Earlier this summer, a dozen UI alumni from the Greater Bay Area of China, which includes Hong Kong, Macau, and nine mega cities in Guangdong Province, attended a virtual get-together organized by Tuo (Tony) Liu (BFA ’13). During the event, the group heard news about their alma mater, talked about their current jobs, and shared their cherished UI memories.

A partnership between Iowa Sister States and the UI Conversation Center is providing intercultural exchange opportunities for UI students as well as high school students across the state of Iowa.

On the heels of a sabbatical in which he wrote and recorded an album involving eight string players and a jazz quartet, University of Iowa Associate Professor Damani Phillips is preparing for a master class with students at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (JAMD).

Dean Ganim on highlights from this summer including the Global Education Institute for Teachers, and alumni making a difference.

Hancher, the performing arts jewel at the University of Iowa, will host WorldCanvass on September 10 for an outdoor celebration of community. Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague will join Chuck Swanson of Hancher, Russell Ganim of International Programs, and a host of performers and artists including Brian Williams of Step Afrika! and sculptor Colette Hosmer in an exploration of the power of partnerships to enrich and enliven community life. Wellspring: The Power of Partnerships begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. As the program will be held outside, attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and refreshments. Free parking will be available in the Hancher parking lot. Attend in person, join by Zoom, or watch on Facebook Live. Full details here.

Christopher Merrill, professor and director of the University of Iowa's International Writing Program (IWP), has been selected for a Fulbright Specialists project in Poland at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań for 2022. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program, with more than 400,000 participants since 1946.

My CEA Virtual Global Internship in Dublin, Ireland, has helped me discover things I didn’t know I was capable of doing.

As much as I wonder what it would be like working an in-person internship, I have found many benefits of working virtually.

Honors student and marketing major Matthew Hsieh recently won the Innovative Student Video Award from GoAbroad for his film, “Paris – La Nouvelle Experience” based on his study abroad experience in Paris, France, during the Spring 2020 semester. While Hsieh’s time in Paris was cut short due to COVID-19, he says studying abroad is one of the best decisions he has made.

Partly in preparation for the South Caucasus unit of the class, my wife and I traveled to the Republic of Georgia for 11 days in June to see how Georgia is faring as it aspires to shake off the legacies of its Soviet past and transition into a modern, “Western” country.