BILLINGS — Montana State University Billings will host the fourth annual International Language Week (ILW) Conference on the university campus from Monday, Oct. 7 to Friday, Oct. 11, 2019.
Global Migration and Mobility is the conference theme, with a full slate of presentations planned for attendees focused on topics of language, language education, migration, identity, and inter-cultural communication.
This is the first time Montana State University Billings has hosted this event and the first time ILW has been held in the United States. In 2018, ILW was held in Taiwan and in 2015 and 2017 it was held in Aschaffenburg, Germany.
This annual meeting is the main venue for visiting university partners and international faculty to participate in joint-teaching activities and workshops offering the opportunity to network, share good practices, and develop new ideas in the fields of language, business, and cultural studies.
“This is a unique opportunity for faculty, students, and community members to learn from international scholars,” said Professor of English Tami Haaland, one of the conference organizers.
This world-wide event will feature international experts in the fields of language, linguistics, cultural studies, literature, history, communication, and business.
Representatives from MSU Billings’ partner universities will be in attendance including the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Japan; the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences (UAS), Germany; the University of Winchester, UK; Nürtingen-Geislingen University, Germany; as well as experts from North Macedonia, Greece, India, Netherlands, China, with additional speakers from Japan and Germany.
Local speakers from the City of Missoula and Rocky Mountain College will also join the lineup for this world-wide event.
Guest of honor and founder of International Language Week Dr. Renate Link from the Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences will be present during the conference to co-host, lecture, and visit MSU Billings as well.
In addition to a variety of international participants, many distinguished members of MSU Billings will be speaking as well, including faculty from the English, modern languages, and communication departments.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to dialogue and learn from our international partners,” said Professor of Communication and Theatre Dr. Sarah Keller, one of the conference organizers. “Our relationships with colleagues from other countries really help open up doors for our students.”
Dr. Paul Foster, executive director of the Office of International Studies has played an instrumental role in the building of partnerships that resulted in this event.
“This is an important international conference that really demonstrates the global reach of international studies at MSUB,” said Foster. “The university offers study abroad opportunities at all of our international partner universities so this will be the first time that many of our partners have been at MSUB at the same time. It is also a great opportunity for our colleagues to enjoy first-hand the beauty of Montana in the fall.”
MSU Billings students, staff, faculty, and the public are invited to attend the sessions and hear from lecturers from across the globe as they make their presentations. An opening reception will be held October 7, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in McDonald Hall, room 355. A full schedule of events is available online [msubillings.edu].
Support for this event comes from Humanities Montana, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Business, the Office of International Studies, and the MSU Billings English and Communication Departments.
For more information about the 2019 International Language Week, contact Dr. Paul Foster, Office of International Studies Director at 406-247-5785 or paul.foster4@msubillings.edu.
