The University of Georgia will celebrate International Education Week Nov. 9-18 by hosting a series of programs on funding foreign-study trips and events highlighting public diplomacy, global cultures and sports.
The U.S. departments of State and Education designated Nov. 14-18 as the official week for schools around the country to highlight global learning, but UGA’s Office of International Education has organized events in Athens prior to those dates.
The kick-off is a seminar on funding opportunities for researching and teaching abroad through the State Department’s Fulbright Program, to be held Nov. 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the Tate Student Center at 45 Baxter St.
Funding opportunities for studying abroad will be a theme of several of the events.
Information on the costs of studying abroad and student funding options will be provided by university financial counselors, former scholarship awardees and staff from the Office of Student Financial Aid during a panel Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. in Park Hall on Baldwin Street.
UGA faculty will discuss awards they have received to increase the global content of their courses during the two-day Curriculum Internationalization Grant Showcase. This series of panel discussions will be held Nov. 14 from 2-4 p.m. and Nov. 15 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in the Tate Student Center.
Nine members of Georgia’s consular corps are participating in Global Engagement 2011, a series of panels on public diplomacy, trade and economic development Nov. 10 from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Tate Student Center Grand Hall.
Speakers will include State Department and UGA officials as well as the consuls general of Australia, Canada, Germany, Haiti, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and the honorary consuls of Denmark, Hungary and Liechtenstein.
Cultural events include WorldFest, a fair featuring exhibits and performances inspired by a number of different countries in Tate Plaza on Baxter Street Nov. 15 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
A panel discussion titled “International Sports: A UGA Perspective” featuring the university’s coaches and athletes on building relationships through games will be held Nov. 17 at 12:45 p.m. in the Miller Learning Center at 48 Baxter St.
Speakers will include UGA Swim Team Head Coach Jack Bauerle, who guided the U.S. women’s team to 14 medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Gymnast Courtney Kupets, a silver medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and three-time NCAA All Around Champion, will also participate.
All of the events are free and open to the public.
Kavita Pandit, the university’s associate provost for international education, said study abroad programs are important not only in fostering individual scholarship but also for the positive impact they can have on global relations.
“Enduring friendships and partnerships created through international education and exchange are important for a secure future for all countries,” Ms. Pandit said in a news release.
For more information and a full list of events go to http://oie.uga.edu/iew.