Celebrate International Education Week
November 14-18, 2005

International Education Week (IEW) was first held in 2000 and today is celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. It offers an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. IEW is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. This joint initiative is part of an effort to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. It is an important event observed across the United States and in more than 85 countries. IEW is celebrated each November the week before Thanksgiving.

The worldwide celebration of IEW offers an opportunity to reach out to people of every nation, to develop a broader understanding of world cultures and languages, and to reiterate the conviction that enduring friendships and partnerships created through international education and exchange are important for a secure future for all countries.

The information provided in this month's Global Update is taken from the official IEW website: http://iew.state.gov/. Through this website educators can search for specific events in their area by visiting the events database. There are also ideas and promotional materials for your own event, statements and press releases, and a global IQ quiz.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

•  Host an International Career Day by inviting alumni and/or local international experts as speakers.

•  Organize a symposium on campus or in your community on an "international" theme. Some ideas include:

– International education as the key to homeland security

– The importance of foreign language study

– International exchange and study abroad opportunities

– The internationalization of higher education

– The global classroom: Internet exchange, distance learning, etc.

– Intercultural communication

– Dealing with Culture Shock

•  Recruit local professionals with overseas experience (Fulbright Students and Scholars, former diplomats or Peace Corps volunteers, business leaders working for multi-national corporations, or journalists) to talk about international careers and the importance of international education and exchange. This can be as formal as a panel presentation or speech or as informal as a coffee hour or brown bag lunch.

•  Produce and/or screen a video about the experiences of international students on your campus and/or students back from a semester or year abroad.

•  Organize a festival spotlighting a particular country or region. In addition to films, live performances, or art exhibits, include interactive elements such as teaching students how to cook food of a particular country, learn a traditional dance, or the basics of a foreign language.

•  Host a Quiz Bowl on international affairs, geography, or world history. (For ideas, see the IEW Global IQ Quiz!)

•  Participate in a Model UN or play host to a high school Model UN.

A SAMPLING OF HIGHER EDUCATION ACTIVITES
AROUND THE COUNTRY

Hawaii Community College
Voices of the World (A Language & Speech Contest). Students will have an opportunity to showcase their foreign language skills.  Five minute speeches may be a poem, prose, reading or song on any subject recited in a foreign language.

Penn State University
Photo Exhibit. The Office of International Programs (OIP) will host a photo exhibit displaying works by students that capture a visual image of how Penn students view the world from their study abroad experience and how Penn's International students view Penn/US culture from their experiences in Philadelphia.

Boise State University
International Awareness Fair. The fair will showcase the many international connections and opportunities, businesses, organizations, cultures and events in the community. The Fair aims to increase international awareness among students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Santa Monica College
International Dance. Folklorico Dance Group, in authentic costumes, will perform a variety of dances from Mexico, Indonesia, West Africa, and Spain. The International Student Forum (SMC's International Club) will provide internationally-themed games and quizzes with prizes. Treats from around the world will be offered.

For more examples, please see the IEW website events database.

IEW FACT SHEET

• Nearly 600,000 international students from more than 200 countries study in the United States each year.

• International education is also a vital service industry, bringing more than $12 billion into our country annually.

• 88% of American college students believe international education will give them a competitive advantage in the workplace.

• Almost 90% of American college students believe having international students on campus enriches their own learning experience.

• The 35,000 students, scholars and other exchange participants that the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs supports are in the vanguard of the hundreds of thousands of students and scholars who come to the U.S. each year and the 160,000 Americans who study abroad.

• International cooperation on education contributes to education reform and education solutions for the U.S. and for our partner nations.