For decades, the US Department of State has designated the third week in November to recognize the value of a global curriculum at the K-16 level.
International Education Week, Nov. 15-19, serves as a bridge between cultures, if not worlds. It offers all learners the chance to pursue their curiosity about the planet’s languages and civilizations, while providing information about globally focused experiential learning opportunities at home and abroad.
Due to COVID-19, last year’s International Education Week activities at Iowa and elsewhere took place almost exclusively online. This fall, as we emerge from the pandemic, virtual will still be the coin of the realm, but many activities will offer an in-person component. On the UI campus, the program includes numerous cultural events, information sessions on research opportunities, lectures by experts in global education, a global health case competition, and the UI’s International Impact and Global Student Awards celebration via the WorldCanvass forum in International Programs.
This year’s IEW events are immeasurably enriched by talks emphasizing the connections between international experience and issues involving diversity, equity and inclusion. On Wednesday, the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council will present “The Global Impact of Black Lives Matter,” a lecture by professor Marcella David, senior vice president and provost at Columbia College, Chicago. The next day, UI International Programs hosts professor Jewell Green Winn, senior international officer at Tennessee State University and president-elect of the Association of International Education Administrators, as she delivers the annual Commitment to Internationalization Lecture, “Where I Come From: Leading Internationalization Without Walls.”
The University of Iowa is proud to work with campus and community partners, as well as colleagues from across the country, to organize and promote activities that broaden and deepen our access to the world. We extend the warmest of invitations to join us, while looking forward to your participation — either online or in person.
For more details and to attend the virtual WorldCanvass program Monday from 10-11:30 am, visit: https://international.uiowa.edu/worldcanvass-2021-international-impact-and-global-student-awards.
Russell Ganim is associate provost and dean of International Programs at the University of Iowa.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Opinion: International Education Week at UIowa bridges cultures
