At an interaction at the Council for Foreign Relations (CFR) US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated that he would like to see more STEM students from India in the US.
The US Deputy Secretary of State is the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of State after the Secretary of State. The Department of State formulates foreign policy and International Relations in the USA government and the Secretary of State is a key cabinet member in the government of the USA.
Campbell also remarked that he would like to see more Chinese students studying Arts and Humanities in the USA instead of ‘particle physics’, before adding that he would like US higher education to recruit more Indian STEM students. This has kicked up quite a controversy with Chinese media calling it ‘racist’. AIRC executive director stated that the remarks ‘reverberated across the international education world in ways he did not anticipate’ in an attempt to play down the controversy.
India is now the leading source country for US higher education having surpassed China last year. The largest proportion of Indian students are STEM students at ‘High Research Activity’ universities.
