Office of International Education Grand Opening
Far left and middle right:
Faculty, staff, and students enjoying the Grand Opening celebration
Far right: Dr. Valene Smith, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology & Lamia Djeldjel, Visiting Instructor of Arabic
October 12, 2010
Believing that a core mission of the University is to prepare students for professional and civic lives in an increasingly globalized world, CSU, Chico brought together many of its international programs in the newly-formed Office of International Education. Housed in the Student Services Center building, the Office of International Education is home to Study Abroad Programs, International Student Services, International Exchange Programs, International Training Programs, and the ESL Resource Center.
In a national ranking of students studying abroad through year-long programs, CSU, Chico was ranked third among master's granting institutions. Our students have studied abroad in 29 countries. In 2009-2010, 351 students studied abroad. The number of participants is on the rise, with 205 students abroad in Fall 2010 and an anticipated increase for Spring 2011.
CSU, Chico is proud to sponsor increasing numbers of international initiatives on campus. In the Fall 2010 semester, 563 international students enrolled at the University representing thirty-six different countries. Thirty-two of these students are on exchange, here in Chico for either a semester or year while their Chico student counterparts are abroad. The rest of the students will remain to complete Bachelor's or Master's degrees, and sometimes both.
The ESL Resource Center is a free tutoring service available for non-native speakers of English. It is located in Siskiyou Hall, Room #104. Tutors at the Center provide assistance in writing, grammar, pronunciation and intonation, oral presentation preparation, and reading comprehension. The Center also houses a library of language-learning materials that are available for students to check out.
With such successful programs on campus, it is no surprise that they were combined during the school-wide reorganization in the summer of 2010. Both believe that internationalism offers diverse perspectives in the classroom, encourages the practice of foreign language skills, helps prepare Chico students for international careers, and shatters stereotypes on both sides.
A Grand Opening celebration was held on October 12, 2010. Attended by more than 100 faculty, staff, and students, the new office was filled to capacity. The Office of International Education looks forward to the Spring 2011 semester where more Chico students will go out into the world and more of the world will come to Chico.