At NAFSA conference, Virginia Tech lays the groundwork for new international partnerships

Don Back, director of the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute, talks with visitors at the university's booth at the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C.

At the world’s largest gathering of professionals in international education — where almost two dozen faculty and staff members represented Virginia Tech — the university laid the groundwork for new international programs and partnerships.

“Being at an event such as NAFSA helps us tell Virginia Tech’s story,” Language and Culture Institute Director Don Back said.

For the first time, the university was an exhibitor at the annual conference for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange.

“Virginia Tech is an internationally recognized land-grant university, and NAFSA attendees are a key audience invested in promoting international education,” Back said. “Through dozens of meetings at our booth and elsewhere at the convention, we strengthened relationships with existing partners while also laying valuable groundwork for new ones.”

Read more at VT News

Iraqi, Saudi governments honor LCI faculty

Language and Culture Institute Director Donald Back, second from right, receives a medal of appreciation from the Iraqi cultural attaché, Tahani Alsandook, second from left.

Adil Bentahar

Two Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute faculty members were recently honored by the governments of Iraq and Saudi Arabia for their efforts to help students from those countries.

The Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research awarded a medal of appreciation to Director Donald Back for his work building partnerships with Iraqi universities. Instructor Adil Bentahar, meanwhile, was recognized by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission for helping international students acclimate to studying here.

Read more about their honors at VT News.

Virginia Tech participating in State Department forum on internationalizing U.S. campuses

LCI Director Don Back

From July 31 to Aug. 2, LCI Director Don Back will represent Virginia Tech at the U.S. Department of State’s eighth annual EducationUSA Forum in Washington, D.C.

More than 570 U.S. university representatives will join U.S. and foreign government officials to discuss international student recruitment and retention strategies. International education increases American global competitiveness, and creates relationships and understanding that contribute to increased national security.

“As the university’s international recruiter, the Language and Culture Institute is committed to attracting the best and brightest individuals from around the world to our community,” Back said. “Participating in events such as the EducationUSA Forum helps us develop partnerships and explore strategies to recruit such students.”

The Forum, organized in partnership with the Institute of International Education, will feature sessions on traditional as well as virtual recruiting strategies, comprehensive campus internationalization, student visas, maximizing recruitment resources, and partnering with EducationUSA advising centers around the world.

Colleges and universities, including Virginia Tech, play an important role in strengthening ties between the United States and countries around the world. The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs collaborates with accredited U.S. colleges and universities to help maintain the United States as the world’s top destination for international students and scholars and to promote diversity in international education.