Jefferson City – More than 250 college students from 54 countries visited the Missouri Capitol on Wednesday, February 24. Students had a chance to observe legislative sessions, and visited representatives from the districts where they study. Five international students from Missouri State met Senator Norma Champion, who had fought hard for the Missouri State’s name change in 2005. Students also had an opportunity to hear speakers from the departments of higher education and economic development.

International Education Day was organized by Study Missouri Consortium, a group of 25 Missouri colleges and universities organized the event to celebrate and encourage cultural exchange and study abroad opportunities.

Missouri currently serves 11,285 international students. According to a survey conducted by Study Missouri, students from other countries are attracted to Missouri by the state’s friendly atmosphere, safe environment and low cost of living.

Missouri students who study abroad also took part in International Education Day. Heather MacCleoud, research associate for the Missouri Department of Higher Education, said her experience studying in other countries gave her a broader perspective on world events. “Being comfortable in other cultures is also a huge asset in today’s global economy,” MacCleoud said.

Missouri is 17^th in the nation in the number of international students studying here, and they contribute an estimated $270.9 million to the state economy each year.

The 31th Annual International Banquet
Recipe Submission Guidelines
Dear Students,
This is Minnie Njoki from the Association of International Students. I am the Chairperson of the Food Committee for the 31th Annual International Banquet and Show. The International Banquet is one of the most important shows that is organized and made successful with the help of all the international students at MSU.
Every year, different countries make food from their country for the banquet. We pay for the ingredients of the dish you want to make, but the students make the dish for their country. We need a variety of dishes, including hot and cold, and meat, vegetarian, main dish, side dish, and salad. (Please note: no desserts.) Each country can submit two or three recipes of different kinds of dishes to have a better chance of getting a recipe accepted, but we can only serve eight dishes total at the Banquet.
The Food Committee will meet after all the recipes have been submitted and will select eight to prepare for the Banquet. We will be looking for a representation of different countries and continents, a variety of kinds of dishes, and also give priority to countries that didn’t get to cook last year. If your country only has two or three students, we can find helpers to help you cook on cooking night (Friday night before the banquet).
You will see the guidelines for recipe submission on the page attached.
Please submit the recipe ONLY to Minnie Njoki at mr115@live.missouristate.edu.
Deadlines:
Final call of recipe submission: October 12th, 2009 by 5:00 PM (CST)
If we do not have a good variety of recipes, or a good representation of countries, we will send out a second call for more recipes. ALL recipes must be submitted by October 12th. NO RECIPES will be accepted after October 12th. The names of people who are going to help must be submitted by October 26th (If there are only two or three students from your county, we can find helpers to help you cook.) In addition, for countries that cook hot dishes or need rice, helpers from that group will have to come on November 14th (Saturday) at 2:00pm to reheat food and to cook rice.
This is just a list of brief guidelines on recipe submission. After the recipes are selected, a more detailed instruction will be given out to the selected groups. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 415.420.3417 or via email at njoki205@live.missouristate.edu. Thank you for your participation!
Sincerely,
Minnie Njoki

The 31th Annual International Banquet
Recipe Submission Guidelines
• Name of the dish:
• Name of country:
• Contact person:
Name:
Phone number:

Email address:

• Type of recipe:
0 Main dish
0 Side dish
Vegetarian 0 Yes 0 No

0 Hot dish
0 Cold dish
Spicy 0 Yes 0 No

Other:

• List of exact ingredients (Quantities for 10 Servings):

• Cooking directions( in detail):

• Number of people that can help cooking on November 14th (Friday night before the banquet):

• Notes:
 No dessert recipe.
 The dish should be something that can be eaten with a fork.
(No spoons, knives, or bowls will be provided.)
 Each country can submit more than one recipe.
 Eight recipes will be selected by the food committee.
Please submit the recipe ONLY to Aries Chan at mr115@live.missouristate.edu.

Performance Guidelines for the 31st Annual International Banquet

• Name of the Performance
• Performance category = dance, skit, poem, fashion show, etc….
• Number of participants
• Contact information for the person representing the country or group performing
• Brief description of the performance
• Any special requirements
Please submit this information to Uche Iheukwumere, performance chair: Chey04_07@yahoo.com or Iheukwumere074@live.missouristate.edu by October 18th, midnight no later.
The performance should be anything that you feel will best showcase your culture. It can be, for example, anything from a traditional or modern dance, a skit, a fashion show, to a song or poem, even a comedic act, whatever you feel is a representation of you and your culture. Your performance should be between 5-7 minutes and no more. It is important for your group to keep in mind this timeframe when you are brainstorming for your performance.
You may submit your performance description as early as October 7th but ALL performances must be submitted by October 18th. NO PERFORMANCE will be accepted after October 18th. The music and all names of performers must be submitted by October 31st.
Between the October 18th and October 31st, you will have to make arrangements with me to come and see your performance. If you cannot find a place to rehearse, please let me know and I will try to help you find one.
When submitting the music, please make a copy of the song or songs you will be performing on a single CD.
Thank you for your participation and let’s work together on making another successful banquet.

Uche Iheukwumere
Performance Chair for the 31st International Banque

The purpose of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans: http://www.pdsoros.org/ is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields.

The complete news release is available online.

The office of the provost at Missouri State University recently announced plans to institute a new International Center. The center is being implemented to better consolidate services and support for international students and faculty.  

The new International Center will include International Student Services (ISS), the English Language Institute (ELI) and Study Away. The center, to be housed in the Jim D. Morris Center for Continuing Education building, is expected to be fully operational by the end of the spring semester.

The complete news release is available online.

Missouri State University has made a major new commitment to enhance its statewide mission in public affairs. Beginning in the fall of 2009, all new freshmen who enroll at Missouri State will be eligible to receive the $500 Missouri State Study Away voucher.

The complete news release is available online.