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Flags of the World Display Showcases Diversity of Millersville University

“Global education furthers our understanding of other cultures, languages, races and religions leading in part to a more informed citizenry.”

If you’ve visited the Galley in the Student Memorial Center (SMC) or the new Lombardo Welcome Center and looked up, you may have noticed all of the international flags that adorn the ceiling in those places. The flags are part of the International Flag Project and will be celebrated on September 18 during the Flags of the World Celebration in the SMC 202 at 4:45 p.m. There will be brief remarks by study abroad students, international students and the donor.

“Global education furthers our understanding of other cultures, languages, races and religions leading in part to a more informed citizenry,” says Warfel.

The International Flag Project was funded through a generous donation from Michael G. Warfel ’84, chairman of the Millersville University Council of Trustees. Through his donation, the flags from all over the world were placed in those two locations on campus. The main location, the Galley, bears the flags of approximately 200 countries and territories around the world. The display showcases all the flags of the world to acknowledge not only the diversity of Millersville’s student body and of Lancaster community, but to hopefully begin conversations around global issues and the benefits of internationalization, both for Millersville University and the community at large.

“I am delighted to underwrite the cost of the International Flag Project on campus.  Study abroad combined with foreign travel leads to cultural understanding and tolerance.  It expands our world view,” says Warfel.

The Galley will also include an interactive display that will allow students to learn more about the flags and the countries they represent. The interactive display is expected to be installed by the time of the ceremony or shortly after.

The flags in the second location at the Lombardo Welcome Center, which opened in 2018, represent the home countries of current international students, and will be updated each winter and summer based on changes to enrollment. Currently there are 30 countries in that location including, Brazil, China, Japan and New Zealand, and at least five more are expected to be added in the winter term.

For more information about Global Education, visit http://www.millersville.edu/globaled/.

 

 

One reply on “Flags of the World Display Showcases Diversity of Millersville University”

If the picture at the top of the page is in the same orientation as visitors to Lombardo are expected to view the flags, then the American Flag is being displayed incorrectly. The canton of the flag should always be to the left of the viewer, whether the flag is displayed vertically or horizontally. There should be no other flag to the right of the American Flag (from the aspect of the flag itself). The Costa Rican Flag and the American Flag should switch places.

This does raise the question of how the flags of other countries should also be displayed and whether attention to the proper display of our Nation’s own flag is still relevant in such a display.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
Thank you for the information. Facilities has been contacted to correctly display the American flag in Lombardo. Regarding the flags from other countries, they are all hung facing the entrance of both spaces. There is no way to follow guidelines and protocol for the other country flags since the flag code is written with the assumption that each flag is the “most important “ in that space.

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