Dear all,
Happy New Year!
I hope the holiday season has been good to you and that you’ve been able to rest and spend time with friends and family. As the year 2024 closed, IP and the UI College of Pharmacy hosted Dr. Pranvera Breznica, professor of pharmacy at the University of Prishtina (UP) in early December. You may remember that Professor Don Letendre, former dean of the College of Pharmacy, and I visited Kosovo in May 2024, with Dr. Breznica serving as our host. She had invited Professor Letendre and me to Prishtina to advise the UP in establishing an Institute of Pharmacy for the purpose of improving patient care throughout the country. We are pleased to report that administrative approval has been granted for the Institute and that the UI will continue in its advisory role. As part of this close collaboration, we invited Dr. Breznica to visit our campus to meet with faculty and students at the College of Pharmacy, to tour facilities, and to connect with pharmacists in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor. Dr. Breznica was most impressed by the UI’s research, teaching, and clinical infrastructure as well as the university’s extensive connections to local pharmacies. In March and April 2025, Professor Letendre will spend several weeks in Kosovo on a Fulbright fellowship to help with the design and implementation of the Institute of Pharmacy at the University of Prishtina. We are very pleased that the partnership has progressed to such a high level so quickly and will keep you posted on developments throughout the year.
Just as the UI has a long tradition of sending researchers such as Professor Letendre on Fulbright fellowships, we also have a strong history of receiving scholars as well. You may recall that early in fall 2024, the UI welcomed Professor Djiby Anne from the École Supérieur de Commerce (SupdeCo) in Dakar to campus. Iowa’s relationship with one of the premier management schools in Senegal dates back over a decade, but activity has increased in recent years with the visit of a UI delegation in May 2022, and Professor Anne’s Fulbright semester this fall. Professor Anne is head of global engagement at SupdeCo and a noted translator of business English.
The purpose of his Fulbright award was to finish work on a textbook for commercial English in the Francophone world. Professor Anne succeeded in completing the book while also giving guest lectures in the Tippie College of Business and the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, who served as his academic host. Professor Anne’s semester at Iowa strengthened the bonds between the UI and SupdeCo while also enhancing the university’s presence and reputation in Sub–Saharan Africa. Our College of Education plans to run a teacher training program in Senegal this summer. The groundwork for this particular Global Education Initiative was laid in part by the UI delegation visit to Dakar in 2022, in which Professor Anne played a large role.
As 2024 closes and 2025 begins, please let me thank each of you for your tremendous support of our programming. The video below is just a brief expression of gratitude to all our many friends.
With all best wishes for the new year,
Russ
All the best,
Russ
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.