International Friends Program

The International Club at NAU is a student-led organization made up of both International and American students. In addition to acting as the official liaison of the International Student Body to the greater NAU community, I-Club takes an active part in organizing activities for its members and building cultural and international awareness on campus, in the community of Flagstaff and the greater Southwest Region. It is associated with the International Office.

Welcome Back!

Welcome home. We are sure that your family and friends are happy to have you back. We hope your experiences abroad are full of good memories and that you had success in your academic program.

As a reminder, please make sure to stop by the International Office once you have returned to NAU. Your study abroad advisor will want to speak with you about your experience and provide you with a program evaluation to complete - you get a study abroad t-shirt for completing the evaluation.

Also remember that it is your responsibility to complete all paperwork associated with the transfer of your classes, credit, grades from your study abroad program. When you meet with your study abroad advisor you will discuss this process. Please contact your advisor to make an appointment.

Advisors
Marilyn Allen - Marilyn.Allen@nau.edu
Matthew Geisler - Matthew.Geisler@nau.edu
Shaya Straw - Shaya.Straw@nau.edu **Please note that Shaya is taking over responsibilities for Germany programs in place of Jenn Grove. You can contact either Shaya or Jenn.

Finally, much has happened since you departed for your study abroad program. You may remember that during the pre-departure orientation we discussed the phenomenon of the cultural adjustment cycle and specifically that we highlighted reentry and reverse culture shock. Please review the information on the linked pages about these phenomena as we hope it will better inform you about what to expect once you return home.

If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us. Again, welcome back.

Expanding Your World

The International Office welcomes you back to Northern Arizona University. We are certain that your experiences from studying abroad have expanded your world to new levels of understanding, both academic and personal.

Northern Arizona University is embarking on a campus wide internationalization strategy that will ideally increase international program opportunities for NAU students and make the campus more reflective of the greater global connections that are reflected in all aspects of humanity.

We would like to hear from you about your study abroad experience. Take a few minutes to write a few paragraphs about your experience. How did it affect you? What value do you place on having these experiences? Make your voice known about your international experiences. The stronger your voice, as students that gain from these experiences, the greater the chance for more opportunities to be available. The International Office will be sharing your stories, along with the stories of NAU professors and staff who pursue professional interests at an international level and foreigners that make Northern Arizona University a part of their education experience, to the NAU community through our electronic campus newsletter. We have a section titled "Expanding Their World" where we highlight stories from these groups. .

You may email Matthew Geisler (Matthew.Geisler@nau.edu) with any submissions that you have. Please send along digital pictures, if possible, of your experiences abroad, so that they can be integrated into your story.

International Office Photo Contest

NAU study abroad students are encouraged to submit photographs from their experiences abroad for the annual NAU International Office Photo Contest.

Submissions* must be as follows:

5 x 7 print. – Digital photos must be printed

• Up to 3 submissions/person are allowed
• Each entry must be clearly labeled on the back of the photo with category, subject matter, and the name, study abroad program, and term abroad of the person submitting the photo

Note: Selected winning photographs will also require a negative to be submitted or if digital the original image digital file

Submissions can be of any content but students should consider the following guidelines when choosing their submissions:

• Landscapes, urban and rural, defining a geographic area
• Portraits illuminating the uniqueness of a cultural/ethnic group
• Culturally significant artifacts, symbols

Prizes

• 1 st place - $50
• 2 nd place - $25
• 3 rd place - $25

Winners will be chosen in October 2006. Students may submit photographs anytime up until the deadline of September 29th, 2006.

*All submitted photographs will be kept by the NAU International Office and may be used for various marketing purposes.

This contest is sponsored by:

University Studies Abroad Consortium