International Education Week

Spearheaded by staff in Visa and Immigration Services (VIS), this year’s International Education Week (IEW) featured more than 15 events to celebrate the international diversity of Stony Brook and introduce the world to Stony Brook students, faculty and staff.  Sponsored by a Presidential Mini-Grant for Departmental Diversity Grant, events were targeted toward specific campus populations to encourage and instruct about international diversity.

The main event, “One-Stop-Culture-Shop” featured international and domestic students showcasing over 10 countries.  Student volunteers wrote up fact sheets about their home countries with local greetings and customs to pass out along with traditional candies.  Passersby received a Stony Brook passport and were encouraged to visit each country for a “stamp” and learn something new about each country represented.  Students were entered in a drawing for prizes, and Wolfie was on-hand to pose for pictures.

Other student events included a kick-off event in the SAC with international trivia games, a Global Showcase of countries put together by Intensive English students, a career panel for study abroad and international students, and information sessions on study abroad programs.

For faculty and staff, VIS and the Intensive English Center hosted workshops on the basics of international student and scholar visas, and how to effectively communicate with international student populations.   Staff members attending these workshops were left with an indelible impression of the experiences of international students at Stony Brook.  The workshops targeted topics like the long process of applying for a visa and the communication barriers that exist when entering a new environment.  One participant remarked, “I believe I was able to relate to how some of our students must be feeling by “living” through the exercises.”

International Education Week is a joint initiative between the U.S. Departments of State and Education aimed at preparing Americans for the global environment.  Stony Brook was one of several institutions across the country participating in IEW 2016.