Texas Tech University Fall 2015

International Newsletter



All OIA Units Experience Growth in 2015

The Office of International Affairs has been busier than ever during 2015. In just two years, international student numbers have soared: since Fall 2013, international undergraduate student numbers increased 37.8%, international graduate student numbers increased 28.1%, and international Law School numbers increased 15%. The total average increase since 2013 is 32.2%, a result of the hard work and dedication of OIA's staff in the International Enrollment Development unit and the staff of the Graduate School.

Study Abroad has shown a similarly impressive uptick. In calendar year 2013, our study abroad numbers stood at 846. During calendar year 2015 the numbers increased to 1,350-a 60% increase.

Over the course of the past eighteen months, International Research and Development has facilitated submission of approximately $25,000,000 worth of grant proposals resulting in $3,000,000 in awards.

The International and Scholar Services division has implemented new paperless processes and has streamlined the existing ones to ease the immigration experience of our international students and scholars. And the newly formulated International Student Life unit provides superior support services to our currently enrolled students as well as the alumni.

Our K-12 Global Education Outreach programming reached 4,640 more students in 2015 than in 2014, and the illustrious speakers we invited to speak at the International Cultural Center-HRH Georg Von Habsburg-Lothringen, Ambassador Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Ambassador Frances Cook, and Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann-all attracted large and enthusiastic audiences. We also revived International Week, and together with our campus and community partners, we offered a roster of nineteen activities.


Texas Tech University Selected to Host the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center's 2015 Annual Conference

Texas Tech University has long been a leader in the study and implementation of techniques for living and producing in arid and semi-arid climates. Recognizing this, the government of Oman teamed up with TTU's Office of International Affairs to organize a three-day Conference on Agriculture in Arid Areas. The conference, featuring speakers from Oman and TTU, was sponsored by the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center and the International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies (ICASALS), and public talks were held at the International Cultural Center (601 Indiana Ave, Lubbock, TX) on Thursday, November 5, 2015, from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

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Omani Ambassador and Former U.S. Ambassador to Oman Hold Lively Discussion at International Cultural Center

Ambassador Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Omani Ambassador to the United States, and Ambassador Frances Cook, former U.S. Ambassador to Oman, attracted a full-house during a panel discussion at the International Cultural Center on November 5. Ambassador Al-Mughairy is the first woman envoy to represent an Arab country in Washington and Ambassador Cook was the first woman to head a US diplomatic post in the Middle East (Alexandria 1983).

The talk was open to the public and had a question and answer format moderated by Ambassador Tibor Nagy. Topics of discussion included the U.S.- Oman Free Trade Agreement, the role of women in the Arab Gulf States, the leadership of Sultan Qaboos, and why Oman is important to the United States. After responding to the questions put to them by Ambassador Nagy, Ambassadors Al-Mughairy and Cook answered questions from audience members.


Talk by HRH Prince Georg von Habsburg-Lothringen Puts Russia and the European Union in Perspective

On the evening of October 29, the International Cultural Center's auditorium was packed with visitors who came to hear a prince share his insights into the current political situation of the European Union and Russia-with some revealing details about Vladimir Putin thrown in for good measure.

HRH Prince Georg von Habsburg-Lothringen, the grandson of Emperor and King Karl, the last monarch of the Habsburg Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary, launched his distinguished career at the side of his late father, Dr. Otto von Habsburg, last Crown Prince of the Austrian Empire and one of the founders of the European Union. Prince Georg is a prominent public figure with outstanding expertise in politics and business. He serves as ambassador-at-large in the office of the President of Hungary and was from 2006-2012 President of the Hungarian Red Cross.


Day of the Dead Procession Featured on Garden and Gun Blog

Ever since Lubbock's Day of the Dead Procession began way back in 1999, Texas Tech's International Cultural Center has been the first stop along the four-part procession trail. This year, Lubbock's procession attracted the attention of Garden & Gun, the award-winning magazine based in Charleston, S.C. The description of Lubbock's procession was the first entry on their blogsite entitled "Celebrate Day of the Dead-Southern Style":

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Focus on Alumni: Lawrence Soosainathan, Senior Supervising Engineer for Fugro-McClelland Marine Geosciences, Inc.

Question: Could you tell us a bit about your background-such as where you grew up and why you chose to come to Texas Tech for your MSc in Geotechnical Engineering?

I come from a town called Petaling Jaya, located adjacent to the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia. My family consists of my 3 older siblings, my father, a teacher, and my mother, a homemaker. Being a second generation Malaysian of South Indian origin, my parents thought I should continue my studies in India after high school. So, at the age of 17 I moved to India, where I attended pre-university followed by an undergraduate program in Civil Engineering at the (then) Regional Engineering College in Trichy, in the state of Tamilnadu. My interest to see more of India made me use my semester breaks to travel--visiting exciting new places and meeting people, while absorbing as much of the local traditions and cultures as possible, and especially getting to know the land of my ancestors.

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Think Global. Think Texas Tech.


Feb 9, 2022