International Education Week 2020: “Global Gators Take Action!”

Leonardo A. Villalón, Dean, International Center

November 16 – 20 will mark the celebration of International Education Week on the UF campus

Under the theme “Global Gators Take Action!” the University of Florida is pleased to once again celebrate International Education Week (IEW).  International Education Week is a joint annual initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Department of Education.  It provides an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

At a time when US academic institutions face enormous challenges to working internationally, the current realities also underline the fact that global collaborations in teaching and research are more important than ever. As we celebrate UF’s continued climb in the rankings of the nation’s top public universities, the UF International Center is committed to sustaining our core mission of helping all campus units in support of UF’s global engagements. 

As President Kent Fuchs noted in this year’s State of the University address, we face long-term persistent threats that we must address as a great public university. One of them is the decline in numbers of our international students and our international engagements. To quote President Fuchs, “we must be absolutely clear that UF is a university where international students, faculty, and visitors are welcome and embraced. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion applies to all.”

In this context, we invite all UF colleges, departments, and centers to embrace this year’s theme and “take action” towards UF’s international goals. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we encourage all units to celebrate their own contributions and their plans in support of UF’s global goals by organizing international education activities during this week. 

We recognize that most IEW activities will be held virtually this year. In support of virtual programming, UFIC is pleased to provide a brief video clip about IEW, with special messages from Dr. Kent Fuchs and Dean Leonardo A. Villalón. This short video will be available for any campus constituency who would like to use it as a visual introduction to their International Education Week events.

Please contact Mabel Cardec at mcardec@ufic.ufl.edu or 352-273-1515 for a copy of this video, with other questions related to International Education Week on the UF campus, or for help in publicizing your events. More information is posted at https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/student-opportunities/international-education-week. To see a list of activities hosted by the International Center, as well as other UF events marking IEW, please check out our Events page searching under International Education Week.