President Jayathi Murthy, center, at the president's reception for international students during IEW 2023.
Each November, Oregon State University marks International Education Week with a full slate of events and receptions to celebrate international students, faculty and staff within the OSU community, as well as the global reach of OSU’s teaching and research efforts.
“At OSU, global connections form a collaborative network, serving Oregon, the nation and world with discovery and engagement,” said OSU President Jayathi Murthy. “By bringing together a breadth of perspective and experience, we are creating opportunities and addressing some of the biggest the challenges of our time.”
International Education Week is a joint initiative by the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Education, with universities around the country holding similar celebrations.
OSU events this year include a World Language and Cultures Fair on Nov. 19, offering a chance to learn and practice phrases in multiple languages; and a Global Community and Culinary Heritage Celebration on Nov. 20, where guests can sample dishes from a wide range of cultures worldwide, prepared by student teams. On the artistic side, the Little Gallery in Kidder Hall is currently featuring an exhibition of paintings by Nigerian artist and third-year OSU Ph.D. student in mathematics, Victory Chiamaka Obieke.
For a full schedule of events, visit the International Education Week website.
Volunteers help serve cultural dishes at the 2023 International Education Week Global Community and Culinary Heritage Celebration event.
“There’s a lot more global activity happening at OSU than people realize, and International Education Week is a great opportunity to bring visibility to that work,” said Julianna Betjemann, global affairs associate in the Division of Academic Affairs. “We invite units from all our campuses and Extension to participate and celebrate global engagement in whatever way they’d like.”
This week also includes the President’s Reception for International Students and the Provost’s Reception for International Scholars and Employees. The president’s coffee reception is just for international students, but the provost’s event is open to the whole university community.
“Oregon State’s internationalization and global engagement efforts build high-impact research collaborations, foster intercultural understanding within the university community, help prepare every OSU student for success in an increasingly interconnected world and attract outstanding talent from around the world,” said Provost Ed Feser, who is also OSU’s senior international officer. “Internationalization increases our visibility and expands our reach and impact. International Education Week is an opportunity to highlight our work and success in all these areas, and to celebrate our international students, employees and scholars.”
The celebration also aligns with OSU’s strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared, which calls for the university to build its international reputation in four core research areas and to leverage its global networks and partnerships in pursuit of that goal.
“International Education Week is a chance to think about the global dimensions of your own OSU experience, whether that’s applying for a Fulbright fellowship or study abroad scholarship, trying some new food, meeting an international student or colleague, or going to an exhibition at the Little Gallery,” Betjemann said.
To learn more about OSU’s international programs and impact, visit the Global Affairs website. To read about faculty, staff and students doing cool things abroad, check out OSU Today’s weekly Where in the World interviews.
