Monday, November 17, 2008
Workshops and events promoting international education abound this week as part of the U.S Department of Education’s ninth annual International Education Week.
This week, the University will play host to 27 scheduled events. Celeste Morgan Yaluk, International Program assistant, said the goal for the week was to encourage students to expand their horizons and strive to learn more about international customs and affairs.
“We live in a very global world, and this week is to attract KU’s future leaders to become interested in our international programs here and abroad,” Yaluk said.
The U.S. Departments of Education and State dedicated this week to spreading awareness about global affairs and encouraging students to participate in international programs. This year’s theme is “International Education: Fostering Global Responsibility and Leadership.”
Some of the University’s programs are held annually. This year, new events include “International Trivia Night” and “Peace Pole Rededication Ceremony.” The Office of Study Abroad is also holding a forum on multicultural students’ experiences abroad.
Robert Lopez, outreach coordinator for the Office of Study Abroad, said studying abroad was the best way to learn a new language and also prepare students for the outside world.
Meghan McGinnis, Kansas City law student, spent last summer studying international law in Istanbul, Turkey. She said being exposed to the cultural differences was one of the most beneficial things about studying there. She was surprised that some Turkish law students believed in keeping church and state separate. This has became a more controversial issue in Turkey after Abdullah Gül was elected the country’s first political Islamist president since the secular republic’s creation in 1923. Allowing women to wear head scarves in government buildings has sparked controversy in recent years.
“One big issue we talked about was allowing women to wear head scarves in government buildings,” McGinnis said. “American students were more on the side of allowing it for freedom of expression, but the Turkish students were more on the side of not allowing any expression of religion when it comes to the government.”
Lopez said it was these kinds of experiences that would make a difference on résumés and in interviews because employers looked for intercultural communication skills and knowledge of global events.
According to the Office of Study Abroad, during the 2006-07 school year, the University sent 1,385 students to 66 countries all over the world. The University welcomed its first international students in the late 1800s and continues expanding its programs year after year.
Joe Potts, director of International Student and Scholar Services, said the University also emphasized integrating foreign students. He said that practice gave students a better chance at taking home culture as well as knowledge. The week-long orientation at the beginning of each semester gives international students a chance to socially network and get settled before starting classes.
— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes
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