Happy birthday to our director

LCI staff and administrators gathered at Macado's in Blacksburg today to wish happy birthday to Director Don Back (center).

English classes available for international spouses and partners

A new program allows the spouses and partners of Virginia Tech's international students, faculty, employees, visiting scholars, and other affiliates to take English classes at the Language and Culture Institute.

Eligible spouses and partners can participate in the institute's Intensive English Program, which offers instruction in all skill areas, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and pronunciation, from beginning through advanced proficiency levels.

Read more at VT News or go to www.lci.vt.edu/spouses.

Free foreign language classes open to faculty and staff

All Virginia Tech faculty and staff are eligible for foreign language conversation courses at the Language and Culture Institute. We offer classes in Chinese, French, Spanish, and German.

Participation is free, though course books must be purchased separately. Classes begin Feb. 2.

Find out more about the classes in our campus notice.

LCI strengthens universities in Iraqi Kurdistan

Participants in the Iraqi Kurdistan Rural Universities Partnership Program pose on graduation day with professors and administrators from the LCI.

When a university group from Iraq's northern Kurdish region traveled to study at Virginia Tech this past summer, their home was at peace. 

But by the time the 14 administrators and faculty members arrived in Blacksburg, fighters with the Islamic State had taken surprise aim at the region's capital, and more than 1,700 people had been killed.

"In our region, there was an anxiety against these terrorist forces, but when we left, there was not the sense that Irbil was in danger," said Hawraz Hama of the University of Raparin, about 70 miles east of the Kurdish capital.

Despite the turn of events, he and others in the delegation stuck to their training commitment: "In our country higher education needs to be improved."

Read more about the program, which has just been renewed for another year.

D.C. field trip shows students where the money is made

Students in the National Capital Region took a field trip recently to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. The bureau is a government agency that, among other things, designs and produces the country's paper money.

Click below to see more pictures from the field trip and to read what some of the students had to say about their trip:

LCI names Sondra Schreiber as student services director

Sondra Schreiber has been named the assistant director for student services at the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute.

As part of the administrative team, she will counsel the institute’s staff and students on immigration matters, provide academic advising and placement assistance for prospective university students, and develop engagement programs with the greater university and local communities. 

“I am looking forward to getting to know our students and supporting them during their transition to the United States and throughout their stay,” Schreiber said.

Read more about Sondra here.

Students find autumn fun is ripe for the pickin'

Students in the National Capital Region took a trip recently to Stribling Orchard in Markham, Virginia.

Here's one student's essay about the field trip:

We went on a trip last week to place called Stribling Orchard. We left at 1:00 p.m. with other students and teachers. It was our first trip in LCI. We were excited for

this trip because we were able to pick apples by ourselves and the weather was very nice. When we arrived there, we separated as a group so everyone could pick what they wanted because there were many kind of apples -- green, yellow and red.

We enjoyed the walks through the apple trees and picking our apples. It was extremely beautiful how the apples hang on the trees in different colors. We stayed there for three pleasant hours, and everyone returned to home with plastic bags full of apples. 

The trip was so much fun, and every minute spent was great. It was also time for us to get to know each other. We really enjoyed the trip so much, and the memories of the trip will always be in our minds.