Haenicke Institute for Global Education announces International Education Week 2025
KALAMAZOO - Western Michigan University’s Haenicke Institute for Global Education announces International Education Week 2025. Join us as we celebrate global diversity and explore cross-cultural connections through guest lectures, panel discussions, research presentations and more.
"International Education Week is an opportunity for WMU to show off its long history of global engagement, which began with the first international student in 1910 and the first study abroad program in 1945," says Dr. Rosemary Max, associate vice president of the Haenicke Institute for Global Education.
"With over a century of global engagement, WMU is proud to celebrate this week with all of its faculty, students, staff and Kalamazoo community members who believe deeply in the mission of international education."
Several events are scheduled from Nov. 3 to 7. All are free and open to the public. Highlights include:
The International Experience: Panel Discussions, Nov. 3, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Student Center Ballroom A. Hear from WMU’s global community at two different panel discussions. WMU Study Abroad alumni will speak about their journeys around the world from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. After, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., members of WMU’s international faculty will discuss their journey to Kalamazoo.
Featured at the International Professionals Panel will be Dr. Anna Popkova, associate professor of communication in the College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Mariam Konaté Main, professor at the Institute for Intercultural and Anthropological Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Ying Thaviphoke, assistant professor of engineering management at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences; and Dr. Mohammad Sakif Amin, assistant professor of marketing at the Haworth College of Business.
Student presenters include Jeffrey Harris, who spent spring semester of his junior year at the University College Dublin in Ireland; Presley Koepp, who went overseas with WMU Study Abroad a second time this summer with the Business and Culture in Germany program; and Lauren Adsmond, who participated Business and Culture in Thailand trip and is now preparing to travel to Pieve del Grappa, Italy, with CIMBA Italy this spring.
International Research Exhibition, Reception and Presentation of Posters, Nov. 5, 2 to 4 p.m., Student Center Lobby. Visit the Student Center throughout the week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. to see some of WMU’s most compelling international research. While you can browse the displays any time during the week, join us on Wednesday for a special viewing with our Global Social and Conversation Circle groups. A Reception and Presentation of Posters will be from 2 to 4 p.m.
There will also be two guest lectures hosted by WMU Asian Initiatives, a unit of the Haenicke Institute for Global Education.
- "When AI Meets Chinese Language Teaching: How Teachers Can Thrive in the New Era” will be Nov. 3 at 3:30 p.m. in Brown Hall, Room 3030. Dr. Zhongqi Shi, senior lecturer in Chinese at Columbia University, will present.
- "Streaming Samurai: Historical Japan in Contemporary Media" will be Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. in Brown Hall, Room 3025. Dr. Ethan Segal, associate professor in the department of history at Michigan State University, will present.
Campus and community partners are invited to plan events to celebrate international education. For a full listing, and to learn about other ways to engage, visit the International Education Week events page.
Historically a joint effort of the U.S. Departments of State and Education, International Education Week has provided colleges and universities an opportunity to showcase the people, places and power of global connections for 25 years. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, The Forum on Education Abroad and the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) are supporting this year's efforts.
About the Haenicke Institute for Global Education
The Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education, established in 1998, fosters an environment that supports the global engagement of the Western community. Its offices assist nearly 2,500 international students and alumni at home and abroad with immigration, student success and post-graduation job training.
The institute also facilitates short- and long-term study abroad programs for students, faculty and staff. It hosts a variety of global learning activities, such as designing and promoting scholarship and academic opportunities on campus; providing K-12 outreach; hosting lectures, panels and events; and showcasing arts, entertainment and culture from around the world. Learn more about the Haenicke Institute for Global Education.
For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.
