UNC Hosts Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar
October 28, 2016
UNC Global Affairs
On Oct. 25, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill hosted participants in the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar (IEAS), a two-week program that enables college and university administrators from India to come to the United States and explore best practices in U.S. higher education. The participants in the 2016 program visited a number of institutions in and around Washington D.C. and in North Carolina.
During their visit to Chapel Hill, the participants engaged in panel discussions with faculty and university administrators in a variety of topics focused on campus internationalization, residence life and diversity. Some of the UNC units engaged included International Student and Scholar Services, the Graduate School, Carolina Performing Arts, Center for Global Initiatives and the Office of Undergraduate Curricula, among others.
The first panel introduced the University’s resources and support for international students and scholars and discussed the challenges faced by international students integrating into the campus community.
The discussion was followed by two panels on how the University’s is advancing internationalization on campus through the curriculum, as well as events and exhibitions, especially important for exposing students who are not able to pursue an international experience.
The day’s final panel addressed the topic of diversity—how UNC is attempting to improve access to education for students of diverse backgrounds, ensure they have the necessary support to succeed and engage underrepresented students in international opportunities.
Following the morning panels, attendees participated in small group discussions with University administrators, faculty and students over lunch to explore the international student experience at UNC, efforts to improve diversity in the hiring and search process of faculty and staff, and UNC’s international opportunities and partnerships.
After participating in a campus tour, attendees met with Director Allan Blattner and his staff at the Office of Housing and Residential Life to receive an overview of housing and residence life at U.S. universities, and learn how international students are housed and integrated into campus life at UNC.
“We were honored to be invited to host the Fulbright-Nehru Seminar and to share our efforts for promoting internationalization and diversity at UNC with faculty and administrators from India. The seminar provides a valuable opportunity for international educators from the U.S. and India to network and learn from each other,” Melissay McMurray, UNC’s international liaison, said.
The participants are from institutions across India, including Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Panjab University, St. Anthony’s College, Sona College of Technology, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi University, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Manipal University, PSG College of Arts and Science and Nirma University.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, the scholar division of the Institute of International Education, on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program offers grants for students, scholars, teachers, professionals and groups for U.S. citizens to go abroad and for foreign citizens to come to the U.S.