Discover the Culture and Traditions of India

There are two goals Adelphi University continues to strive toward improving upon: offering a welcoming, diverse and inclusive campus for people from various cultures and nations and preparing our students to become global citizens. A new series titled Discover the World With Global Affairs will “welcome students, faculty, staff and administrators from all cultures and give us all a chance to learn and be shaped by different beliefs and cultural values,” according to Wendy Badala, director of International Services.

In the summer of 2019, Susan Briziarelli, PhD, was appointed assistant provost for global affairs, “a new position that reflects the University’s commitment to engaging with the world and comes out of our strategic plan’s call to increase global engagement,” she stated. She oversees Badala and Shannon Harrison, director of the Center for International Education.

Badala said, “Our goal is to work alongside the International Leadership Coordinating Committee to bring a new focus each year for us to provide opportunities for learning and exposure to new cultures. Today’s economy, workplace, social interests and playgrounds are global environments. It is essential that we build the intercultural and cross-cultural competencies essential in today’s society.”

Part forum, part mixer, the event will host Indian students in roundtable conversations about their cultures, traditions and experiences. Hanna Kim, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology, is the facilitator. Attendees—students, faculty, and administrators and staff—will get to mix and mingle with students of Indian origin as they enjoy Indian snacks known as chaat.

Badala said the idea for the forum on India came about after Dr. Kim facilitated a provost’s roundtable on India in Fall 2019. “This program was very well attended and it demonstrated the University’s interest in learning more about culture in India,” she said. “According to the Institute of International Education, India is the second-largest source of international students in the United States. It is also our second largest source of international students at Adelphi.”

Dr. Kim noted that many people are aware of India’s rich history and linguistic and cultural diversity, but their perceptions of India are often shaped by stereotypes, exotic images, and how the nation and its people are portrayed in popular culture.

Aside from Dr. Kim, key organizers of the forum include Ling Chen, director of student services for Adelphi University International, and Vardha Kharbanda, programming and communications graduate assistant, International Student Services.

Learn more about the event and RSVP.

Harrison said the student facilitators are a few of the 80 international students participating in a new program called Global Experts: The Sharing and Collaboration of Knowledge. These global experts are available to share their knowledge and experiences with the Adelphi community during in-class conversations and extracurricular programming. For more information or to register as a global expert, please contact globalaffairs@adelphi.edu.