If you're thinking about traveling abroad this year, don't go straight to your travel agent. First, stop by the University of Colorado at Boulder's Office of International Education and see just how far your education can take you.
This week, the Office of International Education will be celebrating students who study abroad, and those who come to CU-Boulder from other countries, with a host of programs designed to educate the campus community about opportunities to learn in a global environment.
"Mostly we want to get the word out about international education, make students aware that it's available and inform them of the activities, foods and culture in foreign countries and promote understanding," said Sarah Westmoreland, study abroad program manager for the Office of International Education.
International Education Week also offers opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about CU-Boulder's programs and other cultures. On Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Office of International Education will host a colloquia in UMC 425 by faculty international development grant recipients to discuss seminars in South Africa and the Dominican Republic.
From 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, an international dinner will be served in various dining halls across campus, offering cuisine from five different regions. Students from the Japanese Student Association and the Thai Student Association helped the executive chef plan meals at Farrand and Libby respectively. The student groups will also man tables with information about their countries and cultures.
One of the greatest things about international education, according to Westmoreland, is that it's a two-way street.
"While foreign students who come to CU are learning about our culture, we're using the international students here as a resource to figure out cultures in their countries," said Westmoreland.
Westmoreland said part of the goal of International Education Week at CU-Boulder is to raise awareness of the opportunities available to students who want to travel abroad.
"Some students think going abroad is too expensive," said Westmoreland. "It's really not. Some people come here just to study abroad."
CU-Boulder has about 240 programs in roughly 60 countries covering every discipline of study, according to Westmoreland.
"We have something for everyone," she says. "We're here to help."
A big part of International Education Week at CU-Boulder is recognizing students and faculty who have contributed to global education.
"We want to recognize people who are contributing in an international way to campus," said Kim Kreutzer, associate director of international education. "We're really proud of the work they've all done to make CU a better place, to help other people become more international."
As part of International Education Week, the Office of International Education holds a photography contest featuring the work of study abroad students. This years winners are: Matthew Fine (cross-cultural category), a study abroad alum from the Fall 2007 the Council on International Education Exchange Arts & Sciences program in Legon, Ghana; Andrew March (landscape category), a study abroad alum from both the Fall 2007 School for International Training Madagascar: Culture & Society and SIT Madagascar: Ecology & Conservation programs; and David Tracey (portrait category), a degree-seeking student from England who started at CU-Boulder in the Fall of 2007 and has been working in Malawi for the past six years on several projects, mainly with the disabled and AIDS orphans.
The Office of International Education also gives out three awards to "global citizens" and one "international citizen of the year award," which this year has been renamed the Muneeb Kamal Award after last year's winner who was killed in a car accident this semester.
A separate award is also given annually for the study abroad student of the year. There are also two awards for Champions of International Education, faculty and staff members chosen by study abroad students for encouraging international education. This year's winners are Dr. Wayne Ambler in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Jose Santos, an instructor in the International Telecommunications program.
All awards will be given at the International Education Week reception and awards ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the British Studies Room of Norlin Library, room M549.
For a list of winners, visit .
For a complete schedule of International Education Week events, visit .