As International Education Week rolled out on November 12, an important annual report was released on global education trends, called "Open Doors." Compiled by the Institute of International Education, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, the survey provides a window onto the world through the lens of numbers of international students coming to the United States (and numbers of American students going abroad).

In an era of competitiveness, these numbers matter. Many Americans may be shocked to learn that the presence of international students in the United States generates about $22 billion from tuition, living expenses, and other educational receipts each year.

The "Open Doors" report is a barometer of foreign interest in studying in American colleges and universities. According to the