Malawi: Transforming experience inspires ongoing relationship
A study abroad experience related to sustainability has developed into an ongoing community relationship between Appalachian State University and the African nation of Malawi.
That's the power of transformative experiences.
Football 101 for International Students
Appalachian’s Football 101 for International Students was held September 5th at the Appalachian Athletics Center and Kidd Brewer Stadium. A record 42 international students participated in this annual event. Students were given an opportunity to tour ASU’s state of the art training facilities, locker room and media room. The real action began when participants took to the field and suited-up for the full football experience. Football basics were outlined and students were given an opportunity to play a pickup game of touch football. The event concluded with a pizza social where students recapped their experiences.
As a result of Football 101, many international students attended Appalachian’s football game against Greensboro A & T the following weekend.
Football 101 for International Students was sponsored by the Office of the Quality Enhancement Plan, the Office of International Education and the Athletics Department.
Downtown Puebla, Mexico (June 2015)
"Highlight of the day: Spending the afternoon and evening with Savannah and Alexa exploring downtown Puebla was perfect. I loved getting to see the city again, and we each chose something fun to do. My pick was going on a bus tour of Puebla. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? That means my adventures today were worth 19,000 words. That's a pretty successful day! Unfortunately, I don't remember the stories and facts about the places we visited, but I can still appreciate the beauty." - Maddie Stasziewicz
Global Mountaineers: Southeast Asia 2015
Opportunities for international travel and study are rife at Appalachian State University. At at any given time students and faculty may be found in Brazil, Africa, Western Europe, Cuba or Asia.
In spring 2015 Chancellor Sheri N. Everts accompanied a Walker College of Business group on a three-week faculty/student delegation to China. Simultaneously, Dr. Heather Dixon-Fowler, who leads study-abroad programs for the college, took a group of students for a business- and social entrepreneurship-focused trip through Cambodia and Vietnam. Four alumni working in Vietnam – three of them past travelers with Dixon-Fowler – met and mentored the students. "It was great for the students to meet alumni who were in their shoes just a few years before and are now finding success and adventure in international careers," Dixon-Fowler said.
During a portion of the Holland students' trip, a 10-day program at Fudan, the students were exposed to the challenges of doing business in China and participated in lectures given by professors in Fudan's School of Management. They visited the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. They were exposed to the practices of international business during visits to state-owned enterprises and foreign joint ventures in China, and by meeting Hong Kong businesspersons.
While in Vietnam the other group traveled to Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site representing a fusion of cultures in an international commercial port. They toured an Adidas manufacturing plant where one of the alumni works in Ho Choi Mihn City (Saigon), the economic center of Vietnam. In Cambodia they visited Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh, and the rice fields of the Svay Rieng province, where they helped install a well as part of a Wine to Water Project (http://winetowater.org).
Photojournalist and university photographer Marie Freeman '85 was embedded with the students for portions of both trips.