CNU, North African students participate in cultural exchange program
News Release - June 29, 2006
Media contact:
Karen L. Gill
Office of Communications and Public Relations
(757) 594-8428
(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — College students from Morocco and Algeria are learning about American culture by spending the month of July at Christopher Newport University.
In addition to classroom learning, the 20 North African students at CNU will learn about American history and government, American culture and Virginia’s ecology through excursions and site visits. They also will learn about leadership and volunteerism and have opportunities to strengthen their English-language speaking and writing skills. Twenty CNU students will live and study with the North African students, who will be on the CNU campus from July 2 to July 30.
The North African students and CNU students will spend about four weeks at CNU, but also embark on excursions to Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Hampton, Virginia Beach, and Washington D.C. as part of the program.
CNU developed the Tidewater-North Africa Exchange Program through the Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative to build bridges between cultures and give students an opportunity to share their respective histories, backgrounds and cultures. It is an initiative through the CNU Office of International Initiatives and Fellowships.
“This is just the first phase of the program,” said Constance Gianulis, director of the Office of International Initiatives and Fellowships. “This year CNU, its faculty, and most importantly, its students will host our North African friends, while next year, the participating CNU students will travel to Morocco as the second phase of the program,” said Gianulis.
The 20 CNU students will travel in connection with the Tangier American Legation Museum for a three-week cultural and educational experience, including attending seminars on the history, religion and culture of the region; exploring regional cultural/historical sites; and earning academic credit.
Then the North African and CNU students will participate in a two-day workshop to share the experiences of both cultural perspectives, focusing on shared values and the importance of intra-cultural understanding.
Christopher Newport University is a four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU enrolls 4,800 students in programs through its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Luter School of Business and offers great teaching, small classes and an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. Visit us at www.cnu.edu.