Twice a month, the Institute sponsors the French Studies Colloquium, a public lecture series on issues of contemporary French society and culture that features visiting French officials, noted professionals, and academic specialists.

Weekly Luncheon Seminars, open to Institute students and faculty, offer a more intimate and informal interchange with French visitors and other specialists on France.

The Institute also sponsors Special Events (lectures, films, conferences, workshops, and receptions) and collaborates on a variety of events with other interdisciplinary units (e.g. Middle Eastern studies, European studies) and a variety of academic departments.

All of these activities help create a unique environment of participation and discussion, a kind of perpetual seminar in which students have direct access to a great many of France's most important scholars, leaders, and professionals. Such events also help extend the Institute beyond the University to the New York region's large community of interest in things French.

Thanks to it's outreach program, the IFS plays a major role in making NYU a great international university.