Global Engagement & Cultural Events

There is no doubt that you will be kept busy while attending Maryville College. Our goal is to help you get connected to other students (international and US American), our campus and our local community.  Some of the best ways to do this?

1.  Join GCO: Global Citizenship Organization (@MC_GCO). This is a club on campus that is made up of International and US students who have a mission of global engagement.  Not only will you have an opportunity to share your culture, you will have the chance to learn about others too.
   
   
2. Apply for an iMentor. The iMentor program connects new international students such as you with Maryville College students. The main goal is cultural and conversation exchange; however, it is really about helping you as you prepare to arrive and in your initial adjustment to Maryville College. You are a crucial part of the program because it could not exist without you! Joining the iMentor program will give you an opportunity to:
   
   * Adjust to and learn about Maryville College and life in the U.S.A. and East Tennessee.
   * Share your own culture with local students.
   * Develop language skills.
   * Get involved with new activities, make new friends and have fun
   
   
3. Apply for a Host Family. We offer a SOCIAL host family program (in other words, you don't live with them, but may visit their home, do activities in the community and more!)  This is one of the best ways to get off campus, and see what life looks like off-campus.
   
   
4. JOIN OTHER CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS.  The one thing we hear from students as they leave is that the structured activities they took part in made a huge difference in meeting American students and having  more fun.
   
   
5.  Join our International Education Month Planning Team (the events happen in March - but we need help throughout the fall to prepare)

GCO members after Homecoming Parade - Fall 2017

CGE (Center for Global Engagement) plans fun activities from time to time for all international students. Generally these are structured around the programs we offer (host families) or U.S. American Cultural Holidays  that we celebrate as a group at I-House. For example, Christmas parties, Halloween, Homecoming... One of our biggest events of the year is our annual Thanksgiving Dinner.  We celebrate with international students and our local social host families to learn about and celebrate this popular U.S. American holiday.  Students have set up international dance parties on campus and coordinated fashion shows. These events are fun and allow you to teach friends about your culture.
and U.S. students.  

Other times, we offer the opportunity to learn about local Tennessee culture!  We explore the Great Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. I-House has adventured out to rivers for white water rafting or tubing and gone hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Some years there have also been weekend trips to Nashville, Atlanta or other cities. These events are organized by I-House and students can sign up for a reasonable fee.

If there are any activities that you and your friends are interested in, you can tell the staff at I-House. Whether the idea is for an on-campus program or off-campus excursion, we can work together to see if the activity is a good fit for I-House programming. If it is a good fit, we can work together to plan the event for students to enjoy. One of our more recent trips was a day at Dollywood theme park which is always a lot of fun.

White Water Rafting