The world we live in has become a global village. It is easier than ever to get in contact with people across the world. We are all connected in some way or another.
With this in mind, Saint Louis University is celebrating Atlas Week, which begins on Monday, April 2. For two years, a committee made up of faculty from across the University and the International Center have been planning to bring this event to our campus.
The purpose of Atlas Week is to celebrate the international dimensions of a SLU education. These international aspects are not just found in the international student population, the University’s foreign campuses, and in studying a foreign language. An international approach can be applied to every major, such as business, public relations or education.
Some of the events to take place during Atlas Week include open houses at the language houses, films and a lecture series dealing with a variety of international topics. There will also be open classes so that students can sit in on foreign language classes, such as Italian, Russian or Hindi. Other classes are available in the Business, History and Medicine departments.
On April 5, there will be a signature symposium entitled “Education and Service in the Jesuit Tradition: Responses to Culture and Context.” This symposium will bring together Jesuit educators from Chile, El Salvador, Japan and SLU to discuss how Jesuits from radically different perspectives interpret and respond to the same mission. University Provost Sandra Johnson said, “The symposium will provide insight on how parallel institutions respond to and apply the mission within the context of dynamic cultural differences.”
The week-long celebration will culminate with the Billiken World Festival on Friday, April 6 at noon in Boland Plaza. The festival will kick off with the Parade of Nations, which begins at 11:30 a.m. The parade will represent the countries of all the students at SLU.
The festival will be both educational and entertaining. Darrell Bradley, president of the International Student Federation said, “The festival will bring together the academics and talent of the University’s students.” More than 40 student groups are participating in the festival. The festival will have around-the-clock events from noon until 3 p.m.
There will be numerous international and American diversity events, such as Native American flute playing, African drummers, Vietnamese folk singing and African-American art.
For a complete schedule of events for Atlas Week, visit the Web site http://atlas.slu.edu.
