Date: November 8, 2007
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, IL, November 8, 2007 - Governors State University is celebrating International Education Week in a big way. With more than 300 students enrolled in GSU programs from other countries, and GSU students studying and interning abroad, it is important to celebrate this wonderful opportunity for cultural exchange and understanding.
The week’s festivities begin on November 12 with a day of activities in the Cafeteria Annex. Information on international education programs will be on display and a cup of coffee and conversations will be enjoyed. A photographic display, “We All Smile in the Same Language,” will introduce faces from other places to the GSU community. Mehndi, the art of decorating the body with Henna, will also be available.
International Volunteerism is the subject of “Another Career Pathway of Combining Theory and Practice,” a discussion on November 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Center for Performing Arts lobby. Refreshments will be served.
A multimedia presentation by Jane Hindsley of the Homewood Rotary Club will also be held on November 13. Hindsley will present “Peru: from the Amazon to Machu Picchu,” in the Hall of Honors, from 3 to 4 p.m. Refreshments will also be served.
The invitation only International Luncheon will be held on November 14. Guests will learn about “Matanya’s Hope,” a foundation begun and led by Michelle Stark dedicated to changing the world one child at a time through education and other life sustaining supports in Kenya East Africa. The Governors State University Latino Center for Excellence will also present “The Experience of Latino Students in Higher Education.”
Two events will be held on November 15. An information session, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., in room C3370, will offer insight into the positive effects experience study abroad can have on a person’s career, resume, and abilities regardless of one’s academic concentration. A Coffee/Tea Social Hour, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., in the GSU cafeteria, will bring international GSU students, faculty, and staff together with American students, staff, and faculty to learn about other cultures and meet people from different backgrounds.
Studying and teaching abroad are the topics of “Plan for the Future – How to become a Fulbright Scholar” on November 16, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., in room C3370.
Currently, GSU students come from as far away as China, India, Mexico, and North Africa. GSU students and faculty are studying, interning, or teaching or have recently returned from countries like Belize, England, China, and Uganda.
All International Education Week activities, unless noted, are free and open to the public. For more information contact the Office of International Services, (708)534-3087.
