Pura Vida: Costa Rica

Pura Vida: Costa Rica

UR’s Costa Rica Week

November 18-22, 2024

Each November, in recognition of International Education Week, the UR community "meets in another culture" here on campus. This year, our community’s engagement will be with Costa Rica -- a growing hub of global connection for UR students, faculty, and staff. Scholars and visitors will travel to Richmond to offer their expertise; faculty will align their teaching with topics and themes related to Costa Rica; and there will be opportunities for everyone to taste the cuisine, learn about biodiversity, and practice their Spanish.

Pre-Week Engagement Opportunities

Soccer Match

Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to hit the pitch for one of Costa Rica’s favorite sports as excitement builds for IE Week.
Friday, November 15, 3 p.m. at the Intramural Fields
REGISTER NOW!

Costa Rica Blogs

Read the daily blog posts from our Spider Athletes who traveled to Costa Rica in October 2023 and see how Spiders are already engaging with Costa Rica:

Day 1: Delonnie Hunt and Mikkel Tyne, Men’s Basketball
Day 2: Brian Reinke and Esteban Rodriguez, Baseball
Day 3: Hannah Custer and Maddy Sesay, Women’s Lacrosse
Day 4: Logan Anderson, Women’s Soccer; Grace Townsend, Women’s Basketball

IE Week Programming Calendar

Monday
November

18

ACTIVITY
Yoga, Dance, & Meditation classes in the Weinstein Recreation Center
Various times TBA

PROVOST'S GLOBAL FORUM
The academic deans discuss their school’s global engagement
12 p.m. International Commons
Registration opens soon!

EXCURSION
River walk at the James
3 p.m. More details coming soon!

Tuesday
November

19

DEMO KITCHEN
Costa Rican Coffee & Chocolate
10-11 a.m. Well-Being Center

SFS AFFINITY GATHERING
SFS Study Abroad: Past and Prospective Students
3 p.m. IE Lobby

TALK
“Do Costa Rican forest fragments in community-managed water protection areas serve as a refuge for endangered mammals?”
Milena Cambronero, The School for Field Studies (SFS)
4:30 p.m. International Commons

CONSIDER THIS
Chaplaincy Dinner
6:15 p.m. (by invitation)

Wednesday
November

20

TALK
"Problems in paradise: the rise and erosion of Costa Rica’s exceptionalism"
Juliana Martinez Franzoni, University of Costa Rica
1:30 p.m. International Center Commons

FAIR
IEW Costa Rica, featuring more than a dozen stations with connections to Costa Rica
3:30-5:15 p.m. Alice Haynes Room, THC

DINNER
Costa Rican Recipes
4-8 p.m. HDC

Thursday
November

21

TALK
“Climate Impacts in Costa Rica: From Study Abroad to Field Reporting”
Amy McDermott, Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting
12 p.m. International Commons

BIOBLITZ
Hunt and document species on our campus
3 p.m. Eco-Corridor

Friday
November

22

SPANISH LANGUAGE
Lonche con LALIS
12 p.m. D-Hall Glass Room

LATINX AFFINITY
A Bite of Chisme
5:30-7 p.m. SCEI Multicultural Space

Weeklong Programming

Opportunities to engage at your own pace and timeline
  • The seventh annual Ecochallenge (Co-sponsored by the Office for Sustainability)
  • Library Guide - News and information resources focusing on Costa Rica, curated by Boatwright Memorial Library
  • Music Library - Exhibit, playlist, and blog post
  • Dining Hall: Specials Monday-Wednesday
  • Passport Café: Weekly special

IEW Fair: Costa Rica

Richmond’s Many Ties to Costa Rica in Full Voice

We anticipate more than a dozen tables/stations for the fair on Wednesday, November 20, representing a wide variety of community connections to Costa Rica. Interest has been received in the following topics:

Children’s literature, sustainability, climate impacts reporting, cultural reflection after study abroad, biodiversity, UR study abroad in Costa Rica, and more!

Faculty & Staff Involvement with IEW 2024

Rob Andrejewski
Rob Andrejewski

Director of Sustainability

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Ms. Emily Boone
Emily Boone

Teaching Faculty of Biology

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Dr. Priscilla Erickson
Priscilla Erickson

Assistant Professor of Biology

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Dr. Kristine Grayson
Kristine Grayson

Associate Professor of Biology

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Rev. Jamie Lynn Haskins
Rev. Jamie Lynn Haskins

Chaplain for Spiritual Life

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Angela Leeper
Angela Leeper

Director of Curriculum Materials Center

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Dr. Todd Lookingbill
Todd Lookingbill

Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment

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Dr. B. Rick Mayes
Rick Mayes

Professor of Health Studies

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Shahan Mufti
Shahan Mufti

Associate Professor of Journalism

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Dr. Jennifer Pribble
Jenny Pribble

Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies

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Dr. Emmy Ready
Emmy Ready

Visiting Lecturer of LALIS

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Dr. David S. Salisbury
David Salisbury

Associate Professor of Geography and the Environment

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Dr. Jennifer Sevin
Jennifer Sevin

Teaching Faculty of Biology

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