Through a series of lectures from consul general representatives, students are being encouraged to break out of Auburn city limits and open up to international issues.
Al Busyra Basnur of the Republic of Indonesia will speak with students and faculty Monday about currents affairs of Indonesia. Basnur is the consul general for the Indonesian consulate in Houston.
"The initiative began with President Jay Gogue," said Bob McGinnis, senior counsel to the president. "He recognized that about 75-85 percent of our students, or maybe even more, would not have an international experience during their academic career here at Auburn."
McGinnis said Gogue wanted to provide students with the opportunity to hear from formal representatives of foreign countries.
"The undergraduate population here gets very little exposure to what's happening internationally," said Andrew Gillespie, assistant provost for international programs. "This exposure through consul visits is just so valuable to the campus."
Auburn currently enrolls about 100 undergraduate students from foreign countries.
With such a low number, Gillespie said, some faculty are concerned students will not be introduced to enough international issues.
"Through these visits the consuls learn about us and what we're doing," Gillespie said. "Then they can work with us to create collaborations with the University."
Consul General Gandy Thomas of Haiti spoke with students and faculty Oct. 20 in the Science Center Auditorium about his nation's history. Thomas heads Haiti's recently opened consulate in Atlanta.
Jackson Bradford, sophomore in applied mathematics, said he enjoyed the lecture.
"I really liked it," Bradford said. "It was only 30 minutes long. I don't see why someone couldn't spare 30 minutes to learn about another country."
Other consuls general who have visited Auburn include representatives from France, Germany, Italy and Peru.
"It was announced in AU Daily that there will be a German culture week sponsored by foreign languages here," Gillespie said. "That again is in partnership with the German embassy as a result of the interactions with these consuls."
Topics of discussion usually include health, education and business.
Through these lectures, McGinnis said he hopes students will be given a more global perspective.
"These lectures give students an opportunity to see things differently from being an Alabamian or a citizen of the United States," McGinnis said.
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