Celebrate International Education Week Nov. 14-18
Please join us in celebration of International Education Week from November 14 to November 18, 2022. As an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week (IEW) is an annual opportunity to celebrate the benefits of global learning, international education and exchange worldwide. We will celebrate the week with a series of activities in collaboration with MCCCD International & Global Education Centers as part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.
International Education Week will kick off with a virtual keynote from Tempe Mayor Corey Woods 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 14.
The Phoenix metropolitan area is a popular destination from all over the world. In 2019, 1.5 million people visited Phoenix alone and we enjoy a growing international workforce through global companies and organizations like Intel, TSMC, etc. In 2018-2019, 5,324 Arizona students studied abroad. In 2020, 22,548 international students were enrolled in Arizona colleges and universities and contributed $682 million to the Arizona economy.
Our global connectedness drives cross-cultural cooperation and collaboration by building friendships between people and partnerships between communities. Global Engagement is part of the MCCCD mission and the benefits of this mission have contributed in immense ways across the District – we are committed to serving international students from all over the world, providing international experiential learning to domestic students through faculty led Study Abroad Programs, contribute toward internationalizing the curriculum and offering valuable learning experiences for MCCCCD students, employees and community members through promoting global awareness and fostering global citizenship through education. International students not only diversify our student population providing diverse perspectives inside and outside the classroom but they also enrich learning opportunities for our domestic students.
As a former international student of MCCCD myself, I am an advocate and product of the benefits that International Education has to offer, and I am privileged to extend my passion and servant leadership to all our students (near and far). I feel I am successful today because of the intentional work the staff of our international departments provided when I was a student. I now pay this forward. Working with our international students is not only rewarding but also impactful beyond measure – from immigration matters to global events/learning, leadership development, cultural support, Study Abroad opportunities and much more. We provide experiences for our students that help them feel connected and build meaningful relationships with our students to foster engagement, inclusion, belonging and success. Global engagement and internationalizing the experience for all community college students are key in teaching students to become successful global citizens no matter where the journey takes them upon graduation … and we all know it’s a big world filled with many opportunities out there – the sky is literally the limit as proven by MCCCD faculty member and astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor.
Please join us for a week filled with wonderful guest speaker engagements, festivals, food, music and more! Check out the IEW events on the Maricopa District page.
