Programs and Activities

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

from the

SUNY Cortland International Programs Office!

From videos, to cookie decorating, to photo booths, look below for some of the fun we got up to this
St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick’s Day Videos

The International Programs Office wants to honor your international experience, whether it be studying abroad, as an international student studying at SUNY Cortland, or to honor your cultural or national heritage. To this end, we offer students the opportunity to purchase a flag sash to wear at graduation, featuring the SUNY Cortland logo on one side and up to three different national flags on the other. The IPO partners with a company called Vision Wear to create the sashes. Students are able to purchase the sashes at a drastically reduced rate thanks to an ASC Grant in the spring semester prior to graduation.

Sash orders can be placed online directly through Vision Wear via this special link. You can select up to three country flags for your international graduation sash. After designing your sash, enter the code CORTLAND2022 at checkout to receive $30 off. Orders must be placed by April 7 at midnight  and all sashes will be shipping to the International Programs Office for pick up during the week of May 9.

Save the date: Thursday, May 12, the International Programs Office will be hosting a special international Graduation Sash ceremony for those who purchase sashes. More details to follow!

We’ve assembled all of the content from International Education Week that we’ve been sharing on our social media in one, easy to find location. Here you’ll find an alumni panel, study abroad alumni reflections, international students reflecting on their time at SUNY Cortland and the SUNY Cortland community reflecting on the impact of our international students.

Going Abroad After College: Graduate Study, Work, and Teaching Abroad:

View the recorded event here.

Study Abroad Alumni Reflections

International Student Reflections

International Student Spotlight

International Student Reflection Videos

For more information on International Education Week, studying abroad, or being an international student at SUNY Cortland, contact the International Programs Office at: studyabroad@cortland.edu

Virtual Cultural Cooking Series

Welcome back, study abroad students!

The International Programs Office hopes you had a wonderful, rewarding experience abroad.  Now that you are back, please complete Module 2 of Dr. Bruce LaBrack's "What's Up with Culture" online tutorial. Please be aware of the Ten top Immediate Reentry Challenges by Dr. Bruce LaBrack.

Complete the Online Evaluation for your Program! Please take the time to complete our online evaluation of your program.  Your feedback is essential so that we may maintain and further improve upon the quality of our international programs. We believe that by completing this evaluation it will also serve to help you reflect upon your experience. 

A few notes about the online evaluation:

• Click on the link below to access the evaluation.
• You will need to set up a login and password to enter the evaluation. This is so you can re-login to finish the survey at a later date/time.
• You will be forwarded to the page you were at when you exited. 
• To leave the evaluation at any point just close out of your browser. To reenter the survey, simply click on the link again.
• Questions marked with a red asterisks * are mandatory- only a few questions are mandatory, most are optional.
• The majority of questions are yes/no or multiple choice. There are many places throughout the evaluation for optional additional comments.
• Total time for the evaluation is between 10- 25 minutes depending on the amount of additional comments provided.
• You may only complete the evaluation only once.

Please check your email and your program's official Facebook page for the link to the online evaluation.

Thank you in advance for your help in assuring quality programming for future participants!

Also, we welcome you to become involved in any of the following international on-campus organizations:

• Become a peer mentor to another student going abroad. Interested students can send an email to studyabroad@cortland.edu

• Become a Study Abroad Peer Advisor:  you will be trained by International Programs staff to help you develop presentation skills. Then, you will visit SUNY Cortland classes to promote our numerous study abroad programs and to share your unique experience abroad with other interested students. Take a look at the Study Abroad Peer Advisors Internship Program Page to apply.

•  SUNY Cortland's Conversation Partners Program (see below for more information)

• Visit the list of Active Clubs and Organizations for more information on:

• Model United Nations
• La Familia Latina
• ACME (Asian Cultural and Media Experience)
• International Awareness Club
• Write articles for NeoVox (SUNY Cortland's award-winning international college student magazine) 

Need a transcript to document your experience abroad? Please contact the Registrar’s Office. 

 The International Programs Office (IPO) is offering internships to return study abroad participants interested in promoting study abroad to SUNY Cortland students.

The Study Abroad Peer Advisors Internship Program is designed to increase the awareness of study abroad programs on the Cortland campus. Promotions will include student presentations that will provide personal stories and knowledge of study abroad in the attempt to inform and generate student interest in studying abroad. Peer Advisors are also encouraged to explore other means by which to connect with students including, but not limited to, social networking, video blogs, and written articles in student interest publications.

Read the Position Description and complete an Application on the Study Abroad Peer Advisors Internship Page by August 16, 2023 to apply for the Fall 2023 semester!

