International Education Week Brings the World to Baylor

When Baylor University’s Center for Global Engagement began coordinating International Education Week campus-wide in 2019, the vision was simple: create opportunities for students, faculty and staff to engage more intentionally with the world—and with one another.

Six years later, International Education Week (IEW) has grown into one of Baylor’s most collaborative campus traditions, bringing together academic departments, student organizations and campus partners for a week of learning, conversation, celebration and connection. What began as a small collection of globally focused programs has become a weeklong celebration featuring academic lectures, cultural showcases, international dining experiences, student storytelling, faculty engagement and community-wide events.

At its heart, the purpose has remained the same: create opportunities for the Baylor community to encounter the world.

Bringing Global Learning to Campus

Each year, IEW gives students opportunities to encounter new perspectives, engage with international issues and celebrate the cultures represented within the Baylor community. The programming reflects the many ways global learning can happen. A conversation about global health can introduce students to challenges far beyond their own communities, while a cultural festival can offer a glimpse into another country through food, music and traditions. A study abroad event can help a student imagine themselves learning somewhere new, while other events create opportunities simply to listen—to hear another person’s story and discover a perspective different from their own.

That variety is intentional. Global engagement does not happen in only one classroom, through one program or for one type of student. It can happen through academic learning, cultural exchange, personal relationships and moments of curiosity. International Education Week brings those experiences together in one place, creating opportunities for students to encounter the world in ways that are both structured and unexpected.

A Campus-Wide Effort

One of the most meaningful parts of IEW’s growth has been the increasing level of collaboration across Baylor. CGE does not create the week alone. Faculty members incorporate global themes into courses and presentations, student organizations host cultural celebrations and dialogue events, campus partners create opportunities for international and domestic students to connect, and academic departments contribute programs that bring global perspectives into their own areas of expertise.

Together, those contributions have transformed IEW from a collection of individual events into a genuinely university-wide initiative. That collaboration also makes the week more accessible. International dining collaborations with Baylor Dining Services introduce students to cuisines and traditions from around the world, while signature events such as the International Fall Festival bring the Baylor community together in celebration. Story Exchange creates space for students to share personal experiences and build connections through listening.

Each event offers a different way to encounter the world, reinforcing the idea that global engagement can take many forms.

Celebrating the People Who Make Baylor Global

International Education Week is also an opportunity to recognize that Baylor’s global community is already present on campus. Students arrive from different countries and cultures, faculty and staff bring international experiences and perspectives, and domestic students participate in study abroad, international research, missions and other global learning opportunities.

IEW creates a space where those experiences can come together. The result is not simply a celebration of international education, but a celebration of the people who make Baylor a more vibrant, caring and global community. The week encourages students to ask questions, learn from one another and recognize that global engagement can begin without ever leaving Waco.

A Growing Tradition

The 2025 celebration marked another milestone with the introduction of the inaugural GLOBE Awards, recognizing excellence in global engagement across the Baylor community.

The addition of the awards reflected something that has become increasingly clear over the past six years: global engagement at Baylor is not the work of one office. It is a community effort.

New programs continue to join returning traditions, and each year brings new opportunities for students, faculty and staff to participate. That continued growth reflects the enthusiasm and investment of the Baylor community—and the increasing recognition that international education has a place across the University.

More Than a Week

After six years, International Education Week has become more than an annual series of programs. It has become a reflection of Baylor’s larger Global Baylor vision: preparing students to lead and serve in an interconnected world with cultural awareness, curiosity, compassion and a genuine appreciation for the cultures and perspectives that surround them.

The week celebrates international education and exchange, but it also reinforces something bigger: a vibrant global community is built when people are willing to listen. It grows when people are curious about one another. It becomes stronger when differences are not simply acknowledged, but valued. And it takes shape when students have opportunities to understand both the world around them and their own place within it.

International Education Week gives Baylor a dedicated moment each year to do all of those things together, but the hope is that the conversations do not end when the week does.

Because bringing the world to Baylor is not something that happens for one week in the fall. It is part of preparing Baylor students to live, lead and serve wherever their futures take them.