On Campus: Harper College News Roundup

Fashion Show Celebrates 45 Years of Design: When Harper College’s Fashion Design program got its start, bell-bottoms and tie-dye were all the rage. Clothes have come a long way since then – and so has Harper’s program. The College’s 2013 fashion show, “Déja Vu,” will celebrate 45 years of fashion design at Harper, showcasing nearly 100 modern and cutting-edge pieces from two dozen students. Models will walk the runway at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Friday, May 17 in the College’s Performing Arts Center on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. A military-themed mini-collection from student Myra Chung of Des Plaines will be among the displayed designs. “I want my garments to represent the independence of today’s women,” says Chung, who’s been working on the pieces since last fall. “This program has given me so much. I’m so glad to have met wonderful professors who push their students to higher levels of creativity.” A group of industry professionals helped jury the designs earlier this month. Students whose work was not selected will work the show – which incorporates working models, professional-quality lighting and sound and large video screens that complement the designs – behind the scenes. Tickets are $10 for the afternoon show and $25 for the evening edition, which includes a reception with appetizers and a cash bar at 7 p.m. in the lobby. To purchase tickets, contact the Harper Box Office, 847.925.6100 or www.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.

Korean Educators to Visit Campus: Three years after Harper College’s Jill Izumikawa did research in Korea, the College will host Korean educators on its own turf – the second piece of a Fulbright-fueled program focused on encouraging cross-cultural learning. As part of her 2010 Fulbright grant, Izumikawa, Harper’s Coordinator of International Student Services, toured 11 Korean universities and stopped at businesses, cultural sites and a local high school to get a feel for the culture and the country’s higher education system. She now hopes to give Harper’s Korean visitors, all of them higher education administrators, a taste of her experiences on that life-changing trip. “Engaging with professionals in a different country rejuvenated my passion for international education,” says Izumikawa, who has worked in international education for three decades. “When I returned to Harper College, I saw the international students differently. I have reconnected with the work I do, and am finding new ways to support these students, and I believe I’ll experience this again when the Korean administrators visit Harper.” Nearly 90 international students are enrolled now at Harper, and more than one-third are from South Korea. Harper President Dr. Ken Ender will welcome the visiting delegates on Wednesday, May 15; the group will also tour Harper’s campus, learning more about the College’s facilities and programs and meeting with student representatives. Harper is among the stops on the delegates’ two-week tour of Midwest colleges and universities.