KU celebrates 2024 International Education Week
LAWRENCE — With more than 1,700 international students from 116 countries currently enrolled and over 1,000 students participating in experiences abroad, the University of Kansas has much to celebrate during International Education Week.
Running through Friday, International Education Week is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. KU joins higher education institutions across the country in recognizing the programs that prepare U.S. students for a global environment and bring students from around the world to the United States to study, learn and exchange cultural experiences.
Impact to Kansas
Marking the importance of international education, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a proclamation recognizing International Education Week and that international education, exchange and public diplomacy “play a critical role in U.S. foreign relations for today and tomorrow.”
According to the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, which was released Monday by the Institute of International Education and is funded through the U.S. Department of State, Kansas had more than 8,685 international students who studied in Kansas last academic year and contributed $236 million to the state’s economy.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the United States welcomed more than 1.1 million international students, and more than 280,700 students studied abroad during the 2022-23 academic year.
The Open Doors Report highlights KU as a state leader in international education. KU accounted for nearly 45% of those who studied abroad from Kansas higher education institutions during the 2022-23 academic year, with 1,035 KU students going abroad for academic credit.
KU is one of 13 universities in the country to have four or more federally funded international area studies centers, cementing its reputation as a hub for international activity in the Midwest.
“KU’s leadership in international education is truly extraordinary,” said Charles Bankart, KU senior internationalization officer.
Among KU’s international strengths are the diversity of its international student population, the percentage of students participating in education abroad before graduation, the 29 foreign languages taught at KU, the international profile of faculty, a robust visiting international scholar program, and the number of students and faculty participating in Fulbright inbound and outbound programs.
“When KU refers to itself as an access institution, we fully mean access to the world in all that we do,” Bankart said.
International Education Week Highlights
KU has more than a dozen international-themed events happening this week. Highlights include:
- Going Abroad After Graduation: Fulbright Panel from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Kansas Union’s Alderson Auditorium.
- International Career Series: Advice from Alumni at 11 a.m. Thursday on Zoom.
- Showing of the Korean film "Concerning My Daughter" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Kansas Union’s Alderson Auditorium.
- International Support Service’s Atlas Series: Malaysia at 6 p.m. in Watson Library’s 3 West Reading Room.
- The talk “Here, There, Everywhere: Teaching and Learning Through Relationships, Across Borders” by KUIA Advisory Board International Teaching Award recipient Melinda Lewis, professor of the practice for social welfare, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Kansas Union’s Big 12 Room.
Additionally, throughout the week, KU will be sharing the stories from KU students, staff and faculty about the power of international education.