*A complete schedule will be provided upon arrival to the orientation. Please contact our staff for questions in advance.*
MONDAY - JULY 29
9:00 am – 9:00 pm Arrival
Fulbrighters will arrive at Rochester International Airport (ROC) in Rochester, NY. RIT shuttle service will be provided between the hours of 9:00am – 9:00pm to the RIT campus. Those arriving outside of the identified hours should take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to the RIT campus following the Late Check-in directions.
Lunch will be provided for those arriving before 3:00pm. There will be an optional group dinner at your own expense. Those who want to participate in the dinner should meet at 4:45pm in the Global Village lobby to walk to an on-campus dining location. Please note that on-campus dining closes at 6:00PM
TUESDAY - JULY 30
7:45 am – 8:45 am Breakfast
Serviced in the Brick City Café facility in the Student Alumni Union (SAU). Participants must remember to bring their dining card. Meet in the lobby of your Global Village building at 7:45am to walk as a group to the dining facility.
8:45 am Follow group leaders
Gather in the Student Alumni Union (SAU). Follow group leaders to the designated location for morning sessions.
9:15 am – 10:00 am Welcome Fulbrighters!
You will be welcomed to campus by Diane Ellison, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Graduate and International Enrollment. This session will provide you with an overview of the RIT campus and warm Rochester community you have joined for the week. Rochester has a rich history in the arts, culture, and entrepreneurial spirit that continues to thrive on the RIT campus today. As a part of this welcome, participants will engage in an ice breaker activity.
10:00 am – 10:30 am Fulbright remarks and overview
The remarks will include the roles of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and its Fulbright cooperating agencies (IIE).
10:30 am – 10:45 am Fulbright Gateway Orientation @ RIT Overview
RIT's Gateway Orientation staff review the schedule of activities, program goals, participant expectations, and opportunities to maximize their orientation and Fulbright experience. you will be introduced to a journaling exercise to document insights and tools throughout the orientation.
10:45 am Coffee Break
11:00 am – 11:45 am Campus Resource Tour
The orientation team will divide you into small groups and lead you across the RIT campus highlighting exciting research and academic facilities as well as recreational facilities. The tour will include campus resources available at many universities nationwide, and be referred to again throughout the orientation in sessions such as Understanding the U.S. Academic Culture and Second-Year Fulbright Student Discussion. The tour will end in Global Village.
12:00 pm - 1:20 pm Lunch
You may choose to eat lunch at the Cantina and Grille, conveniently located in RIT Global Village. This is a great opportunity to network with fellow Fulbrighters. Participants must remember to bring their RIT dining card.
Participants should gather in the Global Village plaza after lunch to walk, as a group, to the afternoon sessions.
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Cross Cultural Understanding & Adjustment Workshop
Session will include interactive activities to help participants understand and adapt to U.S. culture in general, while highlighting a number of U.S. subcultures. U.S. diversity, especially as related to ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity (LGBTQ+), will be addressed. Participants will learn about U.S. cultural norms and etiquette, including punctuality and the value of time; task orientation in contrast with relationship orientation; conversational etiquette with friends and strangers; and everyday cultural considerations such as tipping. U.S. social norms related to personal space, body language cues and direct communication will be covered. The session will also engage participants with each other and second year Fulbright Foreign students.
3:00 pm Coffee Break
3:15 – 5:00 pm Appropriate Interpersonal Relationships
Participants will learn about expected and acceptable vs. inappropriate interpersonal behavior in various social, academic and professional situations. The presenters will tailor the session to address issues relevant to both male and female participants and will maintain cultural sensitivity in presenting this material. The presenters will explain the seriousness and potential consequences of sexual harassment. The session will include examples of how participants' behavior may be misconstrued as inappropriate or harassing, including behavior that is sexual in nature. The facilitator will address U.S. law which prohibits domestic violence as well as make it clear that domestic violence laws can protect individuals even if they are not U.S. citizens or not married. An interactive workshop style will be deployed, giving participants opportunities to ask questions, discuss the ways in which they would behave in particular situations, and receive feedback on how that behavior may differ from U.S. expectations.
5:00 pm – 5:15 pm Break
Short break to prepare for evening activities. Participants will not have time to return to their rooms before departure.
5:15 pm Transportation to dinner and evening activity
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm Welcome Dinner at ARTISANworks
Dinner will be held at the unique Rochester space ARTISANworks – where art lives! Participants will enjoy dinner and be immersed in creativity and inspiration. This will be an excellent opportunity for you to continue to network with each other, second year Fulbrighters, and many of the RIT administration and staff you met throughout the day. Participants will be welcomed to the Rochester community with brief remarks about the importance of community engagement from the leadership of Rochester Global Connections.
WEDNESDAY - July 31
7:45 am – 8:45 am Breakfast
Serviced in the Brick City Café facility in the Student Alumni Union (SAU). Participants must remember to bring their dining card. Meet in the lobby of your Global Village building at 7:45am to walk as a group to the dining facility.
