MC celebrates International Education Month
Feb. 27, 2021
Maryville College is celebrating International Education Month 2021 in March, with a wide variety of events for the campus community.
The month-long celebration is inspired by International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State that pays homage to international education and the global opportunities offered across campus.
International Education Month at Maryville College provides an opportunity to “celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange right here at home,” said Kirsten Sheppard, director of international education at Maryville College.
“It is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare U.S. Americans for a global environment and encourage interaction with international students and their cultures,” Sheppard said.
Throughout the month, various campus divisions and departments will participate in “Explore the World @ Maryville College” by showcasing different countries around the world with displays in campus buildings that include items such as photos, trivia, maps, flags, cultural artifacts and study abroad program information. Countries showcased include Costa Rica, Denmark, Cabo Verde, Greece, Switzerland, Scotland, France, South Korea, China, England, Japan and Egypt. Students will pick up maps and stampers at the “Explore the World at Maryville College” launch on March 1, and those who “explore the world” on campus will have a chance to be entered into a raffle for a GoPro camera.
Metz Culinary Management, the College’s food service provider, is partnering with MC’s Center for Global Engagement for the “Taste of Culture” festival. On Tuesdays and Thursdays in March, Metz will offer various international dishes during lunch and dinner at Pearsons Hall. Regions highlighted include Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, indigenous America, Central America, South America, East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Many of the recipes were submitted by Maryville College students, faculty and staff.
Global+ Speakers’ Corner
Inspired by the original 1866 Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner in London, where the concept of an open-air public speakers’ forum was tested, Maryville College’s Global+ program will host its own version of a speakers’ corner for MC faculty, students and staff.
“Maryville College encourages open, ongoing intellectual engagement and debate through civil, mutually respectful interactions that preserve the openness of public dialogue and debate,” Sheppard said. “An environment that encourages diverse views and the free exchange of ideas is vital to the Maryville College mission. The goal of the Global+ Speakers’ Corner is to provide a convenient and visible location for both pre-programmed and spontaneous global and local civic engagement activities/programs on campus.”
Global+ speakers, who were selected based on student nominations, include: Dr. Dan Klingensmith, vice president and dean of the College; Dr. Crystal Colter, professor of psychology; Dr. Mark O’Gorman, professor of political science and coordinator of the environmental studies program; Dr. Rayanne Streeter, assistant professor of sociology; and Dr. Phillip Sherman, chair of the Division of Humanities and associate professor of religion.
St. Patrick’s Day Competition
In collaboration with Maryville College’s new partner school in Ireland, Maynooth University, Maryville College is participating in a unique St. Patrick’s Day competition.
Maynooth University, along with other Irish universities in partnership with Tourism Ireland and Aer Lingus, have launched a “Global Greening Campaign” that allows universities to compete to win prizes, including a scholarship (and flights) for a student to study abroad at Maynooth University.
Maryville College signed a memorandum of understanding with Maynooth University in February. This semester, Dr. John Gallagher, Maryville College professor of management, is collaborating with Dr. Julius Nyiawung, a faculty member in Maynooth University’s School of Business, for MC’s BUS 329: International Business course. The College is also looking to build student exchange and study abroad opportunities between the two institutions.
Over the last decade, Tourism Ireland has worked to “green” iconic locations and buildings across the world, from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to the Empire State Building in New York. This year, Tourism Ireland and Aer Lingus are partnering with Irish universities to encourage North American universities to turn their campuses green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Maryville College will “go green” on March 17 through a variety of activities, including encouraging students and faculty to wear green to both in-person and virtual classes (or use a St. Patrick’s Day-themed virtual background); asking attendees to wear green to Dr. Mark O’Gorman’s Global+ Speakers’ Corner event (during which he’ll discuss a “green” topic, Wild Bill: The Real Lorax); and encouraging campus departments and organizations to “go green” on their college social media accounts for the day. All events will be documented on social media using the hashtags #MUGreening, #educationinireland, #tourismireland, #globalgreening and #MCgoesGreen.
Virtual Events
A “Community Conversations” presentation titled “Walk of the Immigrants” will feature Saul Flores, who walked 5,328 miles through 10 countries to document how grueling and dangerous the journey of immigrants to the United States can be and to raise money for an elementary school in Atencingo, Mexico. After this life-changing experience, Flores aims to inspire students to make a positive impact on the world by speaking about the value of servant leadership, philanthropy and service-learning.
A virtual Italian cooking class, taught by MC’s Center for Global Engagement’s partner in Florence, Italy, will teach participants how to bake “Torta della Nonna,” a traditional Italian cake. The cake will be featured in the dining hall during the week, and International House will provide a limited number of pre-packaged baking ingredients for students who want to participate from their homes or residence halls.
Students in Art 212: Renaissance, Baroque and Modern Art and Art 140: Perspectives in Art will participate in a pre-recorded virtual tour of monuments in Florence, Italy during their classes this month.
“Zoom Around the World: Study Abroad & Get a Job,” a virtual session presented by ISEP Study Abroad, will explore how students can use study abroad to further their academic and career goals.
Other Events
In partnership with Maryville College’s Student Programming Board, the Center for Global Engagement will host the Holi Festival of Spring on campus. Holi is an important spring festival for Hindus and a national holiday in India and Nepal, with regional holidays in other countries. To many Hindus and some non-Hindus, it is a playful cultural event and an excuse to throw colored powder or water at friends or strangers in jest.
The Center for Global Engagement will be offering the chance for teams of two to compete in “The Amazing Race: Maryville College Edition.” Modeled after the popular reality show, this high-stakes adventure will take teams through exciting and competitive challenges on campus.
Maryville College’s Global Citizenship Organization will present two “World Cup Coffee” special events featuring a discussion about “Global Women in History” and a panel discussion about “Love, Sex and Marriage.”
Mountain Challenge, the outdoor adventure and team-building corporation operating on the Maryville College campus, will take a global lens with its weekly outdoor fitness initiative, Camp 4. Throughout the month of March, Mountain Challenge will share traditions from around the world that fit the definition of Fit.Green.Happy.®, a phrase that promotes health, wellness and the outdoors. This includes hygge practices in Scandinavia, mindfulness practices from the Indian subcontinent and Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing) in Japan.
For more information about International Education Month at Maryville College, please visit maryvillecollege.edu/international/internationaleducationmonth.