After moving the reception area for International Support Services to the first floor of Strong Hall and modifying their operations, ISS staff have reported improvements in how they serve international students and scholars. 

ISS reopened its office to the public in fall 2022 after working largely virtually for two years. When returning to Strong Hall, ISS worked with KU’s Office of Space Management and KU Operations to transform 126 Strong into a more customer-friendly environment. The office features a larger reception area with conference rooms, one-on-one advising spaces and a backroom that can double as a workspace for staff and students, or for overflow.

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International Education Week is less than two months away, and KU International Affairs is asking for units throughout campus to join together to celebrate. 

From Nov. 13 to 17, International Education Week is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education and aims to recognize and celebrate the benefits of international education and exchanges worldwide. 

In celebration of International Education Week, KUIA wants to hear Jayhawks’ international education stories. KU has a rich history of international education and research. These experiences have transformed the lives of KU's students, faculty, staff and alumni and add to the fabric of the university.

KU colleagues can share their international education experience by completing this brief survey. KUIA will share these stories on its social media platforms and International Education Week website.

For units planning a globally themed event the week of Nov. 13, please be sure to use the tag "International Education Week" when submitting the event to the KU calendar. The tag will help KUIA promote all the international events for the week.

Two doctoral candidates at the University of Kansas have been awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award, receiving a combined $92,000 to conduct research in South America.

Pere DeRoy, a doctoral candidate in women, gender & sexuality studies, received $51,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to travel to Guyana for 10 months to study reproductive health.

Micah Unruh, a doctoral candidate in ecology & evolutionary biology, received $41,000 to travel to Chile to research soil carbon storage.

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program provides opportunities for doctoral candidates to engage in full-time dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. The program is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States.

>> Read more about DeRoy and Unruh's research

This academic year KU welcomed eight international students as part of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program and four Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants.

From Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, the Fulbright students and teaching assistants are joining programs in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the schools of Business, Education & Human Sciences, and Engineering.

“Every year, our campus is enriched by Fulbright students and language teaching assistants from around the world,” said Rachel Sherman Johnson, director of internationalization and partnerships at KU International Affairs. “While at KU, they will not only pursue their research or teach courses, but they will also contribute to the foundational mission of the Fulbright program: building mutual understanding between nations, advancing knowledge across communities and improving lives around the world.”

>> Read the full list of Fulbright students and teaching assistants

The fourth annual Global Brunch helped kick-off the fall semester and welcomed new students to campus on Aug. 20. Nearly 400 students enjoyed food from around the world and had the opportunity to learn more about study abroad and international education opportunities at KU. Among the highlights were a performance by the KU Lion Dance Group, an origami-making station and henna decoration. 

In collaboration with the Office of Graduate Studies, KU International Affairs has hired a graduate assistant to better serve students who have formal refugee, asylum or temporary protected status. 

Fatima Sadata, a graduate student in social welfare from Afghanistan, is serving in the new role. She will work to help assess the needs fo students who are fleeing from conflict or persecution and have formal protections afforded to them under the law.

She will assist in identifying critical resources and developing support structures, community connections and co-curricular experiences to address those needs. Her primary duties will include researching federal, state and institutional resources that may be leveraged in the support of these students.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in consultation with Religious Studies has compiled a list of religious observances. DEIB asks staff and faculty to refer to these dates when planning academic deadlines, committee meetings, events and activities. 

Join International Support Services for the next Atlas Series featuring Mexico from 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 26 in the West Reading Room on the third floor of Watson Library.

Mexican students from KU and the Latin American Student Union will share information about their country and culture. The audience will learn to play lotería, a Mexican card game similar to bingo. The event will include prizes and food. 

International Support Services launched the Atlas Series this fall as a biweekly program to encourage international and domestic students to share their culture and build community at KU.

The series will be held every two weeks throughout the fall semester from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in the West Reading Room. Each event will focus on a different country, allowing citizens of that country to talk about their history, culture, daily life, traditions, food and more. 

Join the Commons for a film screening and discussion series that explores revolutions, the ideals that motivate them and the ways in which movements form and grow.

The first event in the Global Revolution series will be on Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m. in The Forum at Marvin Hall. Focused on the Arab Spring, the event will feature the 2013 film "The Square," directed by Jehane Noujaim. Marie Grace Brown, associate professor of history and middle east studies, and Ahmad Sobhy Mustafa, doctoral student in political science, will lead the discussion.

Through the immediacy of film paired with local expertise and experiences, this series uses narrative to bring global stories close to home.  

The event is co-sponsored by the Global Awareness Program, Global & International Studies, International Affairs, International Support Services, and the School of Architecture and Design. 

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