International Education Week at Elizabethtown College intends to be educational and fun and inspire students to see the global possibilities that are around them at all times—if they are willing to look and engage. The weeklong celebration — Nov. 8 through 12 — highlights all things international, from study-abroad opportunities, international dances lessons and the showing of international films, to name a few.
This internationally recognized week, that takes place on college and university campuses across the nation, was created by the U.S. department of State and Education to promote global mobility and create global citizenship.
This year’s International Education Week kicks off with the Global Village, which starts with a Brazilian band playing in the Blue Bean. Globally inspired goodies, free to everyone, will be provided. Following the band is a culture and career presentation in the KAV, with additional information on all things international on the campus and beyond. “Students [will be able] to see that the world is truly connected, and being globally minded and culturally competent enhances life and job prospects, in addition to simply having a good time in the moment,” said Kristi Syrdahl, International Student Services director.
Students [will be able] to see that the world is truly connected, and being globally minded and culturally competent enhances life and job prospects, in addition to simply having a good time in the moment.”
International Education Week brings together offices on campus — International Student Services, Study Abroad, Career Services, Modern Languages, High Library and the Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking — to work toward a common goal. Syrdahl said she is enthusiastic for the opportunity this week provides for the international students to celebrate their culture and for the domestic students to have a better understanding of international life.
Syrdahl, who has been with the College for the past five years, has planned the events for international education week and is pleased with all the programs that occur throughout the week, she said. Each year the program changes, so students who have attended before experience something new this year, she said. Syrdahl hopes to get more academic departments to host programs and more faculty and staff members attending the events in coming years, she explained.
Syrdahl also said she wants students to appreciate that knowledge can be acquired in any setting. “It does not have to always come from a lecture or reading a book,” she said. “Sometimes, just learning a new dance, tasting a new cuisine or hearing a new language is enough to spark an interest in studying abroad, applying for a Fulbright, pursing an international career, befriending an exchange student or simply learning a new language,” she added, noting that she’s excited for students to use this opportunity to gain cultural capital that already exists on campus.