Ohio University will host Malaysia’s deputy prime minister as part of its first International Education Week.
IEW is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education and is held annually at universities and organizations. The event is typically held in the middle of November, but under the quarters system at OU it was a time that was too busy for students as they prepared for finals.
Under semesters this changed, and the planning for the week’s events started in April, said Habibah Ashari, a visiting professor from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Selangor, Malaysia.
The week will kick off with Hon. Tan Sri Muhyidden Mohd Yassin, Malaysia’s deputy prime minister and minister of education, giving the keynote address.
“Malaysia at Ohio University: Celebrating Five Decades of Strategic Partnerships” will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Baker University Center 240 and 242.
This year OU is celebrating 50 years of partnership with Malaysia. It will be the prime minister’s first visit to OU, Ashari said.
The opening reception will be held Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Baker Ballroom.
The planning committee included a representative from every college within the university. Each college worked on their own programs before bringing all of them together, said Deborah Meyer, IEW committee chair and assistant professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The week of events is a great chance for students and the Athens community to get engaged in the work that is being done in international studies programs, said Lorna Jean Edmonds, vice provost for global affairs.
“It allows for all the work in this area to be profiled and showcased,” Edmonds said.
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