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Summer 2006

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Summer 2006 study abroad in Israel canceled

In response to the situation in Israel, university officials decided to cut short the 2006 study abroad summer program at Hebrew University and bring the MSU students home. According to the Office of Study Abroad, the university remains committed to offering academic programs in Israel and hopes to be back when the circumstances are more stable.

For more information, see the Web sites of the MSU president and provost or contact the Office of Study Abroad at (517) 353-8920.

Workshop for Latin American journalists examines leftist governments

Leftist movements are on the rise from Venezuela to Argentina, representing some of South America’s more momentous political rumblings of recent years.

Seeking to make it easier for the journalists chronicling this geopolitical story and applying some of their regional expertise, the School of Journalism and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies helped to organize and co-sponsor the Journalists and Editors Workshop on Latin America and the Caribbean. The 24th annual workshop took place May 5-7 in Miami.

Local collaborators included Florida International University and the University of Florida. Additional co-sponsors included Knight Ridder, The Miami Herald and the U.S. Department of Education. More than 100 attendees, including many journalists from Latin America, attended the event. Next year’s conference will take place May 2007 at Florida International University.

For more information, contact assistant professor of journalism and Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies associate director Manuel Chavez at chavezm1@msu.edu.

South Indian classical dance troupe Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, one of several international artists scheduled for the Wharton Center’s 2006-07 season, will perform at MSU on Oct. 5. Photo Credit: Wharton Center.

Ragamala Music and Dance Theater will perform at the Wharton Center Oct. 5

Performing arts offer window on the world

Performing arts have the power to transport audiences beyond real and perceived boundaries. And cultural barriers often are dissolved through the languages of dance, music and theater.

It’s with these ideas in mind that MSU’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts organized its 2006-07 events calendar, much of which is internationally inspired. Among the highlights:

Performers from around the world, including India (Ragamala Music and Dance Theatre, Oct. 5), Cuba (Tiempo Libre, Oct. 18), South Africa (Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Feb. 18), West Africa (Gangbé Brass Band, April 12), China (JIGU! Thunder Drums of China, April 22), Mexico/Latin America (Los Folkloristas, April 26) and more through the World Music and Dance Series.
Internationally acclaimed writers, including David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose books include “1776,” “John Adams” and “Truman” (Oct. 23); Mario Vargas Llosa, author of “In Praise of the Stepmother” and “The War of the End of the World” (Feb. 26.); and Azar Nafisi, author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books” (March 27) courtesy of the TIAA-CREF World View Lecture Series.
Local outreach, including efforts to take many visiting world music and dance ensembles to Michigan schools.

For more information, visit www.whartoncenter.com

World cup fever hits International Center

Korean fans celebrate their team’s early success in the World Cup at the International Center, which showed every game live on a 10-by-10 screen. Photo credit: International Studies and Programs.

At MSU this summer, the World Cup soccer tournament was quite literally a big deal. Every game was shown live on a screen measuring 10 feet by 10 feet in the International Center. The 64-game tournament began June 9 with 32 teams participating and ended one month later when Italy beat France on penalty kicks in the championship.

Games often attracted more than 200 students, faculty, staff and community members to the viewing area in the Crossroads Food Court. Many in attendance sported jerseys of their favorite team. The more zealous fans painted their faces, waved country flags throughout the match or even beat drums and sang favorite soccer songs.

Peter Briggs, director of the Office of International Students and Scholars, arranged for the mega-screen as a way to bring together soccer fans in the university’s broad international community. Since a majority of MSU’s 3,300 international students stay on campus during the summer, Briggs knew that a robust audience was guaranteed. The crowds also included sizable numbers of American fans, so the games provided a great opportunity for Americans and those from abroad to get to know each other.

“The World Cup is the most widely viewed shared experience across the planet and it has been joyful to see all the energy come into the International Center this past month,” Briggs said.

Attendance at the championship game exceeded 400 people, according to Briggs’ office.

For more information, including photos and videos of fans in the International Center, visit www.isp.msu.edu/oiss/worldcup_pics.php

International Student Association rolls on

The MSU International Students Association enjoyed a banner year in 2005-06. And even though the association is only three years old, it already has begun to play a significant role in the campus’ international dimension.

Highlights of the past year include:

Participating in new student orientation during fall and spring semesters.
Sending representatives to all levels of student government, a first for the organization.
Collaborating closely with other student organizations during many marquee MSU events, including the Sesquicentennial Parade in October; Global Festival in November; Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities in January; and a Valentine's Day dance party.

Much of the association’s success stemmed from the efforts of Kai Guo, a Chinese graduate student in journalism and the organization’s 2005-06 president. In recognition of her efforts to promote diversity at MSU, Guo was the only student among four recipients of an award at MSU’s 16th annual Excellence in Diversity Recognition and Awards program in April.

The association president for 2006-07 is Eric Bailey, a Jamaican undergraduate majoring in agricultural economics.

For more information, visit www.msu.edu/~msuisa/

Deadline announced for 2006 international photo contest

Oct. 2 is the submission deadline for entries to MSU Global Focus 2006, the eighth annual photo contest sponsored by the Office of International Studies and Programs and the MSU Alumni Association. Eligible entries must be photos taken outside the United States by MSU students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The winning photos are displayed in the International Center and also are published in the “MSU International” newsmagazine and online.

For complete information including rules, guidelines and the downloadable entry form, and to view the more than 200 winners from the 1999-2005 contests, visit isp.msu.edu/photocontest or contact Jay Rodman at rodman@msu.edu or (517) 355-2350.