English for Academic Purposes Courses

International students can take Advanced EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses, designed to prepare you for the rigors of SUNY Cortland's content courses and help you improve your academic skills for your entire college career. All new matriculated undergraduate and graduate students who are non-native English speakers participate in a required academic language assessment during orientation so instructors can evaluate which support courses are needed. Exchange students make take the courses with permission from the instructor.

ICC 145 Academic Language & University Practices 3 Credits 2x Per Week 

Different majors have different expectations when it comes to writing style and conventions. Learn about the foundations of good writing and apply your knowledge to specially-designed activities related to your major.

ICC 147 Academic Grammar & Vocabulary 1.5 Credits 1x Per Week

Develop a ‘dynamite’ academic vocabulary and learn how specific grammatical structures ‘associate’ with specific vocabulary for the production of great writing.

ICC 149 Academic Listening & Speaking 1.5 Credits 1x Per Week

Improve your presentational, note-taking, and academic speaking skills. Learn special strategies to improve your listening and pronunciation.

International Student Seminar

Undergraduate degree-seeking students will be part of the International Student Learning Community, designed to help you succeed at SUNY Cortland. All incoming undergraduate international students are required to take IS Seminar (International Student Seminar), a 1-credit course specially designed to help you transition into a new cultural and social environment. U.S. American students serve as your peer mentors in the course. Exchange students and graduate students may take the course with permission from the instructor.

ICC 143 International Student Seminar 1 Credit 1x Per Week

Engages students in critical thinking about their personal, academic and social development as they make the transition to SUNY Cortland.

The Learning Center

The Learning Center offers its services to students who need assistance in learning how to take U.S. American-style exams and prepare U.S. American-style reports or essays. This program also offers tutoring and sessions on how to study, take notes and organize your time more effectively.  The services of The Learning Center are free. Call 607-753-4309 to make an appointment or make an online appointment.

Conversation Partners Program

This extra-curricular program partners internationals students with U.S. American students. Students will meet 1-2 hours per week with the goal of fostering interaction, easing the transition of international students into the SUNY Cortland college community, and to provide an opportunity for domestic and international students to exchange language practice.

The International Programs Office has developed event series to help foster on-going social and cultural integration between international and US students. Within this structure of the event series, international and US students can interact with one another in different social and learning activities. On-campus programming includes cultural presentations where both international students and returned study abroad students can teach their peers and the wider campus community about their own culture or the culture they experienced while studying abroad. The presenters also introduce the audience to some of the food popular to that country or culture. In addition, a Halloween celebration featuring pumpkin carving allows US students to share a unique tradition and holiday that is not popular in many other countries.
The Intercultural Exchange series also includes off campus and local activities, such an excursion to Niagara Falls, snow tubing at Greek Peak Mountain, local sporting events, bowling, movies, shopping trips to Destiny USA mall, NY State Fair, the Syracuse Zoo, and kayaking & paddle-boarding at Taughannock Falls State Park. Students have found that these trips are essential to forging lasting relationships and learning more about their local community.

The International Club (I-Club) welcomes international and U.S. students who would like to experience and learn new cultures from each other through various activities, such as food, language, trips, sporting events, dances, and much more. The I-Club promotes and enhances international awareness, cooperation, cultural diversity and dialogue among students attending SUNY Cortland. Learn more in the International Club's CampusLab. 

Advisor: Sharon Steadman, International Studies

cortlandiac@cortland.edu

Fall 2021 International Student Photo Contest

We’re thrilled to have international exchange students, along with our matriculated international students, back on campus! We’ve asked them to share photos from their experiences in the following three categories.

• Capture the Moment: Do you remember the moment when you realized studying abroad truly was a once in a lifetime experience? Show us a picture of that exact moment: what made you realize it. Capture the moment, your moment, and share it with us! (*students must be in the picture).
• World of Wonder: Display your creative and artistic side with expansive landscapes or small details that showcase your experience as only you can. Streets, small shops in town, parks, sunsets, everything you can think of and capture in an artistic way. (*students do not have to be in the picture).
• Live Like a Local: Do you feel part of the community yet? Celebrate your expanding cultural experiences with the Cortland community: markets, fairs, festivals, ceremonies, and games! Show us you and your friends having fun and displaying your school pride! (*students must be in the picture).

The votes are in and 1^st Prize, Runner Up, Popular Choice, and Honorable Mentions have been awarded in each category! Check out the winners galleries below.

All awards are provided courtesy of a CAS Grant. Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Capture the Moment Category Winners

World of Wonder Category Winners

Live Like a Local Category Winners

View all of our entries in this year's contest below:

Capture the Moment Category Entries

World of Wonder Category Entries

Live Like a Local Category Entries