Dear all,

Happy New (Academic) Year! It’s always wonderful to see everyone back on campus as the fall semester begins. We’ve been graced by cool weather which has raised spirits while reminding us that fall—almost everyone’s favorite season in Iowa City—is not far away at all.

In International Programs (IP), the best part of the new term is welcoming our new and returning international students to campus. While the final numbers are yet to be determined, the figures we are seeing are quite respectable given the current uncertainty regarding international enrollments. It is testament to the hard work of the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) team, the Graduate College, the Office of Admissions, UI faculty and staff, and the students themselves that we will again have nearly 2,000 international students and scholars on our campus this year. I’d like to give a special shoutout to our ISSS team who, as always, spent countless hours advising students on visa and immigration issues while preparing for weeks to deliver an excellent orientation that took place August 11-20. Our reception team at the front desk also plays a large role in making our new arrivals feel at ease during their first days at Iowa. From a personal standpoint, it’s always a delight to see our new and returning international students in the office and to chat with them about their career aspirations and why they chose Iowa to enrich their academic and personal lives. As we extend the warmest of all possible welcomes to these invaluable members of our community, we reaffirm our pledge to support and to advocate for them in any way we can while giving our international students and scholars the resources they need to make the very most of their time at Iowa. We note as well that this time of year also features the arrival of new international faculty, some of whom I had the pleasure of meeting at this year’s New Faculty Orientation activities. A hearty welcome goes to these new members of our Iowa community as well.

And as new members of our community settle in, we want to draw them to the many events IP coordinates during the academic year. One such activity is Professor Marta Tejedor Bravo’s Major Projects Award entitled, Metabolic Health in Motion: A Multidisciplinary Journey to Liver Wellness, a global initiative focused on raising awareness of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). Dr. Tejedor’s project is especially innovative since it combines a traditional academic conference with cooking classes, a fitness masterclass, and a 5K run. How cool is that?!? Such creative initiatives are precisely the type of programming we strive to foster in IP, and I can’t think of a better and healthier way to begin academic year 2025-26.

Wishing you all the best for the fall term, 

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.