ATLANTA (February 6, 2004) -- GCIV welcomes eight distinguished guests from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The group consists of administrators and professors at universities in their respective countries. The visitors will be in Atlanta February 8-11. This program aims to acquaint the educators with the U.S. higher education system, including organization, administration, and program development. The group is examining a number of themes as they travel the United States.

While in Atlanta, they will meet with Dr. George Brown, Executive Director of GCIV, to discuss civil society and higher education. Then, they will visit the Office of International Education at the Georgia Institute of Technology to discuss international student services. They will also go to Georgia Perimeter College to learn about the role of two-year colleges in the United States. No visit to Atlanta to learn about higher education would be complete without a stop to the University System of Georgia Board of Regents to gain an understanding of the organization of higher education in the U.S. and international programs. The delegates' s last academic appointment will be at Georgia State University, where they will meet faculty at the Robinson College of Business to discuss MBA programs. They will of course be making time for a stop at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center.

About GCIV

GCIV is a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 1962 to promote relationships between Georgians and citizens of other nations. A member of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV), GCIV arranges professional programs, cultural orientations and home hospitality for hundreds of distinguished international leaders who travel to Georgia every year as part of the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor and Community Connections programs.