July 17, 2002

Contact: Christa Hansen, Applied English Center, (785) 864-4606, clhansen@ku.edu.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Lawrence families to feast with new Fulbright students at KU July 20

WHAT: Lawrence community members who are hosting 28 Fulbright graduate students from 16 countries for a weekend homestay will feast on home-cooked international foods the students have prepared.

About 9 a.m. Saturday, July 20, all 28 Fulbright students and some University of Kansas staff and peer mentors will shop for ingredients in Lawrence. That afternoon, they will cook traditional foods from their countries for a buffet dinner that evening for one another and the host families with whom they will spend the rest of the weekend.

WHO: The Fulbright orientation participants, program faculty and staff, and Lawrence families who will host the students for the weekend. Area families who would like to participate should contact Christa Hansen, Applied English Center, at (785) 864-4606 or clhansen@ku.edu.

WHEN: Saturday, July 20
Shopping begins about 9 a.m.; cooking begins at approximately noon.
Dinner at 7 p.m.

WHERE: West Side Presbyterian Church, 1024 Kasold Drive.

The Applied English Center at the University of Kansas runs the only six-week pre-academic orientation program in the country for incoming Fulbright students. For the third year, KU has received funds from the U.S. State Department, administered by the Institute of International Education, to run a six-week program of English language instruction and cultural and American academic orientation for 28 of the newest crop of international graduate students studying in the United States on Fulbright scholarships.

The Applied English Center at the University of Kansas is one of the oldest in the United States, founded in 1964. It is a national leader in research for English language proficiency testing and is responsible for screening all incoming KU students whose native language is not English. The AEC provides instruction in English for academic purposes for KU students and for students preparing to enter other English-speaking universities.