Campus reception set for Thursday evening in Bryant Hall
OXFORD, Miss. – As the number of international exchanges with the University of Mississippi increases, so does the number of unique programs within these partnerships.
Recently, 23 members of the faculty and administration of the Universidad Católica de Córdoba in Córdoba, Argentina, arrived in Oxford for a monthlong series of classes in the Division of Outreach Intensive English Program.
The program differs from most exchanges because of the participation opportunity it offers partner universities’ faculty members, said Brett Byrnes, Study Abroad adviser.
“This exchange has never been done before on this scale,” Byrnes said. “We really want to create a mesh between our faculty and theirs. We are sharing our students just as they are, and we want everyone to feel comfortable about that.”
A reception Thursday (Jan. 28) in Bryant Hall offers UM students, faculty and staff a chance to network with the visiting faculty members. The event is set for 5-6 p.m.
“This innovative exchange facilitates opportunities for Ole Miss students and faculty to experience a different culture,” said Nelson Lopez, Intensive English Program project coordinator.
The two universities have worked hard to promote student mobility between institutions and are eager to find alternatives to promote internationalization of students and staff, said Graciela Giraudo, coordinator of international student exchange programs at Universidad Católica de Córdoba. The program should benefit Argentinean faculty members throughout the rest of their professional careers as it will enable them to communicate more efficiently in English, Giraudo said.
“They will be better prepared to attend (or) give classes in English as well as interact with international lecturers and students,”he said.
Byrnes and Lopez have extended invitations to a number of Ole Miss schools and departments with the hopes of having the entire campus represented at the reception.
Besides two classes each day, which are taught by IEP instructors, Lopez has also planned a number of different weekend trips for the international visitors. Social activities and trips to Rowan Oak and Taylor Grocery will allow faculty members to experience the South, while other weekend excursions to Memphis for a Grizzlies game and to New York are also scheduled.
In response to the exchange agreement, UM students have an opportunity to study beginning and intermediate Spanish in Córdoba this summer. Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina, is located near the Andes mountain range on the Chilean border.
“Universidad Católica de Córdoba is proud to be a part of the University of Mississippi family and looks forward to a long history of continuous cooperation,” Giraudo said.
For more information on the Universidad de Cordoba exchange or other UM Study Abroad exchanges, go to http://www.outreach.olemiss.