Going Global in Iowa

Going Global in Iowa: Intercultural Training Services

Going Global in Iowa: Intercultural Training Services for the Campus, Community, the Cultural Corridor, and the State of Iowa offered by the Office of International Students and Scholars.

Services

We offer customized interactive workshops to help you and your organization develop the cross-cultural “know-how” to serve an international population.

Look Around! Listen! What do you see? What do you hear?

Is your customer, volunteer and/or employee base changing? Is the makeup of these groups becoming increasingly international? Clearly, demographics in the State of Iowa are changing rapidly. Consistent with the state of Iowa’s commitment to economic development and the University’s commitment to diversity, this program provides the tools your organization needs in order to serve a global community. All sessions are designed to help you create welcoming and supportive environments for international clientele and employees.

Sample Workshops to Meet the Needs of Your Organization

Crossing Cultures: Tips for Communicating

In this introductory cross-cultural communication workshop participants will be provided with a brief overview of the process of adjusting to a new culture. A simulation exercise (Redundancia) will also be used to help participants to understand the challenges faced by non-native speakers of English, and to develop the skills necessary for more efficient and effective verbal and non-verbal communications.

Developing the “Know How” to Prevent and Resolve Conflict

A case-study approach will be used as the basis for this interactive session. Discussions will revolve around how cultural awareness and cross-cultural skills can be used as a tool to anticipate and work it out in cross-cultural settings, including the conference room. Participants will understand both the benefits and challenges of low and high context cultures as well as how to listen (and hear) direct and less direct forms of communication. The Crossing Cultures workshop is a pre-requisite for this workshop.

Community Matters: Navigating the Iowa Corn Maze

This session will cover the obstacles internationals face when moving to Iowa. Discussion topics will include: obtaining an Iowa’ driver’s license, obtaining a social security card, purchasing a cell phone or car, and renting an apartment. The climate has changed for internationals living in Iowa and we will talk about the maze they enter into, as well as tips and resources for assisting them with the navigation process.

Intercultural Growth: Experience the Difference

This two-part workshop is based on the research of Dr. Milton Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity and its practical applications. Participants will complete the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), which measures an individual’s (or group’s) fundamental worldview orientation to cultural difference. The follow-up session will provide participants (as individuals or as a group) with feedback on the issues, identified by this IDI instrument, which are limiting or facilitating their intercultural growth.

Learning to be Successful in a Different Educational System

International students frequently encounter new cultural expectations when they enter Iowa classroom. This session will help participants understand the differences in classroom interactions, relationships with instructors, study habits, testing procedures, and academic honesty. This workshop can be tailored for primary, secondary or post-secondary educational environments.

What Makes Our Training Unique?

Our trainers are experienced and work with intercultural differences every day as we advise, train, and develop programs for international students and scholars, as well as U.S. audiences.
We are based at the University of Iowa. Thus, we continuously develop, pilot, and learn from new, cutting-edge, training methods and materials.
Our trainers have all lived and traveled abroad and have earned Master’s degrees and other credentials in at least one of the following areas: intercultural administration, education, business administration, American studies or social work. Brief bibliographies for workshop facilitators are provided below.

Tailored Sessions to Meet Your Needs

Helen Jameson, Assistant Director for Programming, will make every effort to tailor the training sessions to the needs of the program participants. Cross-cultural simulations are typically included in the educational programs. A few examples of various training foci and populations served are listed below.

Cross-cultural communication skills for staff at the Crisis Center
Non-verbal communication for Resident Assistants
Impact of Sept 11th on the lives of UI international students
Intercultural Training for Leaders of Non-Profit Organizations

How do past participants describe their experiences?

The following quotes are responses from workshop participants when asked what they have learned. All quotes were made, at least, as recently as 2004.

Having “good intentions” and a “naturally friendly” personality is just not enough.
[I gained] greater awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences.
As a result of enrolling in the course, I gained a broader base of appreciation for some of the reasons that people may respond in unexpected ways to the same situation, and now I have clues about better ways to respond when my "usual" approaches don't seem to yield the expected results. I now feel more confident about communicating, both understanding others and being understood.
I began to see our international students and staff as a great resource for us to learn from.
Relevant, interesting, enjoyable, well prepared workshops; all comments from other individuals as we left each session were very positive – we all felt time was well spent, which is not always the case in the busy world.

Facilitator Biographies

(Full resumes available upon request)

Scott E. King

Director of OISS and has 28 years experience working with international students and holds a master’s degree in American studies. He has expertise on topics which include intercultural communications, learning styles, and developing training programs for adult learners. Scott has been an active leader of the professional association NAFSA: Association of International Educators, including serving as the National chair of the Community Programming Section and edited the organization’s Statement of Professional Competencies.

Helen Park Jameson

As Manager, Intercultural Programs, she oversees the cultural training programs offered by OISS, including those described in this pamphlet. Helen received her first master’s degree in Intercultural Administration from the School for International Training in 1985 and a second master’s degree in Counselor Education from the University of Iowa in 1993. Helen is certified to administer the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). In addition, she has over 17 years of experience working with international students studying at US colleges & universities. She made her first trip abroad at the age of three and continues to travel as frequently as possible.

Lee Seedorff

Received a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Iowa. She is also certified to administer the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Lee has worked with internationals at the University of Iowa for over 14 years. She lived in India for a year and took part in a cross-cultural evaluation of mental health and healthcare systems in St. Lucia, West Indies. She also received “NAFSA Best of Region IV” recognition for a presentation on cross-cultural communication and is an authorized Trainer Corps presenter.

Julie Pollock

An alum of the University of Iowa College of Education and honors graduate in English, Julie taught language arts for two years before joining the Office of International Students and Scholars. Prior to teaching, she offered orientation programs and product training for an international communications corporation featuring a diverse, multilingual staff. Julie has traveled throughout Germany, Belgium, spent a semester with a host family in the Netherlands and most recently toured British Columbia, Canada. She credits her passion for international education to the many exchange students her family hosted while she was growing up and enjoys the opportunity to continue welcoming students to Iowa as an international student advisor and coordinator for new international student orientation at the University of Iowa.

Timothy Barker

An international student & scholar advisor, Timothy brings extensive international experience, having participated in language and culture programs in France, China, and Russia. Prior to joining the university community, Timothy taught social studies at a charter high school in Colorado that provided educational opportunities for immigrants and English language learners in the Denver area. He also coordinated educational outreach programs for the University of Iowa Alumni Association before joining the staff of OISS. Timothy holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in education.

Sophie Charles

A recent Chicago transplant, Sophie brings experience working with a variety of immigrant groups ranging from victims of human trafficking to refugees. Sophie’s work with refugees focused on youth leadership skills development and building cross-cultural connections between refugee, immigrant and American youth, as well as providing training and developing partnerships with community organizations serving refugees. Although new to the field of international education, Sophie has lived, travelled and studied abroad extensively, having spent significant time in Belgium, China, Côte d’Ivoire, France, and Guatemala. Sophie holds a B.S.W. from Goshen College.

Contact Information

We will be happy to talk with you about the needs or your department or organization and how we might be able to help.

Helen Park Jameson
Manager, Intercultural Programs
Office of International Students and Scholars
International Programs
1111 University Capitol Centre
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242-5500
Phone: (319) 335-0335
Fax: (319) 335-2021
Email: oiss-ggi@uiowa.edu