The 2025 Provost’s Global Forum, Private Sector and University Partnerships: Pursuing Pathways for Global Collaboration, Learning, Prosperity, and Democracy, will bring together experts from across the University of Iowa campus, the greater Iowa City area, and around the world to identify and showcase evidence, strategies, approaches, and solutions that form sustainable university private sector partnerships that bring added value to stakeholders of campuses, businesses, communities, and nation-states.
Experts will convene in Iowa City in early February 2025, for a three-day symposium.
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Time: 2:30 - 6 p.m.
Location: International Commons, University Capitol Centre, room 1117
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Location: Tippie College of Business, Pappajohn Business Building, room S401
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: International Commons, University Capitol Centre, room 1117
RSVP to let organizers know which sessions you’ll attend and help determine the amount of refreshments needed for various breaks and meals.
Session ScheduLE Register to Attend
“In today’s global environment, universities must be intentional about their partnerships, particularly with the private sector,” said Cassie Barnhardt, professor in the UI College of Education and one of the co-organizers of this year’s Provost’s Global Forum. “Businesses and companies are the sites where knowledge turns into action, practice, or products, and they are the places where students apply what they know, grow, and contribute throughout their adult lives.”
Universities support society by contributing to discovery and innovation, and offering expertise that produces new insights, solutions, processes, and technologies. This work builds safer, more sustainable, and productive communities. Throughout the symposium, presenters will share insights on industry-informed approaches to reforming and creating curriculum that prepares students for the global economy. Additionally, thought leaders in education and business will showcase the strategies that universities around the world use to build and deepen partnerships with companies. Evidence will be provided regarding the ways university research and expertise can be utilized to support global economic goals in emerging democracies and markets.
Highlights of the forum include:
Three days of sessions, including an overview of the currently active Private Sector Partnership to Strengthen Higher Education, the USAID-Kosovo activity between the University of Iowa and Kosovo, which has been instrumental in supporting higher education reform in Kosovo, providing a model for global collaboration
A keynote presentation by Catherine Chong, director of the Office of Industry Engagement at Singapore Management University in Singapore
The 2025 Joel Barkan Memorial Lecture by Dr. Helena Jerregård, deputy vice-chancellor cooperation & vice president at Mälardalen University in Västerås, Sweden
“International Programs is particularly excited about this year’s Provost’s Global Forum because it focuses on the UI’s innovative work in curricular development,” said Russ Ganim, associate provost and dean of International Programs. “Specifically, we shine a light on how the business sector and public universities are partnering to design new courses that meet market needs. This co-creative process has gained momentum in recent years, with Iowa setting a high-profile example through its USAID cooperative agreement in Kosovo. The models we’ve generated serve as a template for similar collaborations, which will only grow in number now and in the future.”
This event brings together university personnel, private sector representatives, educators, students, and donors to consider how universities and the private sector can cooperate to achieve their mutual objectives related to preparing students for the labor market, responding to nation-state or regional economic and development priorities, or using science and expertise to stimulate technology advancement, innovation, or entrepreneurship.
“Globally, universities are expected to grow their internationalization efforts and to cooperate with the private sector to achieve common goals,” said Barnhardt. “If the universities don’t respond proactively to these demands, regulators, ministries, or funding agencies are likely to impose internationalization strategies or private sector involvement strategies on them.”
This event is made possible through the generous support and financial contributions from the Stanley-University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization, UI International Programs, and the UI Tippie College of Business. Activities for the 2025 Provost's Global Forum are hosted in collaboration with the UI College of Education, the UI Tippie College of Business, and the Kosova Education Center.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Daniel Vorwerk in advance at 319-467-1619 or daniel-vorwerk@uiowa.edu.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.