Saudi Arabian delegation visits School of Education

Fourteen international visitors from Saudi Arabia visited Elon University and the School of Education on Nov. 2 to engage in a cultural exchange on the topic of education.

Woody Pelton, dean of global education and assistant professor, Ann Bullock, dean of the School of Education and professor of education, and Jeffrey Carpenter, associate professor of education and director of the Teaching Fellows Program, provided international visitors with an overview of Elon University and its global programs, an overview of the School of Education and the academic programs available to its students and the use of technology for teacher collaboration. Alexa Darby, professor of psychology, and Mary Knight-McKenna, associate professor of education, presented about service-learning coursework and how to build partnerships within the community.

The International Visitor Leadership Program is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Each year approximately 5,000 emerging leaders come to the U.S. as participants in this program, with the participants typically mid-career professionals between 25 and 45 years old.

Since the program’s start, more than 200,000 international visitors have participated including more than 330 current or former chiefs of state or heads of government. Participants are nominated and selected by the staff at U.S. Embassies worldwide and invited for a three-week trip to four to six American cities.

For many international visitors, this is their first visit to the U.S. During their time in each city, international visitors meet with their U.S. counterparts to exchange viewpoints and gain new insights on professionally related topics, as well as experience U.S. culture through activities and in-home dinner experiences. 

This is the third delegation co-hosted by Isabella Cannon Global Education Center and the School of Education this academic year.