Titled Global Education Emphasis Week, the international education week will feature special presentations, lectures, panel discussions, films, international guests, and meals designed for students, faculty, staff, and the community-at-large to participate in the growing emphasis placed on global education.
Open and free (except for meals) to the community, including high school and other college students, Global Education Emphasis Week will address the economies, families, and cultures of international countries. The week will also feature discussions on traveling and studying abroad, as well as special guest presentations from visitors from Brazil, Syria, Uruguay, Europe, and Central Asia.
“The purpose of this week is to increase awareness among our students and the general public of the growing global environment in which we live,” said Dr. Gerardo Cummings, director of Global Education at BC, “where there is undeniable interconnectivity through business ventures, social media, education, politics, tourism, and never-ending migratory movements.”
Cummings likened Bluefield’s Global Education Emphasis Week to International Week at the University of Pittsburgh, George Mason University, and James Madison University; International Education Week at Arizona State University, Murray State University, and Western Michigan University; and Global Week at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. All have the common vision, he said, of “celebrating internationalizing.”
The complete Global Education Emphasis Week schedule includes:
Monday, April 9
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Chinese Luncheon, Shott Dining Hall
Tuesday, April 10
- 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., “Brazil: A Growing Cultural and Economic Superpower,” a special presentation by Dr. Sandra Lima, 103 Lansdell Hall
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Mexican Luncheon, Shott Dining Hall
- 1:00 p.m., “Brazil: A Growing Cultural and Economic Superpower,” a special presentation by Dr. Sandra Lima, 107 Lansdell Hall
Wednesday, April 11
- 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., “The Magic of Languages, of Study Abroad, and Mission Work,” a special presentation by Rachael Stairs, T.J. Huff, Morgan Lloyd, Corey Royal, Dr. Emily Lambert, Melinda Blume, Alexander “Sasha” Dove, Harman Chapel
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Italian Luncheon, Shott Dining Hall
- 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., “The Secret in Their Eyes,” an Argentine film with commentary following provided by international missionary Dr. Henry Clary, 121 Science Center
Thursday, April 12
- 9:30 a.m., “Mate: The Miracle Tea of the Southern Cone,” a special presentation by international missionaries Dr. Henry Clary and Tasha Clary, 103 Lansdell Hall
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Indian Luncheon, Shott Dining Hall
- 1:00 p.m., “Mate: The Miracle Tea of the Southern Cone,” a special presentation by international missionaries Dr. Henry Clary and Tasha Clary, 107 Lansdell Hall
- 1:30 p.m., “Children and Families: A Multicultural Perspective,” a panel discussion led by psychology professor Dr. Marsha Mead and featuring Bluefield State College Fulbright teaching assistants Fares Dabbagiegh of Syria and Cristiano Melo of Brazil, among others, Shott Hall A&B
- 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., “Inside Islam,” a film with commentary on global faiths following provided by Dr. Riaz Uddin Riaz, 121 Science Center
Friday, April 13
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Arabic Luncheon, Shott Dining Hall
- 3:00 p.m., “From Syria and Brazil with Love: How to Travel and Study for Free with the Fulbright Program,” a special presentation by Bluefield State College Fulbright teaching assistants Fares Dabbagiegh of Syria and Cristiano Melo of Brazil, 101 Lansdell Hall
- 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., “Sin Nombre,” a Mexican film, 121 Science Center