Dear all,

Happy Spring! Slowly but surely, the crocuses are croaking, and the grass is getting greener. Also, the Hawkeyes have given us a lot to cheer about during the NCAA Tournament. 😊

Spring has sprung in International Programs (IP) as well. This past month, we were delighted to welcome two delegations from Japan. As we have noted previously, Japan is a priority country for collaborations, and we are pleased by the creation and development of the partnerships that have been established in recent years.

In early March, a delegation from Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU) visited campus. TMU is a growing and well-resourced campus conveniently located in Japan’s capital. The school is looking for American partners to help develop its new International Faculty, an interdisciplinary school designed to promote global education. Our friends from TMU met with Iowa faculty from the Carver College of Medicine, the Colleges of Public Health and Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, to explore areas of collaboration in research and teaching. TMU’s visit comes on the heels of my trip to Tokyo this past December to build partnerships across East Asia. Our conversations were productive and concluded with the signing of a Letter of Intent to develop our collaboration. In the future, we see excellent opportunities in the areas of faculty exchange and short-term summer programming for students.

March also saw a visit from a second delegation from Japan. IP and the UI College of Public Health received colleagues from both Ritsumeikan and Kyoto Universities to conduct a webinar entitled, Creating Communities that Care that examined global approaches to population health. Among the topics covered were suicide prevention, addiction treatment, dementia risk reduction, and substance use disorders in advanced liver and cardiac disease. In addition to our colleagues from Ritsumeikan and Kyoto, the panel featured experts from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology, as well as the UI Carver College of Medicine. The creation of international partnerships is crucial to finding solutions to these problems, and IP is proud to support faculty researchers who seek to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Iowa and for people across the world. 

At the end of March, IP, and our International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) unit in particular, hosted the BTAA Summit 2026. Now that membership in the Big Ten Academic Alliance spans coast to coast, advisors from across the country came to Iowa City to build connections to better serve international students, scholars, and employees. As we know, these communities have faced enormous challenges in the recent past. ISSS advisors across the BTAA have worked tirelessly to help our international students and scholars navigate visa, immigration, and employment issues. One of the huge advantages to membership in the BTAA is the ability to create networks where advisors can share knowledge, trade best practices, and lend support during difficult moments. We are proud of the way ISSS advisors across the Big Ten have shown creativity, resourcefulness, and grit in recent months. Shoutouts go to them and to Iowa's own ISSS team—especially Shuhui Lin and Brandon Paulson—for organizing a very successful summit. Such a strong partnership will serve our global community well both now and in the future.

With thanks for your support and all best wishes,

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.