UCLA International Institute, October 16, 2020 — The events of the past year have made clearer than ever that solutions to such global challenges as pandemics, climate change and systemic racism lie in our ability to exchange ideas and collaborate across borders. In the spirit of this conviction and the tradition of Bruin creativity, UCLA will celebrate International Education Week (IEW) in a virtual format from November 16 to 20, 2020.

IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of State and Education observed by universities and colleges throughout the country every fall. Led by the UCLA International Institute and the IEW organizing team— the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, UCLA Residential Life, UCLA Library and UCLA Study Abroad — the campus commemoration of IEW has become a tradition over the past five years. In the face of coronavirus precautions and travel and visa restrictions, the IEW team is rising to the occasion and adapting featured events to current conditions.

The week’s signature event, the UCLA Global Conversation, will feature Anna Spain Bradley, UCLA vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, speaking on “Global Racism and the Role of Education.” Scheduled for Wednesday, November 18 at 4 p.m., the online event will offer a thought-provoking speech by Bradley on how education can address racism in the United States and abroad, followed by a discussion with Cindy Fan, UCLA vice provost for international studies and global engagement, and a question-and-answer session with attendees.

Student IEW activities will be scheduled at times when the greatest number of Bruins — whether on campus, in Los Angeles or places throughout the U.S. and the world — can participate. For example, the popular Conversation Café sponsored by UCLA Library will take place on Saturday morning, November 21, in order to permit as many American and international UCLA students as possible to join in informal conversations with one another.

Similarly, the World Café normally hosted by the Dashew Center — at which coffee and tea from all over the world are served — will be replaced this year by an evening trivia game in which UCLA students across the globe can participate. And the always entertaining Bruins Around the World event hosted by UCLA Residential Life will transform into daily short videos of performances and other activities rooted in the cultural traditions of our diverse student body.

Other typical International Education Week programs, including information sessions on international fellowships, seminars on current events and career-related sessions, will adopt webinar formats. In fact, the second webinar in the International Institute’s Black Lives Matter: Global Perspectives webinar series will occur during IEW. “Global Movements Against Racial Capitalism,” scheduled for November 19 at 4:00 p.m., will host literary and critical race scholars Christine Hong and Anne Garland Mahler in a discussion that internationalizes the fight against racism in the context of Cold War militarism across the Asia Pacific and Latin America.

So mark your calendars for November 16–20 and visit the International Institute’s home page in early November for news that the IEW website has launched.