In Who We Welcome: International Students and the Future of U.S. Higher Education, George Kacenga offers a timely and deeply human examination of what is at stake for the U.S. and higher education at a moment of profound policy volatility. By centering the lived experiences of international students, the book powerfully illustrates how national policy and institutional choices are felt by real people-and the implications. Kacenga calls us back to the fundamental question of who we are, and who we choose to welcome. Who We Welcome is a must read for institutional leaders, policymakers, practitioners, the American public who believe that the future strength of U.S. higher education depends on whether we remember our humanity and its relationship to international education and act accordingly.

Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators

The story of international enrollment in the United States is often told in aggregate terms: numbers of students, percentage increases and decreases, trends in certain sending markets and programs of study, tuition revenues and economic impacts. In Who We Welcome, George Kacenga offers a powerful and critically important alternate view, focused on personal stories of dreams pursued and lives changed. Behind the anonymous data are millions of quiet decisions made on a human scale, each of which is a positive declaration of faith that earning an American education is worth the investment, the hard work, and the risk in an unstable political and policy environment. By centering individual students' experiences, Kacenga not only provides potent new tools for international enrollment management professionals to communicate the value of international education. He also reminds us why our work truly matters as the IEM field faces daunting upheaval and unprecedented change.

Clay Harmon, Executive Director, AIRC: The Association of International Enrollment Management

Who We Welcome addresses a subject matter that is very much in the crosshairs of the current administration, which targets both immigration and higher education in its reform agenda. Importantly, George also provides the historical perspective we in international education need, as well as an approach that makes clear to the non-higher-ed world the true value international students bring to our nation, states, communities, and campuses. Without pulling punches, Dr. Kacenga explains who our million-plus international students currently in the United States are, and who they are not. In a politically charged environment, important distinctions often get lost in the heated debates. Kacenga valiantly flies the flag for those who are often voiceless in the debates that swirl on social media and the halls of government. A much-needed tour de force that dispels myths and shines a light on truths and a reasonable path forward.

Marty Bennett, International Higher Education Practitioner, President, of SMIE Consulting

This book will be an essential read for anyone keen to understand the deep and nuanced contributions that international students have made and can continue to make in the USA. Mining insight into the why and how, the book will chart the scope of the international education industry and also make clear the global impact that international students can bring to a country - both in terms of hard data and soft power. George Kacenga has the deep experience and practical insight required to unpick the industry of international education, assess the short-term and longer-term ambitions of its student participants, and speak to the policy and the personal. His book presents a cogent argument for a consistent political approach to safeguard an undervalued asset in the American education system.

Amy Baker, CEO, The PIE