This is International Education Week, a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and Department of Education to prepare global citizens and celebrate the benefits of international exchange. By Saturday, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will have hosted more than 35 events celebrating cultural diversity and international education – and that will be just since Monday!
We are tremendously proud that more than 3,000 international students call our university and Lincoln, Nebraska their home. These Huskers represent 135 different countries, adding a wealth of diversity and perspective to our campus. In addition, we are currently hosting 314 faculty and staff from around the world, each of whom is working with our colleges, departments and faculty members to teach or conduct research that will undoubtedly make a meaningful impact on our world.
In the spirit of this week, I want to take a moment and recognize a few new global developments:
- UNL is in the process of creating a bold internationalization strategy for the university as part of the American Council on Education’s Internationalization Lab. Building off the 2025 Strategic Plan, a campus-wide committee will help craft a new vision for global engagement at Nebraska, with the final product to be delivered in 2020.
- Through a new partnership with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, we have reconnected with some of our 200,000 alumni through the “Friends of Nebraska” network and hosted three international alumni events across Europe and Asia. I recently returned from Governor Ricketts’ trade mission to Germany, where we co-hosted a reception for 75 alumni and friends of Nebraska. University staff also organized events in Vietnam and Japan for the Governor’s trade mission in September.
- Soon, we will launch our fifth year of participation in the International Student Barometer that measures campus climate and satisfaction for our more than 3,000 international students. We are committed to enhancing efforts to make UNL a more inclusive and welcoming place for our international students and scholars.
In the N150 State of the University address, I charged UNL to become a world-leading 21st century land-grant university, one without walls. As we celebrate this important week and our international achievements, I am confident that we can accomplish this together.
Thank you for what you all do every day to continue changing the world from here in Nebraska.