NMU Expands International Education Week
NMU will celebrate International Education Week (IEW) with a series of presentations and an intercultural simulation exercise for faculty and staff about the challenges international students confront in the U.S. higher education system. All activities are being coordinated by the International Programs Office. IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of State and Education to recognize the benefits of international education and exchange. Pictured is Varda Zafar of Pakistan, who is a student at NMU this fall and will give a talk about Pakistani weddings and the people who have inspired her to achieve her goals.
"We are doing a little bit more to celebrate International Education Week each year, and the focus this fall is on presentations about internationally focused initiatives and intercultural trainings by different faculty members and students," said Kevin Timlin (International Programs). "IEW is a broad nationwide celebration that recognizes the importance of international education and the many forms it takes--from study abroad and faculty/student exchanges to collaborations between universities from different countries."
The following events are free and open to the public:
Monday, Nov. 10: Tawni Ferrarini of the economics department will present “What Can South Korea Teach Us About Wealth and Prosperity?” at 4 p.m. in 1320 Jamrich Hall.
Tuesday, Nov. 11: Professors William Ball of political science, Robert Hanson of criminal justice and Eileen Smit of nursing will share “Reflections on Studying Abroad: A Faculty Perspective” at 2:30 p.m. in Jamrich 1320.
Wednesday, Nov. 12: Weronika Kusek of the earth, environmental and geographical sciences department will discuss the migration of nearly 600,000 Poles to the United Kingdom after Poland joined the European Union in 2004. Her talk at noon in West Science 2902 will explore the public and private experiences of Polish immigrants who live and work in London and the diasporic networks with Poland.
Thursday, Nov. 13: NMU students Amanda Kucharek and Stephen Luty, who traveled to Bogotà, Colombia, with Lutheran (ELCA) Campus Ministry, will give a talk at 7 p.m. in West Science 2812. The students will explore the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s understanding of the “why and “how” of mission work and the applications in cross-cultural relationships and short-term mission trips.
Friday, Nov. 14: Vardar Zafar of Lahore, Pakistan, will discuss Pakistani weddings and the people who have inspired her in reaching her goals at 1:15 p.m. in Jamrich 1318. Zafar is attending NMU for the fall semester as an exchange student sponsored by the International Research and Exchanges Board.
Monday, Nov. 17: Mary Stunkard from clinical laboratory sciences will address unclean water as a major source of morbidity and mortality in developing countries and the bio-sand filter’s ability to clean contaminated water at 3 p.m. in West Science 1607. Her talk will focus on the science behind the filtration system, installation, maintenance and education for users as applied in Haiti and Honduras.
Tuesday, Nov. 18: Adonna Rometo of biology will present “Empowering Communities: Raised Garden Beds and a Women’s Sewing Cooperative as Agents of Change in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico” at 3 p.m. in 1209 New Science Facility. The Colonia Panfilo Natera, once a municipal garbage dump, is home to thousands of impoverished Mexicans who migrated from central Mexico to this border town to work in factories for $3-$5 a day. Living in cardboard shacks on garbage-laden dirt, the community endures great hardship, but these two projects are aimed at improving their quality of life.
Also as part of International Education Week, NMU faculty and staff are invited to participate in Acirema, an interactive, intercultural training simulation exercise designed to help participants develop a deeper understanding of the numerous challenges international students encounter in the U.S. higher education system. Acirema will be held from 2-4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, in the Whitman Commons. There is space for only 30 participants. Register in advance with the International Programs Office at ipo@nmu.edu or ext. 2510.