Singapore, which calls itself a "global schoolhouse," has been particularly aggressive in recruiting students and scholars from around the world. The island city-state has made international education a central element of its economic development strategy. Since 2002, it has increased international student enrollment from fewer than 50,000 to more than 80,000--more than any city in the U.S. Its goal is to increase international enrollment to 150,000 by 2015--not bad for a country of just 4.5 million people.

Both to expand opportunities for its own citizens and to strengthen its position as an "exporter" of higher education, the government has also persuaded 16 major universities--including MIT, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, the University of Chicago, Stanford, the Wharton School and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts--to establish programs in Singapore. U.S cities that have historically been leaders in international education-- including New York, Boston, and Los Angeles--should consider whether they might have something learn from Singapore's success.