International Education Week

November 18-22, 2024

Discover The World in Arkansas, Arkansas in the World

International Education Week celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the University of Arkansas' efforts to prepare students for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States.

The week includes opportunities to share experiences in person, on social media and through virtual events. We welcome our students, scholars, alumni, faculty, staff, community and world travelers to participate.

Use #UARKIEW2024 to share your IEW experience!

Use Our Daily Topics to Guide your Program Planning and social media posting

Monday: Discover Celebrations

Join our IEW Opening celebration, International Bazaar, and learn about global celebrations. We encourage you to wear international dress for this day. Post about your favorite celebrations.

Tuesday: Discover Issues & Ideas

Explore global issues and different perspectives through presentations, pop up booths, and social media. Also, learn about what international students, scholars and faculty members are studying, researching or teaching. Academic units can use this day to brag on international students or employees in their department.

Wednesday: Discover Arts & Culture

Global music, dance, art, literature, movies – Let's learn and share about the arts from around the world. Post about your arts in your country.

Thursday: Discover Global Flavors

Enjoy learning about the infinite variety food around the world. Contribute to our IEW Cookbook. Post your favorite recipe or video of a cooking lesson.

Friday: Discover Play - Sports, Games, Hobbies

Across campus we hope today will be full of time to PLAY! Join our sports jersey photo, play sports, games, and share about our favorite pastimes and cultural hobbies. Learn about our international hog athletes.

How You, Your RSO or Your Department Can Participate

This is your opportunity to get students excited about expanding their world and to encourage them to seek study abroad and travel opportunities. At the same time, you can connect with new resources and find opportunities to engage new students within your college.

You can promote IEW within your college, RSO, across campus and around the world in the following ways:

Have a group of international visitors in town during IEW? Advertise the connection! Arrange a short meet and greet or a brief presentation that is open to the student body.
Invite a member of the International Culture Team to present about their country! See ict.uark.edu for more information about this team and make a presentation request here International Culture Team Request Form
Arrange a presentation for advertising your college’s study abroad programs. Encourage students to apply for a passport and if they are eligible, share the information about Study Abroad scholarships. Contact the Study Abroad Office for more information.
Share this IEW toolkit and list of resources with faculty and administrators in your departments and encourage them to incorporate activities into their curriculum during IEW. And start thinking about next year!
Talk to media outlets on campus like the UA Traveler, Newswire, KXUA UATV, or to those in our community like KUAF, 40/29 or the Fayetteville Flyer. Tie IEW to your departmental mission with stories of your planned activities and international connections.
Host an International Career Day by inviting alumni and/or local international experts as speakers.
Organize a presentation on campus or in the community with an "international" theme.
- The importance of foreign language study
- International exchange and study abroad opportunities
- International education as the key to homeland security
- The internationalization of higher education
- The internationalization of business and global food systems
- The global classroom: Internet exchange and distance learning.
- Intercultural communication
- Dealing with culture shock
- Host an International Career Day by inviting alumni and /or local international experts as speakers.
- Recruit local citizens or alumni with overseas experience (Fulbright students, scholars and teachers, former diplomats, Peace Corps volunteers, business leaders, or journalists) to discuss their international careers and the importance of international education and exchange. This can be as formal as a panel presentation or speech or as informal as a coffee hour or brown bag lunch.
- Produce and/or screen a video about the experiences of international students in your department and/or students back from a semester or year abroad. We have included a great template for this project in this IEW College toolkit.
- Screen a film highlighting the impact of your field of study on the global stage. Allow time for group discussion after the movie.
- Host live performances, art exhibits or interactive elements utilizing student or faculty talent of your department

Submissions and Resources

Let us know information about your events and activities by submitting them to our IEW calendar. We will also publish your event on the national IEW website, once it has been submitted to us. If you have any other questions