Harvard University, often ranked first among the best colleges and universities in the United States, has received more than $45 million to expand its Asian American studies program.

The donations come from 14 Asian American alumni leaders who graduated from the university between 1990 and 2003. The money will support new professorships, graduate fellowships and academic research in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences' Asian American studies program. It will also attract respected scholars who will foment collaboration and innovation, according to FAS.

The university reported that the initiative was cultivated by Claudine Gay, dean of the FAS, "to strengthen the study of ethnicity, indigeneity and migration so that Asian American studies, along with study of the Latinx and Muslim American experiences, can flourish at Harvard."

"This is a rich, dynamic area of inquiry at the center of some of the biggest challenges we face today," Gay told the Harvard Gazette, the university's news website.

"For Harvard to prepare students for lives of leadership and service in a diverse world, to have an impact on issues of public consequence, and to be a truly inclusive scholarly community — personal commitments for me — this work needs to be more fully represented both on campus and in the curriculum," she said.

"We look forward to Harvard committing similar resources to Latinx, Native American, and Muslim American Studies," wrote Jane Bock, a 1981 graduate and member of the alumni group the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, on the student-led Harvard Crimson news site.

Of the more than 1 million international students at U.S. colleges and universities, 34% are from China and 18% are from India, according to the Institute of International Education, headquartered in New York. The number of international student new enrollments has slightly declined in the past two years, not including the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed most colleges and universities, including Harvard, and moved classes online.

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.