WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

GLOBAL CONNECTIONSOCTOBER 2017

Students, faculty, staff, and community members attended this month’s International Coffee Hour, which highlighted the country of Morocco. Naoufal Elftah, a visiting Fulbright scholar, discussed various cities, traditions, and food dishes from his home country.

April 2019

The International Friendship Club took approximately 45 members and students ice skating and shopping in the Peoria, Illinois, area on February 12, 2019.

Western Illinois’ track and field team has shaken up its record book after almost every meet this indoor season, and on Friday, February 8, the Leathernecks proudly boasted a new school record. Shattering a 39-year record, Bo Brasseur, a junior from Heurbeek, Belgium, posted a 6.02-meter jump at the Grand Valley State Big Meet.

Is the Naju school system similar to or different from the U.S. system?High schools here have only three years, and I teach grades one and two. In the U.S., teachers have their own classroom and students switch rooms every class, but here the opposite is true. Every class has their own room, and the teachers go to that room to teach when it is their period (so students basically stay in the same room all day). However, I have my own English classroom, so students come to me for class. Teachers have their own desks in a room, similar to a teacher’s lounge, where they work when they are not teaching.

Fulbright Recipient Update

WelcomeDr. Jeff Hancks, Executive Director for the School of Global Education and Outreach

Eden Driscoll is an alumna of WIU who received a scholarship to teach high school English in Naju, South Korea. Here is what she has to share as her first year comes to a close.

IFC Ice Skating and Shopping Trip

International Coffee Hour - Morocco

Brasseur Sets School Record at GVSU Big Meet

Recruiting international students remains one of our primary responsibilities in the School of Global Education and Outreach. My staff

and I are in daily communication with potential students, partner institutions abroad, foreign governments, and agents representing us around the world to tell the Western story and attract students to our University. We understand the role we play in growing our enrollment, and we will keep working hard to attract and retain outstanding international students to our institution.

In the coming months I will attend targeted recruiting fairs in London and Beijing, and I will present WIU diplomas to our first two dual degree Chinese graduates at a special ceremony in Chongqing. It is a great honor to represent WIU around the world, and I look forward to meeting our new graduates and celebrating this wonderful achievement with them.

Fashion Show Participants

Western Illinois University Department of Sociology and Anthropology graduate student Saber Khani, of Iran, will present his research in middle eastern politics, social movements and social and economic development April 17-20 at the Midwest Sociological Society meeting in Chicago. Khani’s current research centers on the analysis of the relationship between government size and democratic practices in Iran.

Culture shock is one of the biggest hurdles for international students to overcome. American culture workshops are offered each semester to help students bridge the culture gap, promote learning,

and foster friendships.

46th Annual International Bazaar

Students Meet with Ambassador of India

Student to Present at National Conference

Two WIU Indian students represented Western Illinois University at the Indian Consulate in Chicago on Friday, March 22, 2019. Mr. Lokesh Babu Rayadurgam, a computer science major and Mr. Sai Krishna Samaymantri, also a computer science major currently completing his optional practical training (OPT) in Schaumburg, Illinois, attended the event. The students met with H.E. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Ambassador of India to the United States. The purpose was to visit with Indian students studying in America in the Midwest region and to build opportunities for the Consulate to engage with Indian students in the Midwest jurisdiction. Other universities represented were University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago State University, Purdue University, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Nearly 850 students, faculty, staff and community members attended the 46th Annual International Bazaar on March 2, 2019, in the University Union Ballroom. This year, thirteen booths represented cultures from around the world. Costa Rica, represented by Casa Latina, won the booth competition based on their creativity, cohesiveness, representation of culture, and overall presentation. The students and booth participants prepared authentic cuisine, cultural dances, songs and performances. Hemangi Mhatre won best entertainment for her cultural dance. Students also displayed traditional clothing during the fashion show and provided an international market which sold authentic items from various cultures made or selected by international students.

Best Booth: Costa Rica Represented by Casa Latina

Best Performance: Hemangi Mhatre

Upcoming EventsApril 10 Cultural Cafe - Organization of Arab Students, University Union Heritage RoomApril 17 American Culture Workshop, Knoblach 230 April 30 International Coffee Hour - Spain, Horrabin Hall 1

Name: Hekmat B AlhmadiHome Country: IraqCurrent City: Alsamawa, Al MuthannaDegree: Graduated in 2017 with a master’s degree in biochemistry Current Position: Instructor in the College of Medicine at Al Muthanna University

Support Our StudentsBe a part of our mission to open minds and promote

intercultural understanding by donating to the School of Global Education and Outreach.

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Thank you for your support!http://bit.ly/globalizeWIU

Study Abroad and Outreach offered its first international community trip March 9-17, 2019, under the leadership of WIU President Emeritus Dr. Al Goldfarb and Study Abroad Advisor Kim McDaniel.

This initiative was inspired by the original efforts of Dr. Goldfarb, who led multiple groups of theatre enthusiasts to New York City. “This year, we asked him to join this effort once more and, with the support of Kim McDaniel, we decided to light up London,” said Dr. Pedro Bidegaray, Director of Study Abroad and Outreach. “The trip was a total success as 32 community members from Macomb, Bloomington, and beyond joined us in this adventure.”

The trip included a bus tour of London, a day trip to Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon that included an evening performance of the Royal Shakespeare Company, visits to world-renowned museums, a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and attendance at six theatrical performances ranging from Shakespeare to musical revivals to new adaptations of novels.What has life been like since WIU?

After I graduated, I returned to my home country and started teaching students molecular biology and biochemistry in the College of Medicine and Inorganic Pharmaceutics at Al Muthanna University. I feel that the knowledge I gained from my time at WIU made me an incredibly strong teacher. I hope that I can continue to study and earn my PhD in the United States. What is your favorite Western memory?Everything was wonderful. I had great professors, mentors, friends, and support at WIU. All of my classes and relationships have helped shape me into the professor I am today. I have everyone I knew at Western to thank for that.

Have you had any notable accomplishments since graduation?I was invited to be the speaker representing Iraq at the International Volunteer Forum in Moscow, Russia, in December 2018. The forum included roughly 500 volunteers from all over the world. The program of the forum was made according to the recommendations given by the volunteers and public organizations and consisted of business, practical and cultural sections. The participants visited various charity foundations and social and nonprofit organizations and learned about the intricacies of social, hospital, ecological, medical and event volunteering.

International Alumni Spotlight

Contact Us! School of Global Education and Outreach

wiu.edu/internationalglobaloutreach@wiu.edu

Office of the Executive DirectorHorrabin Hall 6Phone: (309) 298-1929

International Student ServicesMemorial Hall 347 Phone: 309-298-3734

International AdmissionsMemorial Hall 342Phone: (309) 298-2426

Study Abroad and OutreachHorrabin Hall 8Phone: (309) 298-2504

WESL InstituteMemorial Hall 346Phone: (309) 298-2485

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