Office of International Programs

Office of International Programs

International Campus Update

March 27, 2003

Headlines

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR TRAVEL & STUDY ABROAD: With the outbreak of military conflict in Iraq, it is understandable that faculty, staff, and students who are contemplating or have international travel scheduled in the near future may have some special concerns at this time. Go to http://www.international.umn.edu/news/2003/safe_travel.html for a listing of advice and resources. Note: The Office of International Programs does not recommend travel to any country on the U.S. Department of State Travel Warning List. No one can guarantee personal safety regardless of location, but the kind of information in the above websites can inform personal decisions about safety.

NEW INTERNATIONAL AWARD: The Office of International Programs is pleased to announce a new award — the Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals — to honor international leadership by alumni, former students, and friends. Recipients will be honored for their unusual distinction as professionals in their chosen fields or in public service and have demonstrated sustained outstanding achievement and leadership or demonstrated promise of such on a local, national, or international level. The deadline to submit nominations for the 2003 award is May 15. Application materials are available for download at http://www.international.umn.edu/awards/leader/leader.html. For more information, contact Susan Atwood at 612-626-8832 or atwood@umn.edu.

U.S.-CHINA LECTURE: “China’s New Leadership: China’s Perspectives on U.S.-China Relations” by Jiang Zhenghua, vice-chair of the National People’s Congress of China. April 2, 3:30 p.m., 1-115 Carlson School of Management. For more information, call the China Center at 612-624-1002.

CHINA DAY: The China Center and the Department of Asian Languages and Literatures are organizing China Day on April 11. More than 400 students who are studying Chinese from Breck, South (Minneapolis), Central (St. Paul), Minnetonka, and Highland Park high schools will attend. The goal of the event is to encourage students to continue to study Chinese in college. Events will include an inspirational speaker, Chinese lunch, films about China, and skits by U of M Chinese students. Sponsored by the Institute for Global Studies, Fred & Jennie Hsiao, U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association, Chinese American Business Association of MN, Chinese American Academic Professional Association of MN, and the Minnesota Internatonal Center.

CHINA CAREER PLACEMENTS: The China Center has created a new program, Career Connections, which will place recent graduates in entry-level, paid positions in China. Applicants should have at least two years of Mandarin language training. Applications will be available starting April 1, and the deadline is May 30, 2003. Contact the China Center at 612-624-1002 for more information.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE SERIES: A new week-long lecture series will help students plan for travel, service, or work abroad, and incorporate that experience into their lives and careers once they have returned. Sessions will be held daily from March 31–April 4, and topics include incorporating an international experience into resumes, rail travel in Europe, and volunteering. Sponsored by the Global Campus, ISTC, and CCLC. See http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/goingon.html#intexp.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP GROUP: International and U.S. students are needed to facilitate groups of new international students. The groups serve as sources of social contact and information about the University and life in the U.S. For more information, go to http://www.isss.umn.edu/onestopservices/programs/friendshipgroup/leaders.html.

EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER: The U.S. Department of State has launched a new online bi-monthly newsletter, The Exchange, which will include information about the variety, power, and capacity of exchanges to build understanding between Americans and people around the world. Go to http://exchanges.state.gov/education/newsletter/.

International Education After September 11

ISSS OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON TUESDAYS: ISSS office will be closed on Tuesdays in order to process more than 4,000 SEVIS documents before the August deadline. SEVIS, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, is a federally mandated system for reporting information on international students and scholars. Due to problems with the SEVIS system (see below), ISSS requests that you allow two weeks for the processing of a document.

SEVIS SYSTEM TROUBLES: Nearly three months after it was supposed to be ready, SEVIS, the database the federal government uses to track international students in the U.S., is still far from being fully operational, a new report from the U.S. Department of Justice has found. The INS rolled out the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) on January 1. The report, dated March 2003, concludes that while the INS made strides in some areas in rolling out the system, the agency failed to have SEVIS fully operational as promised by the Congressionally mandated January 1 deadline. A copy of the report is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/inspection/I-2003-003/final.pdf.

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY: College officials urged lawmakers to fix problems that security measures pose for international students. They told the House Science Committee on March 26 that a backlog of visas for foreign students and scholars and problems with the SEVIS tracking system for international students are hampering work at U.S. universities and potentially harming U.S. security. A witness from the State Department acknowledged the problems, but said they were in the process of being worked out.

Campus and College News

DENTISTRY: School of Dentistry faculty, staff, and students just returned from Jamaica where they treated patients from March 8-21 as part of the school's 17th annual Jamaica Dental Mission. Dental students and faculty are now in Cuba for a weeklong cultural exchange.

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

MUSIC: The School of Music will host the World Saxophone Congress XIII, July 9-13. This major conference is expected to attract 1,000 people from many countries with its concerts, master classes, presentations, and exhibits.

Funding Opportunities and Announcements

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL GRANTS FOR FACULTY: International Travel Grants for Faculty are available through Office of International Programs, China Center, and McKnight Arts and Humanities Fund. Deadline is April 1 for activities starting May through August. To apply, see http://www.international.umn.edu/travelgrant/ or call 612-624-5580.

FACULTY TRAVEL GRANTS FOR RESEARCH IN INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STUDIES: Faculty Travel Grants for Research in International and European Studies are available for travel occurring May-August 2003. Applications are due April 1, 2003. Go to http://igs.cla.umn.edu/academic.htm for more information or for an application.

FULBRIGHT DISTINGUISHED CHAIR: Fulbright Distinguished Chair application deadline is May 1, 2003. Go to http://www.cies.org for application. Campus representatives are Kathleen Sellew (Twin Cities); Janice Bower (Duluth); and Roger Wareham (Morris).

University of Minnesota
International Campus Update
Vol. 4, No. 3

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 Month. International Campus Update welcomes submissions. Please send items to be included to schul160@umn.edu or call 612-624-0557.