Students write names in their mother language

To celebrate International Mother Language Day, IWU international students invite people on campus to have their name written in another language. International Mother Language Day is a joint project between UNESCO and the US State Department. It was first celebrated on February 21, 2000 to honor the day in 1952 when students were killed by police while demonstrating for recognition of their mother language in what is now Bangladesh. Linguistic and cultural diversity are the celebration’s goals. Read more Here.

Purple Blossoms Outside of Buck

Spring has arrived at IWU! The sun is warming the ground and the trees are blossoming! Students are sporting shorts and sandals as they absorb the sun’s warmth while traveling from class to class–some classes are even meeting outside! The sun has arrived just in time to usher us into commencement and then May term.

Trees surround the bell In front of McPherson Theatre

The 25th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition at the Nerwin and Wakely Galleries highlighted works of several international students. Katya Kobrina ’12 from Prauge, Czech Republic created a piece called Three Visions of Home together with Joe O’Brien. It has received the ‘Hart Career Center Award’, and will be featured artwork at the Hart Career Center here on campus.

'Baptism by Fire' by Katya Kobrina '12

A piece entitled 1, 10, 100 by Shanshan Zhao ’12 from Chengdu, China, has been given the President’s Award, and will be displayed in the home of President Richard Wilson and Mrs. Pat Wilson for the coming year.

1, 10, 100 by Shanshan Zhao '12

Illinois Secretary of State will arrive at Illinois Wesleyan University to deliver the key-note address at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellowship Dinner on January 22. He will be accompanied by the Jesse White Tumblers, a tumbling team White founded in 1959 and has supported over 13,000 participants. They perform over 1500 times a year at events ranging from NBA games to the Presidential Inauguration.

The Jesse White Tumblers

Photo Credit: jessewhitetumblingteam.com

This juvenile delinquency prevention program trains participants’ bodies and minds — they are required to stay in school, maintain a C average, and stay out of gangs and drugs. Jesse White and his team support and encourage the participants with tough love, acting as mentors, friends, coaches, and confidants. For more information, click here

IWU recently announced a new exchange program with Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI). The program allows IWU students a special opportunity to live and study in Morocco, and in turn, invites Moroccan students to study at IWU.

On the Northwest coast of Africa, Morocco boasts a rich combination of cultures and languages, beautiful deserts, mountains, and beaches, as well as an excellent cuisine.

Pictured below is the AUI Campus where IWU students will soon have the opportunity to study. For more information, visit the International Office Webpage.

AUI Campus with Mosque Tower

On February 8, 2011, a reception was held for the 24th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition at The Merwin and Wakeley Galleries in The Ames School of Art. Pieces from three international students were featured, and will remain on display until February 24th. Their work is featured below.

“Face/Face: The Orient” Zigmund Sun Oo, ’11

“After Every Party, I Die” Katya Kobrina, ’12

“Contaminated” Tung Pham, ’13