Global Engagement Newsletter

From the University Committee on International Affairs chair

As a global land-grant institution, Virginia Tech is deeply committed to equipping our students with the international knowledge and experiences essential for their future. Our university understands that fostering global awareness isn’t merely an advantage — it’s a necessity.

As we approach International Education Week, Virginia Tech stands ready to embrace this global celebration of cross-cultural learning and exchange. 

International Education Week aims to engage the whole university

International Education Week at Virginia Tech is an opportunity to celebrate Hokies’ diverse international backgrounds and to showcase Virginia Tech’s intercultural communities, global connections, and international engagement.

Observed by universities across the U.S., International Education Week will be celebrated at Virginia Tech from Nov. 11–16. 

Activities for students, employees, and local community members will keep the entire campus community engaged in celebrating international education. 

Q&A: The refugee who refused to be an untold story

When Mary Maker steps onto a stage — whether at the U.N. General Assembly, Time magazine’s Women of the Year Gala, TEDx, or in a classroom at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya — she commands attention — not through volume but through authenticity. Every word carries the weight of someone determined to be heard.

Maker, who will address the Virginia Tech community as the keynote speaker during International Education Week, brings both a challenge and an invitation: to understand that displacement — whether from war, natural disaster, or personal circumstance — is a universal human experience that demands not just empathy, but action.

Change to Policy 1070 impacts university-supported travelers

To continue assisting university-supported travelers going outside of the 50 United States, the Global Travel Oversight Committee has updated Policy 1070: Global Travel Policy.

Fiscal persons, business managers, departmental leadership, and anyone else who engages in university-supported global international travel should familiarize themselves with what has and has not changed about Policy 1070.

• Australia: Octopus-Inspired Glue Excels Underwater
  featuring Michael D. Bartlet
• France: What Humans Can Learn From Animals That Age Better Than Us
  featuring the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
• Belgium: Smart Mobility Digital Twin for Hybrid Autonomous and Remote Driving
  featuring Walid Saad
• India: Researchers discover molecular mechanism for bacterial infection
  featuring Daniel Capelluto

• To share comments or suggestions or to have universitywide events or notices featured in this newsletter, email globalnews@vt.edu.
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