UCLA will observe International Education Week (IEW) — a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of State and Education that champions international education and exchange — in a virtual format from November 16 to 20, 2020. It is a challenging time to commemorate IEW, but as this video and the IEW Featured Events flyer make clear, staff, students and faculty throughout campus are working hard to make it a reality.
The global coronavirus pandemic has upended life around the world, disrupting economies and people’s daily lives and leaving grief and economic dislocation in its wake. The impact on universities has been profound, including their ability to sustain international exchange and collaboration during a public health crisis. To ensure safety and prevent the spread of Covid-19, both in-person classes and residential hall occupancy have been greatly limited at UCLA.
Tightened U.S. visa regulations have made it difficult for international students and visiting scholars to travel to the United States to participate in university life during the pandemic. Bruins hoping to study and/or conduct research abroad this academic year, meanwhile, are facing the disappointment that their plans have been delayed to an unknown future date. The lack of certainty about when conditions will change is challenging for both groups of students.
The team that organizes International Education Week at UCLA each year believes that international education and exchange are more important now than ever, and reaffirm their solidarity with UCLA’s international students and scholars. Led by the UCLA International Institute, the team is comprised of units that directly support those students and scholars, together with all students who participate in study abroad programs and conduct research abroad: the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, UCLA Residential Life, UCLA Library and UCLA Study Abroad.
In response to new and proposed visa rule changes that are reducing the ability of international students and scholars to participate, study, teach and do research at U.S. universities, the University of California and UCLA have joined numerous other universities in publicly affirming their invaluable contributions to institutions of U.S. higher education (see International Institute statement here).
If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is how interconnected the world of the 21st century is. The impacts of Covid-19 are global. The communications technology that is a defining feature of modern social and economic life is making it possible for people the world over to work and study remotely, despite the downsides of isolation and excessive screen time. In fact, the pandemic is just one of many compelling global challenges whose resolution requires global collaboration, including climate change, armed conflict, migration, economic inequity and racial injustice.
Despite current conditions, it is inspiring to see Bruins in great numbers attending remote classes from cities and towns across the U.S. and the world. Many international Bruins are currently living upside-down schedules in their home counties in order to begin or continue their UCLA educations. A number of them are also joining their U.S. peers in actively contributing to student life at UCLA — including student government and other activities — via online means.
We commend UCLA students, faculty and staff for their perseverance in the face of difficult conditions, and recognize that we all long to enjoy our beautiful campus, and one another, in person.
