International Education Week

CSUF Celebrates Being a Global Community With Golden Opportunities

November 7, 2007

By Pam McLaren

In recognition of International Education Week and the university’s golden anniversary, the offices of International Education and Exchange and the Vice President for Student Affairs join other campus departments and offices in “A Global Community: Golden Opportunities” Nov. 12-16.

“Activities throughout the week will celebrate not only 50 years of international academic accomplishments, but also our global community of faculty, staff and visiting international research scholars, as well as international and exchange students,” said Lay Tuan Tan, acting director of International Education and Exchange.

The weeklong festivities range from a Global Diplomacy Summit and consular corps tea to a brown bag lunch “travelogue” series.

The Global Diplomacy Summit on Thursday, Nov. 15, will feature Franz Cede, Austrian ambassador to Belgium and NATO, who will speak on “The Role of Diplomacy in the 21st Century.” The 10 a.m. forum, in Portola Pavilion of the Titan Student Union, is sponsored by the Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations and the National Council for International Visitors.

On the same day, members of the campus community are invited to attend a “Meet and Greet Members of the Consular Corps” tea reception from 3 to 5 p.m. in Portola Pavilion A. More than 20 representatives from foreign consulates, including Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Latvia and Mongolia, will be in attendance. In addition to brief consulate presentations from five of the consulate representatives, there will be cultural dance and music performances, as well as information on study abroad and student exchange programs. RSVPs are requested and may be made by calling Michelle Swanson in the International Education and Exchange Office at 278-2787.

Kicking off the week’s festivities will be the Nov. 13-15 “Travelogue” Lecture-Lunch Series in which American students, who have traveled abroad, as well as students who have participated in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Persian Summer Institute, will share their experiences and the cultures they have explored. International locations will include Brazil, Iran and France. The 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. talks include a light snack from the country under discussion and will be held in Room 112 of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Sponsoring the event are the colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science hosts an International Student Reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, in Room 100 of the ECS Building. The annual pre-holiday reception is open to the campus community as a way to get to know about the students who travel thousands of miles to attend Cal State Fullerton.

“Each year, this reception is organized to acquaint international students with other Engineering and Computer Science students, faculty and staff,” explained Tonia Teresh, assistant dean of student affairs in ECS. “We understand that international students are not always able to travel home during school breaks and may be homesick at this time of year.”

Phi Beta Delta Honor Society hosts its semi-annual induction ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in Portola Pavilion of the TSU.

As part of the program, two students, a faculty member and a staff member will discuss “Global Interconnections: Cal State Fullerton and the World.” Participating will be Vincent Dropsy, professor of economics, who will share his experiences as an International Program resident director in France and discuss the impact of studying abroad; Jeannie Kim-Han, director of the Center for Internships and Service Learning, who will discuss service learning in a global context; graduate student Dan Phillips, who will share his experiences studying in Bejing, China, and how he uses that experience in working with American Language Program students; and Jitu Motwani, student president of Phi Beta Delta, who traveled from India to study at Cal State Fullerton. He will share his experiences as well and what perspectives he is able to share with his fellow students at CSUF. For more information on the honor society, go to http://www.fullerton.edu/international/pbd.

Another annual event that is part of this year’s celebration is “Golden Dinners” in which volunteers open their homes to share typical American meals with international students attending Cal State Fullerton. Golden dinners, sponsored by the International Friendship Council and community volunteers, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13 and 16.

Closing out the festivities will be a Nov. 16 Cookout in the Residence Halls. International students will demonstrate how to prepare and cook foods from their native lands, sharing the cornucopia of tastes with members of the campus community. The 4-8:30 p.m. event will be held in the Multipurpose Room of Cypress Hall. The event is sponsored by Housing and Residential Life and International Education and Exchange.

For more information about International Education Week, go to http://www.fullerton.edu/world/spotlight/int_ed_week.html.