November 3, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will participate in International Education Week November 15-19. The celebration is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States.
According to Open Doors 2003, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of university-level students in the United States receiving credit for study abroad in 2001-2002 increased 4.4 percent from the previous year, reaching a record total of 160,920.
“The increase isn’t necessarily tied directly to September 11,” said Josh Carter, director of UAB Study Abroad, “but I believe that because there is more awareness of the world and other nations, the numbers have continually grown.”
UAB most recently has established exchange agreements with the University of Hull in England and two universities in Chile.
In addition to study abroad, UAB offers an undergraduate degree in international studies with courses from both the schools of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Arts and Humanities. Students in the degree program must complete either a study abroad experience, an internship with an international organization or participate in an international event such as the Model U.N.
A prelude to International Education Week will be the UAB Department of Theatre’s production of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” Show times will be at 7:30 p.m. November 12-13, 17-21, at the Alys Stephens Center, Odess Theatre, 1200 10th Avenue South. For tickets, call (205) 975-2787.
The following are just some of the other events scheduled for International Education Week at UAB:
From 10 a.m. to noon Monday, November 15, the School of Nursing will present a nursing education fair in the School of Nursing Building, Room 412, 1701 University Boulevard. Later that day, a presentation on opportunities and careers for foreign language majors and minors will be held noon to 1 p.m. at the Hill University Center, Room 412, 1400 University Boulevard. This event will be followed by an art exhibit 4-8 p.m. at the Smolian International House, 1600 10th Avenue South, featuring works by UAB associate professor of Spanish and artist Carlos Orihuela, Ph.D., and his daughter, Ines. A reception will be held at 6 p.m. in the Smolian International House.
On Tuesday, November 16, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hill University Center, Great Hall, Room D, 1400 University Boulevard, there will be presentations on study abroad opportunities in Ghana, the language Swahili, international public health and careers and opportunities in international studies. Later that evening, the Department of Foreign Languages will present the film “Monsieur Ibrahim,” about the friendship between a young Jew and an elderly Muslim shop owner in Paris in the early 1960s. The movie begins at 8 p.m. in the Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th Street South. Admission is free to the public.
The following evening, a photo exhibit, “The Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela, Spain: A Photographic Journey,” will be shown 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, November 17, in the Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13th Street South.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, November 19, the UAB Steel Band will perform in the Mini Park, corner of 14th Street South and University Boulevard. Admission is free to the public. That evening, the week-long celebration will end with a Thanksgiving potluck dinner, 5-7 p.m. at the Smolian International House, 1600 10th Avenue South.
For more information on the Study Abroad Program, visit the Web site at www.uab.edu/students/academics/education-abroad. For information about international studies, contact the UAB Department of Government at (205) 934-9680.