 The International Networking Initiative Grace Davis and Ming Liu

Mission Statement “The International Network Initiative exists to bring together domestic and international students here at Texas A&M University for the purpose of bridging cultural gaps and increasing cross-cultural awareness.”

Objectives  Increase voluntary, informal communication within the Texas A&M student body between international students and domestic students.  Increase the amount of interaction and involvement between the Aggies and international students outside of class.  Reduce the amount of culture shock experienced by Aggies whenever meeting a foreigner or traveling abroad.

Strategy  Start small.  Leverage our contacts in international and domestic student organizations to recruit dialogue participants  Maintain open dialogue with all participants.  Focus on building a sustainable program.

INI Pilot Sessions  Focus on Chinese Culture  16 Student Limit  Three-Sessions  1 Hour in Duration

Session #1  Attendance  4 Domestic, 2 International  Main Topics  Government and Politics  Food  Duration  Allocated an hour, Exceeded by 40 minutes

Session #2  Attendance  5 Domestic, 5 International  Main Topics  Movies & Music  Sports  Duration  Allocated 1.5 Hours

Challenges  Finding suitable dates/times  Recruiting domestic students  Student attendance  Funding  Manpower

Successes  Meaningful connections and conversations  Increased student interest  Potential for program longevity  Testimonials

Project Evaluation  Assessment Tools  Surveys  Dialogues  Challenges v. Successes  What we’d do differently

Sustainability  Partnership with International Business Association (IBA)  Funding  Manpower  Sustainability  Expansion Opportunities  Class Size  Cultural Coverage  Amount of Sessions  Twice a Year vs Once a year

Conclusions  Overall, a successful pilot year  Valuable experience not only for participants, but for us as well  Sharpened leadership skills  Increased self-awareness  Greater cultural understanding

Questions?

The International Networking Initiative Texas A&M Home of the 12 th manBackgrounds of the 12 th man The INI Bridging the gaps that divides us to realize the similarities that define us