University of Chicago, Brandeis University, and others offer scholarships specifically to Israeli students who are accepted to their MBA programs.

“More and more leading US universities recognize the potential of Israeli students and scholarships are added each year to encourage Israelis to apply to MBA programs,” said Maskil. “Israeli students are seen as more mature and serious, since most of them are older and have completed their IDF service.” One of the reasons American schools are interested in recruiting foreign students, she added, is to diversify their student body, and having Israeli students on campus fits that bill very well.

Israel “contributes” more MBAs to American schools than any other Middle Eastern country; and perhaps surprisingly, about 40% of the 2,800 Israeli students in the US — the vast majority of whom worked with EducationUSA –- are in the States studying for BA degrees (the rest are in MA/MBA or PhD programs). And the vast majority, said Maskil, come home. “Many of the students work as company interns, which often become full-time jobs upon graduation. They may remain for a few years. But we have found that most of them do come back, even if it is harder to find jobs in Israel.”

That sounds a bit optimistic to Dr. Shmulik Hess, an expert on brain-drain. “I can’t comment specifically about EducationUSA, but I do know that most of those who go off to study in the U.S. end up staying there.” Hess is very involved in brain drain issues; he is the co-founder of a group called BioAbroad, which works to encourage Israelis working in biotech abroad to return to Israel.

Unfortunately, it’s a challenge, he told the Times of Israel. Despite the recent buzz about biotechnology advances in Israel, the industry here is small, poorly funded, and unlikely to grow in the near future. “In order to attract professionals, you need an industrial infrastructure, where companies develop products and services that engender the development of other products and services, and produces jobs. Israel doesn’t have that, so the best personnel in biotechnology and other life science industries end up going where that infrastructure does exist, like the US. I only wish the reality of Israel’s biotechnology industry was as bright as the image we project.”

That infrastructure does exist in the high-tech industry, but even there, preventing brain-drain is a dicey proposition.”We have a saying in the brain-drain business; the biotechnology people want to work here, but there are no jobs, and the high-tech people want to work there, even though there are jobs here,” said Hess. The salaries, perks, and possibilities of advancement are just better in the US. That doesn’t mean that every college grad who wants to work in high-tech will look for a job abroad. “But for those who are there already studying, there is very little incentive to return to Israel, and all the incentive they need to remain in the US.”

BioAbroad, Hess said, does what it can to encourage biotech workers to return to Israel –- matching them up with jobs, helping with red tape, and so on –- but preventing brain-drain is a job for the government, he said. “It’s really a world war for talent, and Israel is caught up in it along with everyone else,” Hess added. “Establishing the infrastructure we need to at least compete is something only the government can afford to do. If we want to prevent brain-drain, we need a critical mass to get the ball rolling, and we are all looking to the government for this.”