UCFV conference to explore internationalization

What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? How does our community reflect and shape that world? These questions and more will be addressed at a conference on internationalization being presented by the University College of the Fraser Valley on May 1. Everyone is invited to participate.

The conference, entitled Shifting Horizons: Global Opportunities for Teaching, Learning, and Working, takes place at the King's Crossing Conference Centre in Abbotsford. Registration information is available by calling 557-4008 or by visiting the conference website .

"In Quebec last week, we saw how deeply concerned some Canadians are with the increasing emphasis on free trade, and changes to our world economy. Our children, and their children, will live and work in a world where there is increasing economic and ecological interdependence," said Madeleine Hardin, a UCFV faculty member and chair of the conference organizing committee.

"Education has always been concerned with creating good citizens, but we now have to expand our vision and education to think about what it means to be a good citizen of the world."

The conference agenda includes a keynote address, two sets of concurrent workshops, and lunch. The total fee for the day has been kept to a low $50.

Keynote speaker Jane Knight will discuss internationalization and what it means for students, staff, institutions, and the community. Knight is a visiting professor at the University of Toronto with an extensive background in international development. She has also coordinated special projects for the United Nations and is widely published.

Workshops will explore effective intercultural communication, internationalizing the curriculum and the institution, development assistance, and international education. A tour of the Sikh Temple is also available.

Hardin notes that there is already an international dimension to UCFV, but much more is possible.

"We currently host more than 600 international students every year and many faculty have participated in short-term teaching assignments overseas, but we know there are many international study and teaching opportunities we're not pursuing."

In a world characterized by increasing international cooperation, exchange, and interdependence, it is important to make sure the diversity of voices, cultures, and know-how in the classroom and in the workplace are heard and recognized, adds Hardin.

"This conference will help us identify international opportunities and build our collective capacity to truly respect and be part of the diversity we find in the communities we serve here and around the world."

The conference is supported by the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation with the participation of the UCFV Indo-Canadian Student Association.

- 30 -

Back to April news releases index