The University of Missouri-Rolla will sponsor free cultural and informational events Thursday, Nov. 17, in observance of International Education Week.

The UMR international affairs office is sponsoring these programs in conjunction with the national observance by the U.S. Departments of State and Education. The theme for this year’s international event is “International Education: Improving Student Achievement Around the World.”

UMR’s international students will have cultural exhibits and share appetizers from their home countries in “Tastes of the World,” 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the atrium of the civil engineering building on the UMR campus. The exhibits will represent several different countries, including Thailand, Turkey, Italy, Libya, China, Venezuela and India.

This event will be followed by an international faculty panel discussion from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Room 125 of the civil engineering building. “The faculty panel is intended to help international students adjust to the new academic and social culture of an American campus, specifically UMR,” says Roberta Morgan, event coordinator. “In the past, faculty members have discussed their experiences first arriving to the United States, and the various adjustments that they’ve had to make.”

Dr. Hal Nystrom, associate professor of engineering management and systems engineering, will act as moderator. Panelists will include UMR professors Dr. D.J. Berlarbi, Dr. Judy Raper, Dr. Morris Kalliny, Dr. Sahra Sedigh-Ali and Dr. K.M. Isaac.

For more information on Thursday’s programs, contact UMR international affairs at (573) 341-6703, or email Morgan at birdie@mst.edu.