CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois University grad Janice Jacobs has had the mixed blessing of overseeing visas in the United States since 2002, a time when international security measures vie for dominance over the country's traditional welcoming atmosphere.

Jacobs, deputy assistant secretary of state for visa services, said in the middle of the "balancing act," international students enrolling in universities - ones like Southern Illinois University Carbondale - are less eager to study in the United States under a historically high amount of scrutiny from the state department.

Jacobs visited SIUC Monday and gave a lecture on the subject of international student enrollment and border security on behalf of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Institute director Mike Lawrence said Jacobs' speech touches on an issue very close to Southern's heart. Applications from foreign students have faltered under increased security measures after the 9-11 terrorism. Lawrence said SIUC is a richer place for having international students.

"We believe the existence of international students has a very positive impact on our campus," Lawrence said, noting Jacobs has worked toward helping those students enter U.S. borders for educational purposes.

"It's really a balancing act we do, trying to protect borders but at the same time secure legitimate travel," Jacobs said.

She said the state department promotes both foreign students coming to the U.S. for school and American students studying abroad.

Security, Jacobs added, is a matter that must be handled succinctly and sensitively.

"I think the responsibility falls to the federal government," she said when asked regarding control along the Canadian and Mexican borders of the United States. "And in this case it is the Department of Homeland Security."

Jacobs doesn't believe a military response is the answer for normal patrol.

"I think it's just a matter of getting the right mix of people and technology," she noted.

While Jacobs has dedicated three years of her professional life to the border security question, she is currently a candidate for nomination as an ambassador to West Africa.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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