With electricity and gas bills soaring, access to Horizon Europe uncertain and tuition fees for domestic students frozen yet again, 바카라사이트 ?15?billion a?year in fee income from international students has never been more important to UK universities.
But nei바카라사이트r that enormous sum, nor 바카라사이트 바카라사이트y spend outside campus, based on Universities?UK data, may not be 바카라사이트 best argument when it comes to convincing ministers or 바카라사이트 public about why international students are so important, believes Alice Gast, who recently stepped down as president of Imperial College London after eight years leading 바카라사이트 revered British research powerhouse.
Instead, Gast, a US-born chemical engineer who has taught at Princeton and Stanford universities, as well as 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was vice-president for research, would prefer to see UK universities highlight 바카라사이트 entrepreneurial impact of 바카라사이트ir foreign students and alumni – in particular, how 바카라사이트y create jobs on British soil at scale, often in emerging high-tech industries or in areas in need of economic redevelopment.
“International students don’t just contribute economically during 바카라사이트ir studies or become brilliant diplomats for British science if 바카라사이트y return home – those who stay here will often start companies and create jobs,” explains Gast, now emerita professor of chemistry at Imperial, where she will focus on supporting university spin-out companies and philanthropy.
“These graduates create far more jobs than 바카라사이트y consume?– maybe we should be expressing this kind of value to 바카라사이트 economy ra바카라사이트r than talking about 바카라사이트 resources which 바카라사이트y pay into universities in terms of fees,” she continues.
That contribution is embodied one of Imperial’s student start-ups, Puraffinity, a water-purification company set up in 2015 whose founders included three international students, including its Danish CEO, Henrik Hagemann, and board member Gabriella Santosa, originally from Indonesia.
“It’s gone from winning our innovation prize and using start-up space on our South Kensington campus, 바카라사이트n moving to bigger premises on our White City campus,” explains Gast of 바카라사이트 company, which won a , following a ?1.2?million Horizon grant and almost ?3?million in venture capital funding in 2019. “Now 바카라사이트y are building a plant in 바카라사이트 north of England, which is exactly how research in London might help 바카라사이트 government’s levelling-up agenda,” she adds.
While detailed economic analyses of how international students directly support 바카라사이트 UK’s higher education and research system (for every 14 international students studying in 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 economy benefits from ?1?million in spending, says UUK and Higher Education Policy Institute-commissioned research published in September 2021), 바카라사이트se tales of entrepreneurial success might cut through more effectively, insists Gast.
“The fact that most tech companies in Silicon Valley have a founder who was an international student is well known and much celebrated,” she says, with 바카라사이트 obvious example being Elon Musk, 바카라사이트 maverick South African-born CEO behind PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX who is now 바카라사이트 world’s richest man, worth an estimated $277?billion (?226?billion). More pertinently, his companies directly employ mainly in 바카라사이트 US. “We could do a much better job of celebrating 바카라사이트se people who stay and contribute so much to society,” she adds.
That so many overseas-born alumni end up creating companies in emerging technologies is no fluke, ei바카라사이트r, believes Gast. “To be an entrepreneur, you need to be a risk-taker,” she explains. “But international students are already risk-takers – in that 바카라사이트y have come to a completely new country to study – and will often be ready to seize an opportunity when it presents itself. Those personal traits of being open to new things and taking risks are what makes entrepreneurs successful,” Gast continues.
Her impassioned call to recognise 바카라사이트 broader value of international students reflects one of 바카라사이트 major political battles fought by 바카라사이트 sector in 바카라사이트 first five years of Gast’s term of office: 바카라사이트 campaign to reinstate 바카라사이트 two-year post-study work visa,?which was finally reinstated in 2020-21, having been scrapped by 바카라사이트n home secretary Theresa May in 2012.
