FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2003
CONTACT: Kay Hendricks, ACCD Coordinator of Communication
210.208.8006
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION EXPERT VITALE KEYNOTES ACCD’S INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK
In celebration of International Education Week, the Alamo Community College District hosted a kickoff event on November 17 in the Community Meeting Room of the ACCD’s George E. Killen Community Education and Service Center at 201 W. Sheridan.
Dr. Robert Vitale, the recently retired district director of international education at Miami-Dade College and a world-renowned authority in the area, delivered the keynote address. ACCD Chancellor J. Terence Kelly introduced Vitale and discussed the importance of international education at community colleges. Vitale, whose career in international education spans 42 years, addressed "International Education Abroad and the Community College Student."
As part of the celebration, a representative of City Councilman Enrique Barrera presented the proclamation from the city recognizing November 17-21 as International Education Week. San Antonio College student Paul Powell, head delegate to the SAC Mock Organization of American States conference, spoke regarding the importance of international education for students, and students from the ACCD’s CASS program were introduced.
"Recent events continue to make it clear that a global perspective and an understanding of many different cultures and attitudes is vital to our well-being and that of the entire world," said ACCD Chancellor Dr. J. Terence Kelly. "This event illustrates our commitment to supporting international education as a way to improve the lives of not only our international students, but local students and our faculty and staff as well."
Vitale’s accomplishments in international education have included serving as the project director for the creation of the American International College of Mexico. From 1989-1998, he also served as executive director of the Florida Consortium for International Education and was coordinator of the FCIE Argentina Project, which established the first community college in Argentina and was responsible for the creation of the College Consortium for International Studies (CCIS) study abroad programs in France, Austria and Costa Rica. He was co-director of the Florida-France Institute and the Florida-Brazil Institute, two of 11 international linkages established by the Florida legislature. He also served on the Florida Council on International Education in the Languages at Miami-Dade College.
Vitale has been awarded the rank of Commander dans l’Ordre de Palmes in American relations. He was also honored with the Ruth and Jack Kassewitz Endowed Teaching Chair at Miami-Dade. He currently resides in Florida and has lived and worked in Costa Rica, Mexico, France and Italy. Vitale holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Modern Languages from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in Medieval French from the University of Maryland at College Park. He also studied at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, the University of Munich, the University of Amsterdam and Stanford University.
The observance of International Education Week began in 2000 as part of a larger response by the State Department and Department of Education to an April 19, 2000 Presidential Directive aimed at increasing support for international education. The week is intended as a global forum for promoting and celebrating the benefits of international education.
International Education Week events will be held November 17-21 at three of the ACCD’s colleges—Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College and San Antonio College. These include arts and crafts, entertainment and food from around the world, video screenings, seminars on studying abroad, seminars on careers in international education and a model Organization of American States symposium conducted by ACCD students.