U of A, Northwest Arkansas Host Annual NAFSA Region III Conference

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Graduate School and International Education at the University of Arkansas will serve as the local arrangements team as they welcome the NAFSA Region III 2013 Conference that will be held Monday, Oct. 21 through Thursday, Oct. 24 at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22 the conference will feature a screening of After the Tsunami, the latest documentary from the Emmy winning U of A journalism professor Larry Foley.  Chancellor G. David Gearhart will make the opening remarks and introduce the film. The 30-minute documentary tells the story of Indonesian graduate students who came to universities in the United States on scholarships following the 2004 tsunami that killed 173,000 in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. It also follows graduates who have returned home, after studying in the U.S., and who now are working in the fields of education, agriculture, government and business. One of the graduates runs an orphanage for children who lost their families in the tsunami.

A follow-up conference session, Building Academic Partnerships through International Education, features the cooperation of the University of Arkansas, Texas A&M University, the Institute of International Education and the U.S. Department of State, the organizations and institutions that made possible the success of The Bush-Clinton Fulbright Tsunami Relief Fund Scholarship program. This session will focus on how a complicated inter‐institutional program can work well. Panelists will share the best practices resulting from the program and provide a foundation for building similar types of programs.

The University of Arkansas will also host the convention’s opening reception.

Many UA international educators will be presenting workshops and sessions at the conference. Activitiesinclude a tour of the U of A campus, restaurant hops to Dickson Street and the historic square in Fayetteville as well as visits to the Bentonville Square and Promenade Mall. An off-site event will be held at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and will feature the local band 3-Penny Acre.

NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. NAFSA's 10,000 members are located at more than 3,500 institutions worldwide, in over 150 countries.  Region III serves the four state area of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas.

NAFSA advances public policies that promote international education and is committed to supporting a broad public dialogue about the value and importance of international education. Through professional development programs, publications, and networks of professionals, NAFSA provides opportunities for knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, and skill-building. NAFSA also plays a leadership role in increasing awareness of and support for the internationalization of higher education among education leaders, public policy makers, and the broader community.

International educators range from front line professionals to faculty, deans, provosts, and presidents of college and universities. There are also the professionals who provide services or products that support the field of international education.