The University of Iowa is opening gates for students to attend a study-abroad program in Cuba this winter.
This latest inclusion in the destinations offered by the UI Office for Study Abroad came after President Obama decided to ease regulations on sponsored trips to Cuba by accredited universities and religious organizations in January.
Limits on study-abroad programs were first put in place in 2004 by then-President George W. Bush.
Peace Corps officials say the group is seeing record number of volunteers this year, which may coincide with the organization’s growing popularity as an alternative to graduate school or jobs following graduation.
Currently, the organization has 9,095 U.S. volunteers stationed around the globe, said Meredith Mahy Gall, the University of Iowa Peace Corps representative. Included in that number are 41 UI alumni.
International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, will be celebrated at the University of Iowa Friday, Nov. 11 through Thursday, Nov. 17, offering several opportunities for the public to engage in international activities around campus. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka will be recognized in Iowa City this weekend for his outstanding contributions to world literature and his commitment to the struggle for human rights.
At 3:30 p.m. Nov. 6, Soyinka will receive the Rex D. Honey African Studies Program Lectureship Award. A ceremony will be held in the Main Library’s Shambaugh Auditorium after Soyinka presents the lecture “Technology and the Writer: Open Book and Closed Text.” At 7:30 p.m., Soyinka will read from his work in the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washingon St. Both events are free and open to the public.
The Sehgal Family Foundation has made a gift of $10,000 to the University of Iowa for its India Winterim program. The gift will be used toward scholarships for students studying at the Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) in Gurgaon, India, during the upcoming three-week winter session.
IRRAD, an initiative of the Sehgal Family Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, enables the empowerment of rural communities in India. The institute carries out grassroots research and develops sustainable and replicable models for improving water management, small-scale agriculture, rural governance, sanitation and health, and other related areas of rural development.
(Media-Newswire.com) – “Re-Creation: Musical Reception of Classical Antiquity,” a conference hosted by the University of Iowa Department of Classics and School of Music, will include free Oct. 28 and 30 performances of the oldest surviving opera, Jacopo Peri’s “Euridice.” The performances by the UI Opera Studio, conducted from the keyboard by faculty member Gregory Hand, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 and 2 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Riverside Recital Hall.
Telling: Iowa City hopes to change that. This unique theatrical production will bring men and women to the stage–including six University of Iowa student veterans and other Iowa veterans from the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force–to share their experiences working in field hospitals in Vietnam, flying through the oil-filled skies of Desert Storm or otherwise serving in Afghanistan, North Carolina, and at the Pentagon.
Members of the public can learn about the history of Mongolian folk music group AnDa Union, as well as learn their unique guttural throat singing technique, during two free events Thursday and Friday sponsored by University of Iowa International Programs.
The Confucius Institute will host an interactive throat singing workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday in Room 1117, University Capitol Centre. Members of AnDa Union will lead workshop participants through the traditional techniques that define their musical style.
The International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa will welcome Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian author Wole Soyinka to the UI Sunday, Nov. 6. He will take part in two free, public events: He will receive the Rex Honey African Studies Lectureship Award, presented by the UI African Studies Program, at 3:30 p.m. in Shambaugh Auditorium of the UI Main Library; and he will read from his work at 7:30 p.m. in the Englert Theatre.
Here in the QCA, students are learning about why the conflict a world away affects them here at home. Professors said students at the University of Iowa have been tuned in to Libya’s fight for democracy and are watching history unfold as the era of tyranny comes to an end.
Leo Eko works as a journalism professor and Co–Director of the African Studies Program at U of I. He said students want to know what’s going on at home and abroad.
U.S. colleges are seeing an influx of students from India due to the highly competitive atmosphere in Indian education.
At the University of Iowa, the Indian population has remained the third-largest international student group on campus for more than 10 years because of that.
Freshman Alisha Lal said she chose the UI because the pre-medicine programs in India are too tough
Scotland, Australia, Singapore, Japan and Brazil were some of the countries that were presented at the Global Village open house on Oct. 16, 2011.
Plenty of multicultural fun was had as students living in the Global Village set up multiple booths around the 8th floor of Mayflower, each one showcasing a different country. Each booth had samples of food from the chosen country along with other cultural artifacts.
University of Iowa freshman Charlene Woolson had no trouble deciding which country to showcase during the Global Village open house in Mayflower residence hall Sunday night.
“I love everything that is Japanese culture,” said Woolson, 18. “I love Japan, and I’ve been there. It makes the choice a little easier.”
What was harder was explaining the Japanese dish Woolson made for the open house. Her dish, strawberry daifuku was strawberries covered in sweet red bean paste, which is in turn covered in mochi — a dough made with rice flour and sugar.
“Young Starlets of Japanese Cinema” is the theme of a new film series at the University of Iowa, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday with a screening of “One Million Yen Girl” at the Bijou Cinema in the Iowa Memorial Union. All screenings are free and open to the public.
This 7th Annual Japan Foundation Film Series is devoted to introducing young female actresses from films released in the 2000s. Additional screenings include “Harmful Insect” on Oct. 21, “Yunagi City Sakura Country” on Oct. 28, and “Kamikaze Girls” on Nov. 4, all at 7 p.m. at the Bijou.
The University of Iowa is spending thousands to recruit students from other countries. But compared to the money those students bring to the local economy, that sum is tiny.
The UI spends roughly $130,000 a year sending representatives to visit schools and attend recruitment fairs all over the globe, said Downing Thomas, the dean of International Programs. Recruiters travel to roughly 20 countries.
