On November 13 – 16, 2018, Global Learning Programs and Services (GLPS) at Skyline College celebrated International Education Week (IEW), a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, which focuses on internationalizing college campuses across the country. IEW promotes programs that “prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences” (iew.state.gov).
GLPS hosted a variety of global events, kicked off by a welcome reception with the Consul General of France in San Francisco, Mr. Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens. Mr. Lebrun-Damiens spoke of the importance of international education and exchange in a global society and congratulated Skyline College as one of only 10 U.S. institutions in 2018 selected by the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. to receive a grant for the new Transatlantic Mobility Program. This program aims to strengthen the historic ties between the United States and France by diversifying and doubling the number of students from France and the United States studying abroad in both countries by 2025. The grant award is $18,000 to implement a new Study Abroad Program, Campus France, for Skyline College business students to transfer to the Rennes School of Business in France and complete their Bachelor’s degree.
In addition to the kickoff event with the Consul General of France, GLPS hosted a Study Abroad Fair, including a Global Internship Student Panel. During the panel, students who participated in the SMCCCD Global Internship Program last summer shared their experiences abroad in cities such as Cape Town, Hong Kong and Dublin. The Global Internship Program is a new program offered by the SMCCCD Study Abroad office, supported by the Skyline College President’s Innovation Fund (PIF) and the Strong Workforce Program. This program allows students to gain work experience in their field while immersing themselves in a new culture and building invaluable skills for their future careers.
Also planned for IEW were the International Food Festival and Fashion Show, hosted by the Skyline College International Student Program. However, due to campus closures during the Northern California Wildfires, the Food Festival and Fashion Show were cancelled but will return next November for International Education Week 2019.
San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. For more information about studying abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at (650) 738-7088 or ghoriz@smccd.edu.
Article by Stephanie Wells | Photo by Zaw Min Khant
