UF's College of Design, Construction and Planning celebrates international education

November 1, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning will showcase exhibits from all international programs offered through the college with an exhibition Nov. 12 –16 as part of International Education Week. A public reception will be held at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Architecture Building Gallery.

International Education Week is part of an effort by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment. With more than 20 international initiatives offered within the college, students have the opportunity to experience professional development on six continents.

The exhibit will display international education initiatives in teaching, research and service from all academic units of the college. William Tilson, architecture professor and assistant dean of international studies and service learning, said DCP has been doing this formally since 1983.

“Creating a broad range of international settings for students and faculty for learning, discovery and engagement is a core mission of our college,” Tilson said. “We now have programs and partnerships with institutions of higher learning on every continent except Antarctica.”

Two of the college’s programs, the Preservation Institute: Caribbean, which began in 1983, and the Vicenza Institute of Architecture, which began in 1985, are among the longest running international programs on the UF campus.

“Our goal is to give every DCP student the opportunity to gain an international experience. In fact some units, like the School of Architecture, are already providing this opportunity to about 75 percent of their students.”