January 12, 2009
Purdue president part of National Research Council call to change rules on high-tech exports, visas
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
"Visa controls, developed during the Cold War, have made U.S. laboratories and universities less attractive to foreign researchers and have helped drive knowledge-intensive jobs overseas," Córdova said. "The regulations, in fact, do little for the nation's security today, while significantly hampering economic growth and innovation."
The report by the NRC Committee on Scientific Communication and National Security also said that in business, U.S. restrictions provide a roadmap for foreign competitors, highlighting the specific technologies and products in which other countries should invest research dollars.
The National Research Council is the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences. The committee of experts is headed by John Hennessy, president of Stanford, and Brent Scowcroft, a retired Air Force general and national security adviser for two presidents. The report is online at https://www.nas.edu.
Among other things, the panel recommended that the president take the following actions:
* Restructure export regulations, allowing "openness and engagement to prevail unless a compelling case can be made for restrictions, which, in turn, must have a rational basis."
* Require that controls be reviewed at least yearly.
* Create two independent panels within the National Security Council to review controls and decide disputes.
* Streamline the visa process for scientists and engineers and automatically allow foreign students to remain in the country at least a year after earning advanced degrees in scientific or technical fields.
* Allow American experts to vouch for "well-known scholars and researchers" asking to enter the United States.
Writer: Jeanne V. Norberg, (765) 494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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