Consul General's Speeches

MBA Fair, Barlaeus Gymnasium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 28, 2008

Good morning.  I am so glad to have the opportunity this morning to talk to you about pursuing an MBA in the United States.

I know that you are here today because there are a number of top business schools from several nations represented and that they will all have an opportunity to speak to you.  So I hope you will understand my taking a few moments this morning to talk to you about the unparalleled educational opportunities available at universities in the United States.

The U.S. places a high priority on welcoming international students and each year more people decide to study in the U.S. than in any other nation.  In fact, in the 2006/2007 academic year the number of international students at colleges and universities in the U.S. totaled 582,984, and that number is growing year by year.  It might interest you to know that business and management are the leading fields of study among international students in the U.S.

So what makes almost 600,000 students decide to invest in their future in the U.S.?  I would say it boils down to two important considerations:  diversity and excellence.

There are some 4,000 institutions of higher learning in the United States and they represent a tremendous variety of choices in terms of size, location and type of institution.  Some of the very finest are represented at today’s MBA Fair and deserve their reputations as among the best institutions of higher learning in the world.  American colleges and universities attract the leading minds in the academic and research communities and graduate accomplished men and women who are particularly well qualified to thrive in today’s global and competitive job market.

Why do we put so much emphasis on attracting foreign students?  Frankly, it comes naturally.  America is a nation of immigrants and we have a deeply held tradition of welcoming people from around the world to our shores.  We recognize the tremendous value of having international students contribute their diverse views and perspectives to the learning environment.  We value the advantage of attracting the world’s leading scholars to teach at our universities.

The names on the honor rolls of the political, business, scientific, arts and academic communities in countries around the world, including The Netherlands, include countless individuals who have studied in the U.S. or are alumni of our celebrated exchange and scholarship programs, including the Fulbright Program.

We want more Dutch citizens to take their place among world political, business and cultural leaders who have a U.S. educational experience on their CV.   We also understand that the relationships that are forged during your time at a U.S. university form the foundation for lasting partnerships, not just between people, but between institutions, and societies, and nations.

There is one factor that I’d like you to consider in choosing to pursue an MBA in the United States that goes beyond faculty excellence, or facilities or internship and job placement possibilities.  It is simply this:  the experience of life on a university campus in America is, quite frankly, irreplaceable.  University life offers a wide range of opportunities:  from sports activities to club membership, to special cultural and athletic events, to travel around your adopted home.   You will make friends, become part of a new community, and develop professional and personal contacts that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

There is one last reason why I wanted to welcome you today.  At the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, we have the great pleasure and the great responsibility of helping to make sure that every single qualified student, scholar or exchange visitor from The Netherlands gets to his or her program on time by providing efficient and transparent visa services.  For the past several years we’ve made processing student visas a priority, and I can commit to you today that we will do all we can to make sure you have the information you need, that you get a timely appointment for your visa interview, and that your application is processed swiftly so that you will be able to begin your MBA program on time.

One of my colleagues from the Consulate General will be here with you this afternoon to answer your questions.  I hope by this time next year that we will have already seen many, many of you at the Consulate General and that you will either be preparing to begin your MBA program in the United States, or will have already have done so.

Thanks very much for your interest in MBA opportunities and I hope you enjoy the rest of the day.