A small crowd gathered around visiting professor Ulisses Rocha and his guitar Tuesday morning in the Hub.
Rocha, a 51-year-old Bacardi Family Eminent Scholar at the Center for Latin American Studies in collaboration with the School of Music, performed traditional Brazilian music to kick off International Education Week.
“The international education is important because [it] creates the basis for information and culture exchange, the most short way to a rich and peaceful life,” Rocha wrote in an email.
The United States departments of State and Education organize International Education Week to celebrate the exchange of education and ideas. The week officially ends Friday, but campus events last until Sunday.
“It is an attempt to raise up international education at universities across the country,” said David Sammons, dean of the UF International Center.
This year’s theme is “Picture Yourself Connecting with the World!”
Academic centers participated more this year, Sammons said. Nearly every college on campus is involved with International Education Week.
Tuesday’s events included the VISA World Fair on the Reitz Union Colonnade, the annual Global Photo Reception Competition and the International Educator of the Year Ceremony.
This year’s winners of the International Educator awards were Florin Curta in the senior faculty category, Richard Rheingans in the junior faculty category and Joe Rojo in the staff category.
“We all have a place in the international arena, whether we leave the state or not,” Sammons said.
New events this year include short films shown by the Center for European Studies, academic discussions on languages and events like Arabic Name Writing.
Students can also get a taste of different cultures at the dining halls.
Asian, Mediterranean and Caribbean cuisine will be served throughout the week.
About 5,000 students and 2,000 scholars and faculty from about 100 countries study or work at UF, and about 2,000 UF students study abroad.
“As a Brazilian, I know that the culture mixing brings positive values in terms of coexistence, respect and fellowship,” Rocha said. “This is what’s really important.”
