Coastal Carolina University is celebrating an expanded "International Education Week: Preparing Global Citizens" from Nov. 9 to 19 with numerous activities including panel discussions, international films, exotic cuisines and speaker presentations that celebrate the benefits of global education and exchange of ideas worldwide. Most sessions are free and open to the public.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for success in the global environment and promote the U.S. abroad as a dynamic and welcoming location to study, learn and exchange experiences.

A collection of college, departmental, club and individual initiatives are planned for Coastal Carolina University’s first official celebration of this initiative.

• "Business Without Borders: Working Globally" will focus on international perspectives in business and entrepreneurship. The presenters include alumni who have achieved distinction in international corporations and who have begun their own companies, as well as students and recent alumni who have worked and studied abroad. It's Tuesday, Nov. 9 starting at 8:30 a.m. in Wheelwright Auditorium.

• H2O 4U Fundraising Walk for Charity Water, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness and funds to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Participants will walk a 1.8-mile distance (half the distance the average African woman walks daily to bring fresh water to her family), carrying a bucket of water. Each walker will collect spare change under the theme "Your Change Can Make a Change" to raise money.

• Benefit Concert for Charity Water, featuring student and faculty soloists and groups performing a variety of musical styles. Wednesday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m. Wheelwright Auditorium. Tickets $5.

• Comparative Health Care Systems around the World, Fredanna M'Cormack, assistant professor of health and a native of Sierra Leone, and her students present their projects of health care systems in different countries. Thursday, Nov. 18, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Kearns 110.

• World Language and Culture. Faculty members of the CCU's Department of World Languages and Cultures will present their childhood experiences of growing up in their native countries – Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Spain, China and Korea. Wednesday, Nov. 17, 6 to 7 p.m. Coastal Science Center 300.

For a complete list of planned activities, visit this link: http://www.coastal.edu/international/edweek2010.pdf.