Office of International Programs

Office of International Programs

International Campus Update

February 25, 2003

Headlines

INAUGURATION: Delegates from 12 foreign institutions and 10 members of the Minnesota Consular Corps will attend the inauguration of President Bruininks on Feb.28. The Office of International Programs has also arranged a special meeting of the international delegates and President Bruininks on Feb. 27. OIP has also received many letters of congratulations to President Bruininks from partner institutions abroad. For a complete list of delegates and their connection to the University, go to http://www.international.umn.edu/news/2003/inauguration.html.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR STUDENTS ABROAD: The Global Campus routinely takes measures to address the safety and well-being of students on study abroad programs. Staff remain alert to the changing international situation and monitor communications with program sites worldwide to ensure that all necessary safety and travel precautions are in place. Students report feeling safe and supported, and contingency plans are in place for all Global Campus programs. For more information: http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/safetyletter.html. It is Global Campus policy not to send students to countries that are on the State Department warning list, which is available online at http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Employee Benefits has created a website that answers questions about the new MEDEX Emergency Medical Assistance Program. This service provides assistance with medical care to all faculty and staff and their dependents who are covered under a U Plan health plan when they are at least 150 miles from home or while abroad. The website is http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/eb/uplan/medex.htm.

TAX HELP FOR INTERNATIONALS: International Student and Scholar Services is co-sponsoring the following tax assistance opportunities for international students and scholars:

For more information about the above services, go to http://www.isss.umn.edu/onestopservices/taxes/default.html. Please note that ISSS staff are unable to give individual tax advice.

"SHANGHAI GHETTO": The China Center is co-sponsoring the presentation of “Shanghai Ghetto,” an internationally acclaimed film about the thousands of Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi persecution by fleeing to China. The film will be shown March 20, 7 p.m., at the Lagoon Theater. Tickets are $5. A panel discussion and reception will follow the screening. Contact the China Center at 612-624-1002 to purchase tickets.

CURRICULUM INTEGRATION SITE VISITS: Curriculum integration site visits introduced 24 U of M faculty and advisers (system-wide) to study abroad programs' curriculum and internships. In January and February, faculty and/or advisers visited programs in Guadalajara and Cuernavaca, Mexico; Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) sites in Kenya and India; study abroad sites in England, including Lancaster University, UMD's Birmingham program, and opportunities in London; and study abroad sites in England and Scotland, including Universities of Strathclyde, Lancaster, Leeds, and Warwick, and various programs in London. The site visits were funded by a Bush Foundation grant on curriculum integration of study abroad.

GLOBAL SEMINAR DEADLINES EXTENDED: The deadline for students to apply to the following programs has been extended to March 3, 2003. Please send all interested students to the Global Campus, 230 Heller Hall, to pick up applications.

FACULTY NEEDED FOR STUDY ABROAD: University of Minnesota faculty have the opportunity to lead short-term study abroad programs over Winter Break or May Session. Faculty leaders design the program around a particular theme or topic, which may be cross-disciplinary or specific to one discipline. There are opportunities to lead programs at locations worldwide where Global Campus has partners on-site. Faculty receive a salary stipend plus expenses. Proposals for programs are due on May 1, 2003, for Winter Break 2003 programs and May Session 2004 programs. Visit http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/gsfaculty.html or contact Sophie Gladding at 626-0597 or gladd001@umn.edu.

CHINESE EXECUTIVE TRAINING: On Saturday, February 15, eight members of the Ningxia UNDP Training Program delegation arrived in Minnesota for a three-month stay. Most of the members are agriculture extension officers, educators, or local government managers. This training program is part of a larger five-year UNDP China Northwest Program in which the China Center is cooperating with COAFES as the chief technical advisers. Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is located in northwestern China, just south of Mongolia. The Hui people make up a significant portion of the Ningxia population and are traditionally Muslim. Like many provinces in this region, Ningxia is developing and predominately rural.

EXHIBIT OPENING: “The Chinese-American Experience in Minnesota” opened Feb. 23 at the Minnesota History Center. The exhibit complements the Bill Moyers three-part series, “Becoming American: The Chinese Experience,” which will premiere on PBS March 25-27. The exhibit is free and will be on view through May 2003. Call for more info: 651-296-6126.

International Education After September 11

SEVIS DEADLINE: The University of Minnesota has met the federal deadline for SEVIS compliance. As of February 15, 2003, the University of Minnesota is doing all admission and immigration work for international students and scholars on F and J visas through SEVIS, the federal government’s system for tracking international visitors. However, because the system is extremely slow, it takes much longer to process documents, resulting in delays in the processing of F and J visa documents.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS: All departments that are hosting international scholars on J visas are asked to make certain the scholars visit ISSS with their passport and visa documents. This applies to scholars who are paid AND unpaid. This is VERY IMPORTANT as they must be appropriately entered into the SEVIS system to maintain their status with the Department of Homeland Security. ISSS is located at 190 Humphrey Center. Call 612-626-7100 for more information.

HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES & THE U: Although the tracking system, SEVIS, has gotten a lot of media attention, there are many other homeland security issues that affect international students, scholars, and programs at the University of Minnesota, such as special registration, limits on arrival dates, and security clearances. For more info: http://www.international.umn.edu/news/2003/homelandsec.html.

Campus and College News

DULUTH: Alworth Institute International Brown Bag Series will present "Mountain Biking in the Mountains of Guatemala," Feb. 27, noon, Kirby Student Center ballroom. UMD medical students Joel Harris and Paul Wenner biked more than 500 miles through diverse geography, experienced indigenous cultures, and climbed the highest peak in Central America.

MINNESOTA INTERNATIONAL CENTER: For more information on the following events, go to http://www.micglobe.org/cal/cal.cfm or call 612-625-4421. Reservations are generally required for MIC events.

PEACE CORPS INFO: Speak to your campus representative:

VOLUNTEER ABROAD WITH THE RED CROSS: Information session, March 12, 2:30-3:30 p.m., ISTC (94 Blegen Hall).

Funding Opportunities and Announcements

RHODES, MARSHALL, MITCHELL, AND CHURCHILL SCHOLARSHIPS: Preliminary applications for University endorsement are due April 1, 2003. Application materials and instructions are available at CLA Honors office, 115 Johnston Hall, 624-5522. For more information: http://cla.umn.edu/honors/natschol.htm.

MEDICAL STUDENT INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARDS: Applications for the Neal and Sarah Gault International Study Awards, the Maynard and Elaine Jacobson Travel Award (Scandinavian countries), Karolinska Travel Award, and Maimonides Travel Award (Israel) are now being accepted. These awards are generally given to students taking an international elective abroad during their fourth year or the latter part of their third year. The amount of the awards is generally $1,200. Application deadlines are April 30 and December 31. For more info: http://www.meded.umn.edu/IMER/. Please contact Susan Jackson at 612-625-7933 or imer@tc.umn.edu if you have any questions.

ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF JAPANESE (ATJ) BRIDGING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM:

Scholarships to undergraduate American students participating in study-abroad programs in Japan that begin in fall 2003. Deadline for applications is April 3, 2003. For more info: http://www.colorado.edu/ealld/atj/Bridging/scholarships.html.

University of Minnesota
International Campus Update
Vol. 4, No. 2

Office of International Programs
Assoc. Vice President: C. Eugene Allen
Editor: Jennifer Schulz

Interested persons may request to receive this newsletter as an e-mail update by contacting the editor at schul160@umn.edu or calling 612-624-0557.

The next issue will be sent in March. International Campus Update welcomes submissions. Please send items to be included to schul160@umn.edu or call 612-624-0557.