On Wednesday, November 12th 2014, undergraduate and graduate students from across campus gathered to participate in an intercultural professional development event sponsored by the Office of International Education, Center for Career Discovery and Development, and the Office of Diversity Programs.  

The event included a viewing of a film entitled "A World of Difference: Understanding Cross-Cultural Communication in a Global Economy." This DVD is used by many large corporate organizations that are looking for a way to “bring cultural factors to life” and explore the challenges that international teams face due to cultural misunderstandings. "A World of Difference" is also applicable to university students as it is a tool to prepare them for today’s competitive global economy. During this session, students learned best practices to succeed in diverse international teams as well as improve their own intercultural communication skills.  

This event was one of ten included in the Fall 2014 International Student Professional Development Series.  However, unlike other sessions included in the series, "A World of Difference" brought together both international and non-international students for an evening of intercultural training and career preparation. The diversity in attendance was very valuable during the debrief that took place after the film viewing. Career Development Advisor, Lanie Damon, from the Center for Discovery and Development stated that during the debrief students "expressed some eye-opening reactions" to the movie.  Associate Dean of Students, Stephanie Ray, added that "it was an outstanding event, and it appears the students had several take-aways."

For a preview of "A World of Difference" click here.