LCI welcomes CIS University Tour to campus

LCI Director Don Back welcomed participants from the Council of International Schools University Tour to campus on Monday evening with a picnic on Dietrick Lawn.

More than 30 representatives from schools around the world met with representatives from the Language and Culture Institute and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. 

Among those participating in the (nearly rain-free) picnic were AdvantageVT Director Elsie Paredes, Associate Director Bryan Ducote, Interim IEP Director Pamela Smart-Smith, and Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions Tyler Oxley.

On Tuesday, participants took part in a walking tour of campus and then held brief sessions at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

LCI says zài jiàn to Wang Tao

Associate Director Elsie Paredes (right) gives a few parting gifts to Wang Tao.

Wang Tao, a visiting scholar from the University of Science and Technology of China, wrapped up her six-month stay in the United States with a presentation Tuesday afternoon at the Language and Culture Institute. Her talk focused on the importance of "learning by doing."

A professor in the English department at USTC, she observed LCI and Chinese language classes during the spring and talked about the USTC at a meeting of the University Council on International Affairs.

During the summer, she held a seminar on Chinese culture and education and also worked as a co-investigator on research regarding the experience of Chinese students at the LCI in Blacksburg. They set up a focus group, held a group interview, and collected raw data.

Having visited a number of universities across the country, she said she appreciated the tranquility of Blacksburg -- and liked seeing so many squirrels on campus and around town.

Conversations start with pizza

On Friday, the Language and Culture Institute hosted a conversation partners pizza party during which LCI students in Blacksburg could meet Virginia Tech students and choose a conversation partner. A lot of great connections were made.

We are still looking for about 15 more Virginia Tech students, as some LCI students still need partners.

If you are a VT  student and are interested, email Yara Haddad at yara125@vt.edu for more information.

Dinner serves up a mix of languages and cultures

Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute student Sultan Alamri, right, talks with University Honors Program student Larissa Perara during the dinner at Hillcrest Hall.

A group of Language and Culture Institute students and faculty members recently shared a meal, and some lively discussion, with members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the University Honors Program.

Seven people at one table in the Hillcrest Hall dining room collectively spoke eight different languages. Another table boasted 11.

The dinner, hosted by the LCI, the honors program, and the Corps of Cadets, brought together more than 100 students and faculty members. It was designed to encourage networking, foster diversity and inclusion, and promote greater understanding of the campus programs.

Click here to read more about the dinner and some of our students' reactions.

LCI hosts director of the British Council in the U.S.

Paul Smith (center) talks with Virginia Tech graduate students Chris Price (left) and Sabith Khan (right).

Paul Smith, the director of the British Council in the United States, met with Virginia Tech students and faculty on Tuesday during a daylong tour of the campus. His visit was hosted by the Language and Culture Institute and the Institute for Policy and Governance.

Smith, who has served with the British Council since 1983, was director of the organization’s operations in Egypt from 2005 to 2010. From 2010 to 2012, he was director in Afghanistan and cultural counselor at the British Embassy in Kabul.

“Paul Smith has more than three decades’ experience with the British Council, with postings everywhere from Afghanistan and Egypt to India New Zealand,” said Don Back, director of the Language and Culture Institute. “I was honored to introduce him to some of our brilliant students and faculty at Virginia Tech and to give them the chance to meet and talk with someone of Paul’s stature.”

The British Council was founded in 1934 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1940. It is the United Kingdom's international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations. The organization works in more than 100 countries to promote the exchange of knowledge and ideas, and to strengthen links that result in mutual benefits between the United Kingdom and other countries. Its mission is to create opportunities to improve cultural relations between the people of Great Britain and other nations.

LCI Director Don Back (right) walks with Smith (center) and Scott Weimer, director of Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education. Photo by Chris Price.

Smith’s visit to Virginia Tech included a tour of the campus and Ware Lab, a radio interview for Community Voices, a graduate student forum at the Institute for Policy and Governance, lunch with University Honors faculty and students, and a visit to an undergraduate political science class taught by Charles Taylor during which Smith spoke on the current state of the U.K. parliament. He also met with Carol Mullen, director of the School of Education, professor Joan Hirt, and professor emeritus Josiah Tlou, representing the Center for Research and Development in International Education.

"This exemplary activist on the world stage is bringing illumination to international education and interdisciplinary work by pursuing new multidisciplinary initiatives that forge deeper relations between the USA and UK and with other countries," Mullen said. "One of his aspirations is to give the arts and humanities a platform for contributing to the real-world problems of the day and through the hard sciences. He is a very eloquent speaker whose breadth of knowledge and depth of experience is a marvel. We are interested in working with him on any initiatives for which Virginia Tech, known for its multidisciplinary integration of the arts and sciences, can be a keen player."

Sabith Khan, a graduate student in planning, governance and globalization, said he enjoyed learning from Smith's rich experiences.

“His experiences in the Arab world and South Asia spoke to me, as these regions are at the heart of much cultural relations taking place and my own research," Khan said. "He seems to be an astute observer of human nature and also a kind person and therefore had many interesting anecdotes to share. Overall, I came away with a much better understanding of the work that British Council does.”

“He had a wonderful visit,” Back said. “He was so impressed with all the students and faculty members he met – so much so that he invited a number of us to attend the British Council’s conference for leaders of international education next spring in Miami. We’ll definitely be keeping in touch.”