A series of events, including the International Student Cultural Organization’s annual festival, will take place at Troy University next week in observance of International Education Week.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

Known as Alabama’s International University, TROY serves more than 1,000 international students, is home to Alabama’s only Confucius Institute with a statewide mission and has a growing study abroad program that annually provides students with opportunities to immerse themselves in other cultures around the world.

“The week-long series of events provides Troy University an opportunity to share its unique international initiatives with faculty, students, staff and the general community,” said Maria Frigge, associate dean of international student services. “Our international students are an important part of the University community and International Education Week helps to shine a light on the impact that international education has here at TROY and around the country.”

The week’s events will kick off at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday with the annual International Rotary Luncheon in the Trojan Center Ballrooms on the Troy Campus. The program will feature welcoming remarks from Troy Rotary Club President Maggie Hammond, Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., and Troy University SGA President Gus McKenzie, along with an international flag ceremony and entertainment by international students.

Other activities on Tuesday include a Study Abroad Panel Discussion at 2:30 p.m. in Trojan Center Room 119 and an international soccer tournament, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

International Programs and international student organizations will take to the Quad in front of Bibb Graves Hall on Nov. 14, for “A Taste of International Life.” The event, which features samples of food and drink from various countries, will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

TROY’s History Department and the College of Arts and Sciences will present “Reflecting on 1968: The 50th Anniversary of Global Revolutions” at 2 p.m. on Nov. 14 in the International Arts Center. The roundtable discussion will feature TROY faculty members Dr. Margaret K. Gnoinska, Dr. Robert Kruckeberg and Dr. Kathryn Tucker. Dr. Timothy Buckner will serve as moderator for the panel discussion.

On Nov. 15, Nimrod T. Frazer will discuss his latest book “The Best World War I Story I Know: On the Point in Argonne” during the History Department’s presentation “Alabama’s Soldiers in the Great War: The Centennial of the End of World War I.” TROY history professors Drs. Kruckeberg and Gnoinska will moderate the event and discuss the significance of World War I for French and European history, memory, and politics. The event will begin at 1 p.m. in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor.

The annual ISCO Festival is set for 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the Trojan Center Ballrooms. The festival will include international food and entertainment by TROY’s international students. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for non-students and $5 for children ages five and over and are available at the Trojan Center on the Troy Campus or by contacting the Center for International Programs at 334-670-3335.

The week’s activities will wrap up on Nov. 16 with a Visiting Scholars Symposium at 1 p.m. in the Hawkins-Adams-Long Hall of Honor.