News Students UNC to celebrate International Education Week
| UNC to celebrate International Education Week |
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| Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | |
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Tibetan Buddhist butter sculptures, mystical Sufi music, photographs from around the world and more will be among highlights of International Education Week Nov. 15-21 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Many of the events will be free to the public at the FedEx Global Education Center, at the corner of Pittsboro and McCauley Streets. For complete information, times and locations, visit http://global.unc.edu/. The U.S. Departments of State and Education initiated the annual International Education Week to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and to attract future leaders from abroad to study and exchange experiences in the United States. At UNC, about 35 percent of undergraduates participate in study abroad programs, one of the highest percentages among U.S. colleges and universities. A Tibetan Buddhist monk will begin creating the butter sculptures at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 18 in the global center. A traditional ceremony presenting the finished sculptures will begin at 1:45 p.m. and last about 30 minutes. The free public demonstration will be supported by the Himalayan Society, a local group seeking to preserve and share Himalayan culture. Legend has it that the ancient art originated in 641, when a princess arrived in Lhasa, Tibet, to marry a king. It was winter, and no fresh flowers could be found to offer in tribute to her statue of the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni. So the people formed flowers using butter from their yaks. Buddhist monks have preserved the ancient art. Amjad Sabri, who has sung in several Bollywood films, will perform Sufi music with an ensemble from 6-9 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 16) at the global center. The traditional Indian music is marked by invigorating rhythms and soaring harmonies. Admission is $30. Each year, UNC’s Center for Global Initiatives sponsors an amateur photography contest for photos with artistic merit and international or cross-cultural themes. This year’s winners will be hung throughout the FedEx Global Education Center from Nov. 17 to Feb. 1. A free public reception to open the exhibit at 4 p.m. Nov. 17 will feature the unveiling of a 10- by 13-foot mural, the exhibit’s largest item. “Globilization and the State in Latin America” will be the topic of a free public talk at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at the global center by Kurt Weyland, Lozano Long Professor of Latin American Politics at the University of Texas, Austin. Weyland has conducted field research in many Latin American countries. His books include “The Politics of Market Reform in Fragile Democracies: Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela” (2002) and “Bounded Rationality and Policy Diffusion: Social Sector Reform in Latin America (2007), both from Princeton University Press. For more information, call (919) 962-2435. FedEx Global Education Center contact: Laura Griest, (919) 962-0318, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it News Services contact: LJ Toler, (919) 962-8589 |