MDC to Host Fulbright Scholars from Around the Globe
Miami Dade College to host 150 Fulbright Scholars
Miami, Friday, August 08, 2008 - The brightest students from every corner of the globe will soon arrive at Miami Dade College (MDC) as part of the Fulbright Gateway Orientation. The college will host 150 foreign students representing dozens of countries during two orientation sessions scheduled to take place at the Emerging Technologies Center of the Americas located at MDC Wolfson Campus, 500 N.E. Second Avenue, Building 7, from Aug. 18-22 and Aug. 25-29.
The orientation, made possible by the Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and Institute of International Education, welcomes foreign students into the country, providing an overview of Fulbright goals and traditions, as well as helping them to become familiar with the basics of culture and life in the United States in a university setting. For many, this will be their first trip to America.
Program participants hail from China, Nepal, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Latvia, Brunei, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine, Turkey, and Italy, among other nations and territories. They have been awarded Fulbright scholarships to work toward masters and doctorate degrees at universities throughout the U.S., specializing in diverse majors, such as international relations, filmmaking, music, business, environmental science, anthropology, and linguistics. Some of the schools they will attend include Harvard, Duke, Columbia, Cornell, Yale and Georgetown universities.
The orientation will cover three main areas: academic skills, graduate student life and cross-cultural awareness. Graduate student life will focus on topics essential to their adjustment such as stress management, legal rights as a non-citizen and getting settled in a new place, including tips on banking and housing. Academic topics include introduction to the U.S. academic system, U.S. government and politics, and the history of American art, among many others. Cross cultural workshops will address understanding both academic and American culture, as well as other cultures. Scholars will also have an opportunity to visit South Beach and take a boat tour of Biscayne Bay.
- WHAT: Fulbright Gateway Orientation
- WHEN: Monday, Aug. 18, 9:00 AM - Friday, Aug. 29, 6:00 PM
- WHERE: MDC Wolfson Campus, 500 N.E. Second Avenue, Building 7
For more information about the orientation, please contact Professor Dorothy Avondstondt, assistant project director, at 305-237-7598.