Dear all,

It’s been a very busy summer here in International Programs and I’m excited to update you on our recent activities. In early July, I was part of an Iowa delegation to the Republic of Kosovo. The 40+ member delegation spanned all sectors of the Iowa economy, and included representatives from the Iowa National Guard, municipal and state governments, Iowa Sister States, business entrepreneurial interests, law enforcement, and the Iowa Regents institutions.

As many of you know, Iowa and Kosovo have long-standing ties which are solidified by the presence of the Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo in Des Moines. The purpose of the trip was three-fold: 1) to affirm and promote the UI’s role as part of the delegation, 2) to connect with established university partners in Kosovo, and 3) to advance the interests of a large USAID (United States Agency for International Development) grant application. IP is partnering with the College of Education on an initiative that would advance public-private partnerships for workforce development in Kosovo. We will keep you posted on its progress. 

Just as the trip to Kosovo concluded, the festivities around the graduation for the CIMBA program began. Iowa is the degree-granting institution for CIMBA which is located in Paderno del Grappa, Italy.

CIMBA is home to several academic programs, the most prominent of which are the full-time and part-time MBA degrees accredited by the UI’s Tippie College of Business. CIMBA also features highly-regarded executive leadership training programs.

Because of COVID, the annual graduation ceremony, held in Iowa City, had not taken place in three years. What a pleasure it was to see CIMBA leadership, faculty, staff, and students back here to celebrate the success of one of our most important study abroad programs.

IP is especially grateful to the CIMBA directors, Al Ringleb and Cristina Turchet, Tippie Dean Amy Kristof-Brown and Professor Ken Brown, as well as UI CIMBA Director Stephanie Schnicker for their persistence and agility during the pandemic which enabled CIMBA to emerge from COVID just as vibrant and dynamic as it was before March of 2020.

In closing, I’d like to turn your attention to two features from our Communications and Relations team. The first is a story on the Global Education Institute for Teachers held in mid-June. The institute is coordinated in partnership with the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, with this year’s theme that of global perspectives on social justice. Professor Will Coghill-Behrends in the College of Education has organized the institute for several years, with the goal of providing Iowa’s K-12 teachers professional training in the realm of global engagement. This year’s institute provided the bonus of being held at Iowa’s new Stanley Museum of Art.

The second feature consists of two articles on student internships conducted abroad this summer, with the first article outlining the excellent advising provided by our study abroad staff—and Senior Study Abroad Advisor Monica Ernberger in particular—and the second consisting of an interview with Tippie student Sam Longo, who participated in an IES internship in Milan.

We salute Iowa staff, students, and faculty who take advantage of the summer to burnish their academic and professional profiles while developing new relationships and empowering others along the way. 

With all best wishes,

Russ