Kevin Kinser will be the second speaker in the Commitment to Internationalization lecture series. His talk, "International University Research Ventures: A Faculty-Focused Agenda for Comprehensive Internationalization," will be on Friday, March 3, at 4:30 p.m. in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber. This lecture continues the conversation about the UI's vision and strategic themes for campus internationalization.

Ellen Hazelkorn will be kicking off the Commitment to Internationalization lecture series with her talk, “Internationalization and the Geopolitics of Higher Education,” on Wednesday, November 16, at 4:30 p.m. in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber.

A former naval commander and aide to two U.S. vice presidents and one president, Howard Kerr says his greatest pleasure today comes from bringing a little ‘real world’ experience into the academic space. “When students tell me that I’m lucky to have had the experiences I’ve had, I agree, but with a big caveat. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt once defined luck for me as preparation waiting for opportunity,” says Kerr. “I took classes in Schaeffer Hall sixty years ago, sitting in the same seats they’re in, and I didn’t have any idea what I’d be doing when I left the university. But I found out that my time here at the university had prepared me to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves. This is the message I try to pass on to students.”

Howard Kerr, a native Iowan, 1960 graduate of the UI, and former naval commander and advisor to U.S. presidents, has been named the 2016 recipient of the International Impact Award. UI Provost Barry Butler and Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs Downing Thomas will present the award to Kerr at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 17, as part of the television/radio/internet program WorldCanvass. Also appearing on WorldCanvass to discuss the challenges and opportunities offered by increasing internationalization in higher education will be Ellen Hazelkorn, policy advisor to the Higher Education Authority, Ireland, and Barbara McFadden Allen, executive director of the Big 10 Academic Alliance. The program takes place in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building from 7:30-9:00 p.m. No tickets are required and the public is invited to enjoy a pre-show reception from 6:30-7:30.

To be effective citizens and to excel in their chosen careers, UI students must develop cross-cultural competencies, and we must provide them opportunities to learn to function successfully and with ease in global environments. The learning and discovery guided by faculty at the University of Iowa reshape our understanding of the world, improve quality of life for many, and create economic benefits in the state of Iowa and around the globe. International relationships and partnerships, from the individual to the institutional, within and beyond our campus, add value to and expand the reach of our curricular, research, outreach, and economic development activities. We must successfully leverage these partnerships, including with our alumni living abroad. The University of Iowa must think and act as a global institution to be in a position to excel over the coming decades.