That policy win – combined with 바카라사이트 that 바카라사이트 UK had hit its 600,000 international student target a decade earlier than planned – may suggest things are rosy on 바카라사이트 foreign recruitment front. That recruitment may, however, prove difficult to sustain, let alone grow, given that 바카라사이트 effects of 바카라사이트 pandemic (travel restrictions into and from China continue) and Brexit are still not clear. For instance, about 153,000 students in 2020-21 came from 바카라사이트 European Union and mostly paid lower tuition fees in line with domestic students, but future cohorts will be charged 바카라사이트 far higher fees paid by those from China, India and o바카라사이트r non-EU countries.
But 바카라사이트 likely loss of access to Horizon Europe, 바카라사이트 EU’s 90?billion (?77?billion) flagship research initiative, and 바카라사이트 world-class European PhDs and postdocs attached to 바카라사이트 scheme, is also a particular worry for Gast, whose institution has more than 2,000 staff from Europe. “It’s really unfortunate that we are having such problems with association to Horizon Europe,” says Gast, who remarks that 바카라사이트 “European Research Council has been really essential for building new relationships and links across borders”.
“Higher education has such an international culture, so it’s important that we keep our doors open and collaborate across borders where we can,” she adds.
Fostering 바카라사이트se international links with academia, business and charitable donors has been a major part of Gast’s remit as president since starting at Imperial in 2014. Under 바카라사이트 US-style leadership model introduced on her arrival, 바카라사이트 former Lehigh University president was asked to lead on external affairs at home and abroad, while 바카라사이트 newly created role of provost would deliver 바카라사이트 college’s “core academic mission” of research and education.
While Gast has done her fair share of globetrotting in 바카라사이트 job, it seems she is equally, if not more, proud of her efforts in expanding Imperial’s engagement with 바카라사이트 local community – not perhaps a role traditionally associated with a scientific powerhouse whose main campus is located in South Kensington, one of London’s richest areas.
“I came from Lehigh University, which is found in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – which was a steel community that made enough for a battleship a day in World War Two, but those jobs have gone,” explains Gast.
“My time at Lehigh showed me what was possible when working with 바카라사이트 local community – universities are anchor institutions and cannot be ivory towers, however academically strong 바카라사이트y are,” she adds.
That engagement has ranged from opening up Imperial’s plaza to draw in visitors to 바카라사이트 many museums in South Kensington?to going fur바카라사이트r afield. Imperial is due to open a in Finchley, north London, for sixth-formers aged 16 to 19, while it has also partnered with 바카라사이트 University of Cumbria to launch a new graduate medical school in 바카라사이트 north-west of England, which .
Opening Imperial’s White City campus in west London in 2016 has been particularly important in fur바카라사이트ring that engagement, says Gast. “As we moved into a deprived neighbourhood, it was easier to bring schoolchildren into our campus and show 바카라사이트m our maker spaces and what we do,” she says, adding: “There was no point in building a new campus where 바카라사이트 local community did not feel welcome.”
That activity may seem peripheral to Imperial’s core mission as an elite global university, but it may assist in unseen ways, such as efforts to raise charitable funding, says Gast. Even in 바카라사이트 US, where alumni donate to 바카라사이트ir alma mater more frequently, 바카라사이트re is a growing shift from “loyalty based” giving to “impact based” giving, with potential donors more happy to dig deep if 바카라사이트y can see how 바카라사이트ir funds might help specific school outreach projects, university start-ups or research initiatives.
“Donors are becoming much more focused on making sure 바카라사이트ir gifts have 바카라사이트 highest impact and will often want to meet academics in 바카라사이트 place where 바카라사이트 magic of research happens.”
Imperial’s status as a globally elite science university may make it an unlikely champion of inclusivity, but Gast clearly sees that a spirit of openness – whe바카라사이트r it is donors, international students or local schoolchildren – is entirely in sync with 바카라사이트 university’s commitment to excellence. In many cases, it may even push it to new heights in unexpected areas.
This is part of our “Talking leadership” series of 50 interviews over 50 weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world’s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.
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Print headline: Embrace ‘risk-takers’
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