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U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell have announced plans to lead the nation in the third annual celebration of International Education Week, Nov. 18-22, 2002.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States.

"As Americans begin to re—evaluate our assumptions about the impact of international relations on our daily lives, we realize that the task of diplomacy belongs not only to governments, but to individuals as well," Secretary Paige said. "Each of us is an ambassador when we interact with our global neighbors. I encourage all schools and communities to join us in celebrating International Education Week by reaching out to their friends and neighbors around the world."

"People—to—people diplomacy, created through international education and exchanges, is critical to our national interests," said Secretary of State Powell said. "Americans who study abroad expand their global perspective and become more internationally engaged. Foreign students and individuals who participate in citizen exchanges return home with a greater knowledge of our democratic institutions, and America's enduring values."

Nationwide, participants are organizing a broad range of events. Numerous universities will hold study abroad presentations and activities, such as Texas A&M University's celebration at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library honoring Fulbright students and scholars. More than 1,000 high school students from the former Soviet Union living with American host families this academic year will make presentations at their American schools; online linkages will connect youth in Azerbaijan with youth in New York; six U.S. high schools will engage in a "virtual dialogue" Internet exchange with six Brazilian student groups; high school students will compete for scholarship money at the first annual International Scholastic Bowl in central Illinois; and, among many other activities, exchange teachers from around the world will share their cultures in their classrooms and communities.

Overseas, many U.S. embassies and advising centers will sponsor conferences and workshops where alumni of U.S. exchange programs will share their experiences with non—alumni. In Tokyo, the U.S. Embassy is planning a series of programs about the goals and benefits of internationalizing higher education.

In Washington D.C., U.S. Education Undersecretary Gene Hickok will kick off events with a seminar for D.C.—area educators called, "Teaching about World Religions through the Arts," cosponsored by the Smithsonian Institution.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Paige hosts a celebration of the success and future plans of Friendship through Education, a White House initiative funded by the Department of Education, to establish linkages between classrooms in the United States and those in predominantly Muslim countries.

Nov. 20-22, Hickok, as well as senior Education Department officials and their counterparts from the United Kingdom will participate in a policy dialogue entitled, "A New Vision of Citizenship," to highlight effective ways to help young people in both countries to become engaged in their communities.

Also on Nov. 20, Paige will deliver a major policy announcement on international education. More details on the secretary's announcement will follow at a later date.

International Education week concludes with the States Institute on International Education in the Schools, an effort to encourage leaders from education, the private sector and government to expand and improve what American students learn about other world regions, other languages, and international issues. The Asia Society, Council of Chief State School Officers, Education Commission of the States, National Governors Association and the National Coalition on Asia and International Studies in the Schools are cosponsors of this event.

The State Department will host several events, including a press conference for high school students and an international affairs version of "It's Academic," a popular student quiz show broadcast in the metropolitan Washington area. The State Department also will release its annual national survey on international exchange, Open Doors, that tracks trends in flows of international students in the U.S. and U.S. students abroad.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the State Department will honor retiring U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY) for his significant contributions in the field of foreign policy and international exchange, including the creation of a major program to allow financially needy U.S. undergraduates to engage in career-enhancing international study. Also on Nov. 19, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Patricia Harrison will meet with leaders of the Middle Eastern Studies Association and others in the exchange community to discuss ways of enhancing exchange program effectiveness.

For more information about International Education Week 2002, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/iew/.

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