One in ten current world leaders have studied in the UK, British Council research has revealed.
New British Council analysis has found that of world leaders (Prime Minister or Head of State) who have studied at universities abroad, the proportion of UK alumni rises even higher to 34 per cent - a close second to those who've studied in the USA 38 per cent. But when measured as a proportion of total students in each country, analysis suggests that the UK is ten times more likely to produce a world leader than the USA – UK universities produces one world leader per fifty thousand graduates, whereas the US produces one per five hundred thousand.
Head of Education Professor Rebecca Hughes said "It's a great credit to the UK that our relatively small HE sector has managed to educate one in ten of the current leaders of the world. Having so many Heads of State spend part of their most formative years learning about and being part of UK culture is a fine example of how the UK's higher education sector is a long-term asset, not just locally, but internationally. However, twenty or thirty years ago, when many of these leaders were considering where to study, the competition between countries to attract them wasn't anything like as fierce as it is now.”
The British Council has launched today [Thursday September 25] the Education UK Alumni Awards, as part of a new campaign that seeks to identify and celebrate exceptional achievement of recent alumni from China, India and the USA, three of the biggest sources of international students at UK universities, and inspire the next generation of students to study in the UK. Finalists (announced in 2015) will become part of a new international UK Alumni Award Network, and winners will be invited to the UK to connect with government and industry leaders in a sector of their choice.
Prof Hughes added “"The UK needs to work harder than ever to attract the next generation of world leaders. As higher education internationalises and technology makes new forms of learning ever more accessible, traditional paths to power are changing rapidly. If we want studying in the UK to remain on that path, we must reach out and celebrate our millions of alumni from around the world. The UK sector and government needs to recognise that hosting a student is more than just someone spending a few years living here, it's the start of a life-long relationship."
Bryan Baum, 25, is the co-founder of Prizeo and Represent.com, companies that raise millions of dollars for charity through micro-donations, partnerships with celebrities and merchandise. He was named in the 30 Under 30 list of social entrepreneurs by Forbes in 2014, and studied at the University of Oxford in 2009-10. Of his time in the UK, Baum told the British Council: “Coming to Britain to study gave me a global perspective that I didn’t have before. It opened my eyes to what was going on internationally and introduced me to differing viewpoints.”
Asked whether his time in the UK has made a difference to his career, Baum said “It definitely gave me a leg-up. Interacting with Oxford professors in tutorials improved my skills of argument. I had to learn how to think on my feet – and that has helped me as an entrepreneur. I have learned how to defend my case, which is useful in a competitive situation where you are a new start-up in the market. I am ready for problems. I am now running a successful company in California, which I would not have been able to do without the UK experience.”
Other celebrated alumni of the UK include designer Jimmy Choo, actress Parineeti Chopra, former US President Bill Clinton, co-founder of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman, Olympic gold medallist Annette Salmeen, Nobel Prize for Literature winner Wole Soyinka, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and business magnate Zhang Xin.