Your November 2020 edition Western International and Western English Language Centre join forces Two dynamic teams - the undergraduate recruitment team of Western International and the student recruitment team from the Western English Language Centre at the Faculty of Education - will be integrating to create one student recruitment powerhouse. The goal? To create the strongest international university recruitment team in Canada. “Since I arrived at Western in July, I have heard loudly and clearly from academic leaders, that international recruitment should be a priority,” says Britta Baron, Vice-Provost (International). “Despite the effects of COVID-19, we believe there are some exciting opportunities to enhance Western’s international reputation and broaden our ability to recruit students from diverse academic backgrounds and regions of the globe.” Help Western's voice be heard by the UN General Assembly To mark the United Nations 75th anniversary, the UN is undertaking a global interactive listening tour to hear about people’s hopes, fears and priorities in the decades ahead to build better global governance. Western students, faculty and staff are invited to take part through a short survey and/or dialogue sessions. Be sure to share your views on the most important global issues of our time by completing the survey below or register to attend a dialogue session during International Week. Travel restrictions and planning continue for international students As you may know, new travel restrictions came into effect on October 20 preventing international students from travelling to Canada unless their institution’s COVID-19 readiness plan is approved by the provincial government. Western’s plan has been submitted to the Government of Ontario and we anticipate approval within the next few weeks. For now, international students are asked not to finalize travel plans until the plan is approved. Western International and a number of campus partners are also preparing to support newly arriving students with quarantine requirements, immigration questions/support and more. An email update will be sent to all international students as soon as Western’s plan is approved and travel is possible again. International Week 2020International Week 2020 kicks off on November 16 and the schedule is filling up with virtual events and activities for all faculty staff and students. Join us in celebrating all things international and explore your #globalwesternu from wherever you are in the world!Download our event app to find information and stay up-to-date during the week.Meet our International Week Keynote Speakers Welcome visiting scholar Ndame Thomas Ndame Thomas, EdD, has spent his career working in education and acting as an advocate for children with special needs. In October, Western welcomed Professor Thomas to the Faculty of Education as part of the Visiting University Scholars Program. A scholar-practitioner of special and inclusive education from Cameroon, Thomas will spend the next one to two years at Western doing research, participating in guest lectures, engaging in community outreach and contributing to campus projects. Did You Know?More than 2,100 Western students take part in an international learning experience abroad each year. Although international learning abroad is on hold due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, we hope to resume programs beginning in Summer 2021. Western International is also working with faculties and other partners to create more enriching opportunities for international learning at home! Upcoming conferencesScholars at Risk - Free to Think 2020: Responding to Attacks on Higher Education, November 19 Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Conference 2020, November 16-20 If you have ideas, suggestions or opportunities with an international focus to share, please let us know at wicomms@uwo.ca. |