UWRF plans summit on international education

A Summit on International Education and Engagement is planned on the campus of UW-River Falls during the week of Nov. 18-22.

The summit, coordinated by the Office of International Education, is a week-long event packed with different activities and speakers for students seeking to get involved with international education on the UW-River Falls campus. It will include several study abroad oriented events, including student panels, sessions showcasing international research done by students and keynote speakers. There will also be a workshop on effective communication with non-native English speakers available to students along with a celebratory Thanksgiving dinner.

Kelsey McLean, program manager in the Office of International Education, has been involved in developing and bringing the summit to life.

“Each year there’s a call for strategic initiatives that are related to the campus’s strategic plan, and this (the summit) was put forward to really celebrate everything related to Goal Two, which is related to global education and engagement,” McLean said.

The summit is meant to celebrate the accomplishments and success of international education and engagement at UWRF. It is also meant to encourage students to participate in the program, as the summit will give them a taste of what they could experience through studying abroad.

UWRF prides itself in being invested in giving students opportunities to expand their horizons through studying abroad, McLean said.

“A piece of it is making a commitment to this is who we are as a campus, we are a global campus and that we are committed to furthering our global education and engagement,” she said.

Amer F. Ahmed, an internationally renowned intercultural speaker, will deliver a keynote speech exploring concepts of public leadership and ways to embrace and nurture an inclusive, diverse community. Ahmed will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the Kinnickinnic River Theater on the third floor of the University Center.

“There’s a lot of sessions that are offered by our faculty on their international experiences or maybe international research that they are engaged in, and I think that some of those things come through in the classroom, but some of them may be surprising to students,” McLean said.

More information about the summit, along with a schedule for the week, can be found on the UWRF website at https://uwrf.edu/International-Summit/.