For this story, we interviewed dozens of student researchers at the University of Minnesota. Any generalizations included here are based on those interviews and on information from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the University's International Student and Scholar Services. University graduate students voted this April on whether or not to unionize. We did not include this topic in the article because the vote was held after we went to press.

Although faculty deservedly get accolades for cutting-edge research, much of that research would not get done without students. This past semester roughly 4,000 students worked in research-related positions at the University of Minnesota, outnumbering University faculty by 500. For anyone doubting the importance of students to the University's research mission, Thomas Stoffregen, director of the Human Factors Research Lab in the Department of Kinesiology, has a succinct response: "No students means no research."

Student researchers do much of the day-to-day work in campus labs--conducting experiments, tracking-down information, and running analysis. "On a simple functional level, they help get more done," said Stoffregen. "There is one of me and several of them."

Students also bring their own talents to projects, frequently helping to shape the direction of the research. "Most of my research is collaborative and both graduate and undergraduate students play a large role in this," said Claudia Neuhauser, professor of ecology, evolution and behavior (EEB) and director of graduate studies for EEB. Added Stoffregen, "Good student researchers can be collaborators, not just employees. You can learn from them."

So who are these student researchers? At the University of Minnesota, the vast majority are graduate students, and roughly half are international students, despite the fact that international students constitute only six percent of all University of Minnesota students. But a national downward trend in international student enrollment could drastically change the face of research at the University.

Homesick on the frozen tundra

While it is commonplace to see international students in University research labs, life here can be anything but normal for the students. The first Minnesota winter is certainly a challenge for anyone from a warm climate (the average high temperature in Bombay in January is 85 degrees). American culture--the importance Americans place on productivity and time, the celebration of individualism, our direct communication style, and the lack of formality in personal interactions--also makes many newcomers uneasy.

According to Alisa Eland, senior counselor in the University's International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), the transition to U.S. academics and culture can be difficult for many new international students. "When international students first arrive, they are often dealing with many differences from what they are used to," she said. "They may be adjusting to lifestyle differences such as food, weather, transportation, and dealing with U.S. roommates for the first time. There are usually also academic adjustments such as language difficulties and learning how to navigate a new academic system. Many international students also report that making friends in Minnesota can be difficult."

And just like their American peers, international students often find that money is scarce. "Finances is by far the most difficult problem for these students," said Kay Thomas, ISSS director. But unlike their American peers, international students are restricted in how much they can work. Visa rules require full-time registration and limit work to 20 hours per week during the semester. Exceptions are rare. Therefore, if international students can't pay their bills, they can't reduce their course load, work more hours, or take second jobs.

A downward trend

Despite these challenges, talented students from all over the world have been coming to the University of Minnesota for years, helping to push University research to the top of national research rankings. Unfortunately, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of newly enrolled international students at the University each year since 2001. In 2001, 1010 new international students enrolled; in 2002 the number was 829; in 2003 it was 757; and in 2004 it was 671. While the overall number of enrolled international students remains steady, these declines will begin to appear this coming year as current students graduate.

The University of Minnesota is not alone in this trend. According to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), there have been significant decreases in the number of first time international graduate students studying in the U.S. each year since 2001. The largest declines in both applications and enrollments have come from countries whose students skew heavily toward the sciences. Nationwide, admissions from China have dropped by 34 percent, from India by 19 percent, and from the Republic of Korea by 12 percent. Not coincidentally, science programs have seen much larger declines than liberal arts. Admissions to engineering programs have dropped by 24 percent, to life sciences and agriculture programs by 19 percent, and to programs in the physical and earth sciences by 17 percent.

The correlation between country and curriculum could have an inordinately large impact here. Currently, Asian students (led by students from China, India, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Japan) make-up two-thirds of all international students at the University of Minnesota--ten percent higher than the national average. And just over two-thirds of international students at the University are enrolled in engineering; computers; mathematics; and the health, physical, and life sciences.

According to studies by the CGS and the Chronicle of Higher Education, drops in applications and enrollment are the result of difficulties associated with added layers of security checks for student visas, diminishing views of the United States abroad, the worldwide economic downturn, and increased competition from universities in other parts of the world.

Students we interviewed noted that the visa changes have been palpable. "The visa process is way more difficult than before 9/11," said one. Another noted that he simply no longer returns home during University breaks for fear of not being able to return. Several other students told stories of friends or family who decided to study elsewhere rather than go through the visa process.

Federal and local officials have heard the complaints and have been working to simplify the visa process, with some success. "The process is getting better," noted Thomas. "Most people are getting visas. Now we need to get the word out."

Over the long-term, however, global competition will likely threaten enrollments more than any other factor. China is persuading many of its top students to stay home with dramatically improved universities; and schools in Japan, Canada, and Britain have stepped-up their recruiting in Asia to admit students caught in U.S. visa-related turmoil. The country working hardest, though, is Australia. Offering lower costs and closer proximity, Australian universities, with government support, have seen marked increases in enrollments of students from throughout Asia. In 2003, Australia reported a 27 percent increase in Indian students, a 20 percent increase in Chinese students, and a 19 percent increase in students from the Republic of Korea. If the newly recruited students have positive experiences in Australia, China, Japan, Canada, and Britain, it is likely that more students will choose these options in the future.

Until very recently universities in the United States had academic reputations that could withstand mitigating factors. But post-9/11 could turn enrollment declines into a long-term trend. If this happens, research in the U.S. will suffer. International students, particularly those from China, India, and the Republic of Korea, are often more advanced than their U.S. counterparts in math and science--areas that drive scientific research. And the ripples felt in campus research labs will reverberate to the U.S. corporations who recruit graduates from American universities.

The next generation

Ultimately, the most important thing the University of Minnesota can do to continue to attract top students, from the U.S. and abroad, is to continue to provide opportunities for students to engage in research and work with and learn from great faculty. Nearly every student who responded to our questions mentioned the quality of a particular department and the opportunity to work with a particular researcher as the primary reasons for choosing the University of Minnesota.

That opportunity benefits both individual career development and universities. "Coursework was the least important part of learning for me," said Stoffregen. "Number one was talking to other students and faculty, and number two was doing research." And the market for academic jobs has changed. "There is a much stronger emphasis now on already having publications on your C.V. when you apply for faculty positions," he noted.

Most students that we interviewed recognize this. "It's an incredible opportunity," said one student. "Yes, it's difficult to balance everything, but I get to work with brilliant faculty and students doing world-class research. If this is what you want to eventually do, there is no better entry-level job." And for universities looking for the next generation of brilliant faculty, they need look no further than the current group of student researchers.

WRITTEN BY BRIAN LIEB