Building our Global Community: International Education Week at Endicott
It is generally agreed upon that international relations are key ingredients to a successful world and to successful careers. International education and the community that it builds from the Endicott College campus to the great beyond is no exception to this rule. From November 18-22, 2019, our community celebrated International Education Week (IEW) across the campus.
Dean, International Education, Warren Jaferian, says, “Endicott participates in International Education Week because of our commitment to international education. For success in today's global environment, our students must develop the requisite 21st century skills of cross-cultural collaboration, adaptability, and global fluency which studying and interning abroad provide. International Education Week highlights these skills and reinforces our commitment to these values.”
Each year the Office of International Education develops programming designed to engage the community in themed activities, discussions, and presentations. To do that, they collaborate with students, faculty, and staff to elicit their own ideas, and complement the offerings held throughout the week.
This year included a photography contest, a rise against hunger meal-packing event facilitated by the Office of Community Service, the parade of flags, a meditation for world peace and global cooperation brought to us by the Office of Spiritual Life, multiple open houses, several engaging lectures, student panels, a folkloric master dance class spearheaded by the School of Visual & Performing Arts, and so much more.
Yearly turnout is variable based on individual event size, but each year a significant portion of the community is actively involved. Jaferian says, “We expect to impact all students through highlighted ethnic foods in the Callahan Center, and about 20 percent of the campus through our various events.”
Reaching out and expanding our community is a major focus for Endicott. Jaferian says, “IEW fits perfectly with our goals of developing cultural competencies, and learning more about peoples and cultures different from our own. Building bridges and understanding between people is fundamental to honoring diversity and being part of the larger world in which we live. IEW helps our community achieve this goal.”
In addition to being part of the larger global community strategy, IEW week was an opportunity for our students to obtain points toward their cultural event attendance requirement, which is an important portion of their grade. Semester abroad applicants earned one point toward the requirement by attending events designated as blue and green on the week-long schedule, while applicants earned two points if they organized their own event.
For more information on other events and opportunities provided by the Office of International Education, or to begin the process of studying abroad, please visit endicott.edu/academics/international-education.