Posted 03/13/2000
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8380
Kenya to Kick Off UMC International Series March 20
“Kenya: The Jewel of the African Continent” will kick off the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) 2000 International Seminar Series on Monday, March 20. Dr. Marsha Odom, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Learning Foundations at UMC, will describe eight days of touring the eastern African nation, including Nairobi and all around beautiful Mt. Kenya. Schools, hospitals, pottery and weaving cooperatives, churches, and safaris were part of her visit. Learn more about the Kenya seminar by listening to the March 11 edition of UMC Insight.
The evening begins at 6:00 p.m. with an ethnic dinner for $8.00, followed by a 7:00 p.m. program. The dinner is served in Brown Dining Room of UMC’s Sahlstrom Conference Center. The presentation follows the meal and takes place in Bede Ballroom. The dinner is by reservation only. For reservations or more information please call Meloni Rasmussen at 218-281-8586 or 218-281-8508.
Each dinner in the International Series includes special ethnic recipes from the featured country, according to Mario Prada, Director of Multicultural and International Programs at UMC, and coordinator of the International Seminar Series.
On Monday, March 27 the second dinner in the series will focus on “Agriculture from Around the World” presented by Dr. Steve Jones. Dr. Jones is the director of MAST, the Minnesota Agricultural Student Trainee Program, an agricultural and horticultural exchange program arranging practical training and a term of academic experience for 250 students from 30-40 different countries around the world each year. He has traveled extensively to many countries in search of opportunities for international exchange programs in agriculture, and his dinner seminar will reflect those themes.
The third dinner in the series is entitled “Korea: Returning to My Homeland” presented by Rae French on Monday, April 3. French recently spent a month in Korea as part of a program for Koreans who were adopted by families in other countries. She traveled across South Korea during that time, gaining a better understanding of Korean history, culture, and language. She will present photos and commentary on her experience.
The series culminates in the annual International Dinner, set for Saturday, April 8. UMC’s international students participate in this dinner, providing menu items from their respective home countries as well as entertainment for the program that follows the dinner. Tickets for the International Dinner are $10.00 per person, and are available in advance from the UMC Business Office, Selvig Hall, or from Tours and Travel in Crookston.
For more information, contact Dr. Mario Prada, UMC’s Director of Multicultural and International Programs, at 218-281-8508. Disability accommodations are available upon request and can be made by calling 218-281-8587.