Texas A&M Celebrates International Education Week

Texas A&M will recognize International Education Week Nov. 13-17 with several events planned by university organizations.

According to the Department of Global Engagement, this is the first year the university has formally observed International Education Week. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State, the goal is to “promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences.”

Over 6,000 international students representing 139 countries are enrolled at Texas A&M this semester. The university is also the No. 1 U.S. institution for sending students abroad, according to the 2022 Open Doors report from the Institute for International Education.

Complementing the experiences Aggies can gain through Education Abroad programs in 100 countries, International Education Week is an opportunity for students to learn about different cultures on campus.

“It gives our international Aggies an opportunity to showcase their cultures, and also helps all student explore the different aspects of what that means,” Director of Global Initiatives Caleb Chapman said. “We want to feed that curiosity and ultimately maybe lead to them wanting to explore that further through an Education Abroad program or engaging further with some of the cultural organizations on campus. We want to foster that dialogue between students and engage our international population with our domestic population here on campus.”

This week’s events are themed around food, art and film, language and education and global opportunities, and students can earn prizes just by participating in the events.

“We’re trying to create a level of not only education but awareness and engagement with students, making sure there are conversations happening and people are learning about other cultures,” Chapman said. “That’s really going to prepare them to be able to engage with and interact with people of all different backgrounds and nationalities.”

For more information and a schedule of events, visit the International Education Week webpage.