It was a week filled with discovery as Randolph-Macon College celebrated International Education Week (IEW) November 14-18, 2016. This campus-wide event had something for everyone, as participants explored and celebrated cultural diversity.

Dance, music, special foods: all were part of RMC’s homage to its international community. The Office of International Education (OIE) partnered with other departments and with student groups for this annual event, the theme of which was “Celebrating Diversity: Expanding Community, Strengthening Connections.”

Photos: IEW 2016

Highlights
International Education Week was filled with fun, informative activities:

The week’s kick-off event, the International Dance and Fashion Showcase, brought together students, faculty, and staff through fashion, dance and music. The evening was organized by Tran Tran ’19, who hails from Viet Nam, Abigail Kasko ’17 and Jenny Jeu ’17. Participants, many in costume, danced the night away during the event, which is one of IEW’s most popular offerings.

At the Passport Around the World event, sponsored by the International Interest Group, international students shared the culture, customs, and foods of their homelands. Participants “traveled” around the world as they learned from international students about countries such as Belgium, Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Vietnam and Japan. In addition, 20 students from Hanover Academy, accompanied by their principal and teachers, joined in on the fun and explored the globe.

Randolph-Macon President Robert R. Lindgren presented four international students with special crystal globes to honor them as Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars. The Davis program and its scholars are committed to building cross-cultural understanding across campuses and ultimately throughout the world. The following, all members of the Class of 2020, were presented commemorative globes:

Dea Santi Alqurwani, who hails from Indonesia, attended United World College Robert Bosch (Germany) before arriving at RMC; Elen Khachatryan, who is from Armenia, attended United World College Red Cross Nordic (Norway) before making RMC her home; Luca Pixner, a native of Austria, attended United World College Robert Bosch (Germany) before coming to RMC; and Maisha Khan, who is from Bangladesh, attended Li Po Chun United World College (Hong Kong) before choosing Randolph-Macon.

In the McGraw-Page Library, the “Diversity of World Peace” display featured symbols of peace from around the world. The items, which were loaned by faculty, staff and friends of the college, included a miniature version of a Mongolian Morin Khuur; Buddhist prayer flags; and a section of the Berlin Wall.

Global Connections
“IEW is a great opportunity for everyone involved,” says Mayumi Nakamura, assistant director of international education. “Learning about and celebrating diversity never ends, of course. But it’s wonderful to devote a special week to highlight the benefits of international education and exchange. The RMC community is one of a kind. We always put our students first and work with them at the individual level as well as in groups.”

RMC Commemorates 50 Years of Diversity
September 2016 marked the 50th anniversary of desegregation at Randolph-Macon College. During the 2016-2017 academic year, RMC is offering a rich lineup of cultural events and programs to commemorate this historic milestone.

Randolph-Macon College celebrates its diverse community and ever-changing campus culture. In 1971 the college became coeducational, and today the campus is comprised of students, faculty and staff who represent a wide variety of ethnic and social backgrounds.

Cultural Arts and Events at RMC
Randolph-Macon College offers a Cultural Arts & Entertainment calendar full of events for everyone to enjoy. Come to campus to experience exceptional music and theatre productions, thought-provoking lectures and internationally recognized artists and filmmakers.