Orientation agenda
Monday, August 26, 2013
| All Day | Individual Arrivals |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Arrivals and Registration Snacks and lunch vouchers available throughout the day. |
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | Informal Dinner Traditional American Barbeque Dinner in the University Student Commons, with GEO staff and international students. |
| 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Billiards and Games Billiards and Games in the University Student Commons Break Point Game Room. |
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast at the Doubletree Hotel |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | Welcome Remarks McKenna Brown will welcome participants to VCU. |
| 9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | Fulbright Remarks and Overview |
| 10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Agenda Overview Speaker: Amber Bennett Hill, Director of International Student and Scholar Programs (ISSP), Global Education Office, VCU |
| 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break |
| 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. | Networking Activity GEO will utilize NAFSA's intercultural activity toolkit to select an interactive networking activity that will encourage participants to work together across cultural and regional lines. This activity will help participants to get to know one another and will begin the process of forming the group's common identity as Fulbrighters. Speaker: Elizabeth Hiett, Special Programs Coordinator, Global Education Office, VCU |
| 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. | Fulbright Grant Benefits and Responsibilities |
| 1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Lunch Participants will be divided into seating arrangements based on U.S. university regions. Box lunches will be provided for participants. |
| 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. | Understanding U.S. Academic Culture This presentation will discuss the importance of autonomy, initiative, and integrity in American higher education. Participants will talk about the roles and responsibilities of faculty and students; the size and nature of the academic workload; the nature of critical thinking, reading, writing, classroom participation, group work, lectures, seminars, and exams; and sources of academic support on most campuses. We will discuss the many relationships students have at the University with faculty, peers, advisors, administrators, and staff. Students will be encouraged to exercise good time management skills; to seek help from faculty and other sources when needed; to demonstrate flexibility and resilience; to use helpful criticism to improve; and to practice good communication skills and exercise independence. The presentation will be seminar in style, combining lecture with student involvement and short activities. Speaker: Amber Bennett Hill, Director of International Student and Scholar Programs (ISSP), Global Education Office, VCU |
| 3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. | Afternoon Break Participants will have an opportunity to explore VCU, visit Richmond, the Carytown shopping district, or recover from their jet-lag. |
| 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Dinner Participants will join leaders of local community and campus organizations for a buffet meal of heavy hors d'oeuvres at a popular local restaurant in Richmond's vibrant art district. |
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast at the Doubletree Hotel. |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. | Adjusting to U.S. Culture and Dealing with Culture Shock This workshop will outline some basic values and characteristics of Americans, such as organization, honesty, justice, privacy, and humor. This workshop will also focus on the rights that the Fulbrighters have as non-U.S. citizens. The session will begin by a group discussion on what the participants have been exposed to about U.S. culture (previous travel, movies, music, news, tourists in their own countries, etc.). The group will then break into smaller work groups, each working on a particular topic such as interacting with cashiers in stores; asking for directions or help from a stranger; visiting someone's home; talking about religion (or not); interacting with the opposite sex, children, the elderly, etc. The groups will share a short summary of their discussion with the group. This workshop will provide a forum for students to discuss how to recognize culture shock, ways in which different people react to it, and strategies for avoiding and coping with culture shock. Speaker: Staff of the Global Education Office |
| 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Break |
| 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. | Overview of Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE) and General Health and Wellness This session, following on the session regarding culture shock, will introduce students to the basic premises of academic wellness; how to reduce the effects of personal and professional stress; and where to find help for physical and emotional issues on campus. As well, we will discuss the importance of creating a "wellness network" of friends, co-workers, family, and health providers. Speaker: Staff of Institute of International Education (for ASPE) Staff of the Global Education Office and the Wellness Center |
| 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Participants will be given meal tickets to Shafer Court Dining Center. |
| 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | U.S. Politics and People In assigned groups, participants will visit one of three of Richmond’s historical landmarks: the Capital and the Executive Mansion, Richmond Battlefield Park, or the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House. Vans to locations will depart from the Student Commons at 2:00 pm. Speaker: Faculty from VCU's Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs |
| 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Team-building/Cultural Activity GEO staff will develop a team-building activity that uses Richmond's historical and cultural heritage and landscape as resources. The group will be split into small teams and will have to work together on a scavenger hunt/fact-finding mission in order to solve a puzzle. |
| 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Dinner Participants in small groups will join host families for dinners in their homes. |
Thursday, August 29, 2013
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast at the Doubletree Hotel |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | Leadership Workshop This session will outline the characteristics of strong communication and decision-making. A panel discussion from campus leaders (administrators, faculty, and students) will offer examples of good leadership tactics and styles, and students will brainstorm effective leader-led solutions to a variety of presented problems. Speaker: Richmond Action Dialogues |
| 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Appropriate Interpersonal Relationships This presentation will introduce students to American expectations about appropriate behavior in professional and social situations. Particular attention will be given to relationships in the classroom and the workplace; American conventions regarding sexuality and personal space; and general concepts of being polite/impolite (in speech, body language, etc.). This workshop will involve role-play and discussions of how to behave and respond in certain situations and will give the participants an opportunity to discuss how behavior in certain situations may differ from what they are accustomed to. Speaker: Staff of the Global Education Office, Wellness Center, and Career Center |
| 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Break |
| 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Fulbright Graduate Student Small Group Discussions / Lunch Participants will share lunch and conversation with current Fulbright Graduate Students from VCU, neighboring schools in Virginia, and members of the Colonial Academic Association. These informal discussions will be small-group conversations between new Fulbright grantees and those already established in the U.S. The conversations will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and to discuss issues related to acclimation and adjustment in American graduate school. Current Fulbright students are asked to discuss the importance of being an ambassador for their culture; getting involved with the host community; taking advantage of the Fulbright network; working with academic advisors; managing family life; managing budgets; and striking a balance between academic and social life. |
| 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Fulbright Goals and Identity (Wrap-up Session) |
| 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Team-building / Cultural Activity GEO staff will develop a team-building activity that uses Richmond's historical and cultural heritage and landscape as resources. The group will be split into small teams and will have to work together on a scavenger hunt/fact-finding mission in order to solve a puzzle. |
| 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Dinner Participants will enjoy a buffet dinner at VCU's Scott House, joined by VCU administration and faculty and members of the Richmond community. This will be an opportunity for the participants to be recognized for the work done throughout the week. |
Friday, August 30, 2013
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast at the Doubletree House |
|---|---|
| All Day | Individual Departures |