8:45 am Follow group leaders
Gather in the Student Alumni Union (SAU). Follow group leaders to the designated location for morning sessions.
9:00 – 10:00 am U.S. Politics and People
An RIT professor will lead you through a lecture and facilitate a Q&A session to introduce the U.S. political system and provide historical background and structure. It will highlight current and historical U.S. and world events to provide context within the U.S. federalist structure and political discourse.
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:15 am – 12:00 pm Understanding U.S. Academic Culture
In this session, the Dean of Graduate will provide an overview of U.S. graduate academic culture and frequently asked questions. After the general overview, participants will be divided into small working groups based on academic level. The groups will be led by academic leaders to review a more detailed field and academic level specific expectations and strategies to succeed in your programs of study, research, and creative endeavors.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Depart for Niagara Fall State Park
1:00 pm - 6:30 pm Niagara Falls State Park
Fulbrighters will enjoy the breathtaking views of the American-side of Niagara Falls State Park. You will have an opportunity to see the waterfalls up close on the Maid of the Mist boat and also have an opportunity to explore the park. On the drive to and from Niagara Falls you will see the beautiful rural communities that thrive in Upstate New York.
6:30 pm Dinner
A group dinner will be held at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute located on Old Falls Street just steps from Niagara Falls State Park before returning to the RIT campus. The group will also tour the hands-on academic model of the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute and be treated to a Fire & Ice Demonstration.
THURSDAY - AUGUST 1
7:45 am – 8:45 am Breakfast
Serviced in the Brick City Café facility in the Student Alumni Union (SAU). Participants must remember to bring their dining card. Meet in the lobby of your Global Village building at 7:45am to walk as a group to the dining facility.
8:45 am Follow group leaders
Gather in the Student Alumni Union (SAU). Follow group leaders to the designated location for morning sessions.
9:00 am – 10:30 am Fulbright Grant Benefits and Responsibilities
During this session, the presenter will discuss Fulbright grant responsibilities, benefits, and other important information for Fulbright students, including federal laws regarding illegal drug use.
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:45 am – 12:15 pm Fulbright Graduate Student Group Discussion
This session will be a facilitated panel discussion of Fulbright Foreign Students entering their 2nd year of study in order to discuss personal experiences related to acclimation and adjustment in American graduate school. Second-year Fulbright Foreign Students will be introduced, share a select success story from their first year, as well as a pre-identified story of a lesson learned. Stories will be selected to address topics such as: being an ambassador for your culture; getting involved in the campus community and region in which you will be living; working with faculty and academic advisors; managing and balancing family and/or social life and academic expectations; managing your budget. This session will be facilitated by Ms. Shawna Lusk, Senior Associate Director for Campus Life. The facilitator will supplement the personal experiences with tips and resources to consider in connection with the topic discussed.
12:30 pm – 1:50 pm Lunch and Business Communication Workshop
You will enjoy lunch and continued networking opportunities with fellow Fulbrighters, as well as RIT faculty, staff, and students from across RIT’s nine colleges. During lunch you will be engaged in a discussion on multicultural communication and diversity on U.S. campuses.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Leadership and Effective Communication Workshop
Effective verbal communication is an essential and much sought-after leadership skill. Study after study of employers reflect the importance of verbal communication skills in both the hiring process and to long-term success and advancement (AAC&U: College Learning for the New Global Century, 2007; Committee for Economic Development, 2015; NACE Career Readiness Fact Sheet, 2016).
In this two-hour interactive workshop, participants will engage the topic of effective verbal communication by developing a 60 second “elevator pitch” on the topic: “What impact do I want to make as a Fulbrighter?” The workshop will begin with a 10 minute upfront lecture about effective communication generally and the value of elevator pitches. After the upfront lecture, participants will spend 20 minutes developing their 60 second elevator pitch. Following the development of their pitches, they will learn how to give constructive feedback to others and be split into 20 groups of 4 where they will each have the opportunity to (1) deliver their pitch and (2) receive feedback from their groups. Following the 30 minute feedback session several participants will be invited to read their pitches aloud to the larger group. 10 minutes of debrief and reflection will conclude the experience.
4:00 pm Coffee Break
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm Wrap-up Session
You will be asked to maintain a journal to document daily insights and tools developed throughout the orientation. Using the wrap-up session, you will be asked to summarize and synthesize these insights into a concise personal statement related to their Fulbright program. Dr. James Myers, Associate Provost for International Education and Global Programs, will facilitate and guide this participatory exercise and select participants will share their statements with the group.
5:15 pm – 6:30 pm Free Time
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Closing Dinner
An informal buffet dinner will be served in RIT’s beautiful outdoor courtyard in Global Village. You will be joined by RIT second year Fulbright students, faculty and staff.
FRIDAY - AUGUST 2
Departure
Participants will depart the RIT campus throughout the day for their final destination. RIT will provide a shuttle service between 5am and 3pm. Those departing outside of the shuttle hour arrange for transportation to the airport via taxi, Uber, or Lyft.