November 17 – 21 has been designated as International Education Week

Leonardo A. Villalón, Dean of the International Center

International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, presents an annual opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.  At the University of Florida, we have much to celebrate.

Each year, UF is home to over 6,000 international students from more than 130 countries.  We host some 1,100 visiting scholars annually, including Fulbright Scholars who participate in numerous research and outreach programs on and off campus. About 2,000 of our students travel to more than 50 countries every year, on study abroad and related programs. On any given day, year-round, UF faculty and staff from all parts of the university can be found across the globe, carrying out research, participating in conferences and workshops, or teaching.  Some 2,000 UF faculty and staff have international roots or background themselves, including many who are foreign born and educated, and who bring international dimensions to their job and into our classrooms and laboratories every day. We are a global university.

Echoing the exciting new five-year Quality Enhancement Plan approved in the spring, the UF theme for International Education Week this year will be: “Learning without Borders: Internationalizing the Gator Nation.”  Activities planned for IEW include ceremonies to recognize the winners of the Global Photo Competition, the International Students Awards, and the Faculty and Staff International Educator Awards. (See the UFIC website <http://www.ufic.ufl.edu/> for more information and deadlines for these competitions.)  A special event will serve to launch a new Fulbright Lecture Series.  And we are particularly pleased to be able to announce that UF will once again have its own Peace Corps recruiter on campus, and that IEW will include a Peace Corps information session for prospective volunteers.

We encourage all colleges, departments, and centers to organize related international education activities of their own, and we would be delighted to help publicize your events through our IEW promotional portals. For help with this, and for additional information about International Education Week, please contact Mabel Cardec at mcardec@ufic.ufl.edu or 352-273-1515.

A list of activities hosted by the International Center, as well as other UF events marking IEW will be posted at https://www.ufic.ufl.edu/