Berkeley International Group (BIG) Meetings

The Berkeley International Group (BIG) is composed of UC Berkeley faculty and staff who meet monthly to collaborate and participate in informal discussions related to the international work that we all do on campus. Each meeting is hosted by different units on campus. The group meets for one hour during the first week of every month, with the host deciding upon the topic, date, time, and location of the meeting.

December 1, 2022: Current trends among international students, scholars, and employees

Please join the Berkeley International Group on Thursday, December 1, 2022 on zoom from 12-1pm to learn more about the state of international students and scholars at Berkeley. The Berkeley International Office team and UC Berkeley's Director of Federal Government Relations will be providing an update on current trends related to international students, scholars, and employees at UC Berkeley, as well as the Federal landscape. They will review the...

November 17, 2022: International Education Week Celebration IRL!

Please join the Berkeley International Group (BIG) on Thursday, November 17th from 4-6pm on the back patio of Raleigh’s Pub (2438 Telegraph Ave) for an informal networking and social hour to celebrate International Education Week - our first IRL event since the pandemic!

UC Berkeley’s international education professionals (and enthusiasts!) are invited to reconnect in person, make new connections...

October 24, 2022: Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI)

Event Summary

Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) is a partnership of migration experts at UC Berkeley who study all facets of global migration. Come and learn about BIMI's research programs and plans for international partnerships to further research on migration, and share learnings, knowledge, and opportunities for collaboration.

September 13, 2022: Undocumented Student Program at UC Berkeley

Event Summary What services does the Undocumented Student Program (USP) offer? What have been recent trends that we have seen in the undocumented community at UC Berkeley? How have policies changed, especially since 2016 to today, related to undocumented students and DACA? How can we do our part to best support undocumented students on campus? Come hear from Liliana Iglesias (Program Director of the Undocumented Student Program) and Gina Daly (Director of Federal Relations) as they...

April 5, 2022: Best Practices for Engaging International Partners - approaches to global engagement at IPIRA’s Industry Alliance Office

Event Summary

How does Berkeley engage with potential international partners, including transnational corporations, foreign research institutes, and quasi-governmental entities? What are best practices for partner due diligence, or knowing your partner? How do we learn about the country and its government and laws, and discover and address any concerns? With this information, how do we work out an agreement between parties?

Eric Giegerich, Director of IPIRA’s...

December 2, 2021: Updates from Berkeley International Office and Federal Relations

Event Summary:

Although 2021 has been less tumultuous than 2020, this year still has brought several shifts in immigration policy that affect UC Berkeley's international students, scholars and employees. Join us to learn from members of the Berkeley International Office (BIO) and Government and Community Relations about how these members of our community have fared, and about how the BIO has worked to support the international community through these changing times.

Hosts:

The Berkeley International Office...

November 4, 2021: Best Practices for visiting scholars at UC Berkeley

Event Summary:

The Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) office is UC Berkeley’s central resource for the campus’ postdocs, visiting scholars, and visiting researchers. Join us as the VSPA staff (re)introduces the office’s new website, shares best practices related to hosting visiting scholars and researchers at UC Berkeley, and discusses...

October 12, 2021: What is “foreign influence,” and how does it affect our international students, scholars, and collaborations?

Event Summary:

UC Berkeley’s reputation for excellence in teaching and research is built, in part, on its long tradition of robust international engagement. In recent years, federal agencies and Congress have increasingly scrutinized international engagement in US higher education. Their concern is called foreign influence: the idea that international institutions or individuals may be using access to academic research in an attempt to compromise the United States’ economic competitiveness and national security....

(POSTPONED) May 5, 2021: A Journey of Hope from Earth to Mars: Elevating the Role of Women in STEM Education and Advancing US-Arab Relations

Event Summary

Can a mission to study Martian climate inspire a generation of young Arabs to pursue STEM careers? How does the UAE foster widespread female involvement in STEM fields?

Join us on May 5 at 12 PM to hear about the Amal (Hope) interplanetary probe and how this ambitious mission is driving societal, economic, and educational development in the UAE. The UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab (SSL) is a major knowledge-transfer and educational partner in this historic endeavor, providing technical support and summer research...

April 13, 2021: Facilitating Intercultural Learning Programs in a Virtual Era

Event Summary:

What does it mean to connect and communicate skillfully across cultures in a virtual era? In this session, Berkeley Study Abroad and the Robertson Center for Intercultural Leadership (CIL) will share their insights from the past year of facilitating rich international experiences for students and professionals, despite and in...