The University of Missouri-Rolla will sponsor free cultural and informational events Thursday, Nov. 16, 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.

UMR’s international students will present cultural exhibits and share appetizers from their home countries in “Tastes of the World,” 4-5 p.m. in the atrium of the Havener Center 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 a Muslim student and faculty panel from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Carver-Turner Room in the Havener Center. “International students and faculty will discuss their adjustment to the new academic and social culture of an American campus, specifically UMR,” says Roberta Morgan, international student advisor and event coordinator. “Individuals from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, and Libya have been invited to participate in this panel about the experiences and challenges facing Muslim students in the U.S.”

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