Members of the Kosovo delegation with Dean Russ Ganim (second from right)

Dear All,

As November begins, I’m delighted to update you on happenings in IP that continue our road back to the familiar. In October, we hosted three delegations, one from Kenya and two from Kosovo. At the invitation of the College of Law, a group of jurists from the Kenyan Judicial Service Commission visited campus in early-to-mid July. IP organized numerous meetings as well as a reception, and we were honored that President Wilson engaged in an extended conversation with the group as well. Moving forward, the plan is to build on connections with the Colleges of Law, Business, Education and Nursing, while working with our colleagues to extend international student recruitment opportunities in Kenya.

The two delegation visits from Kosovo were equally fruitful, as members of the Kosovar Diplomatic Academy came to Iowa City on October 13 to further connections in the realms of law, education, and cultural diplomacy. Following this visit, the Kosovar Minister of Education, as well as the Deputy Minister of Education, came to campus October 27-28. Our goal in working with the government of Kosovo and the Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo in Des Moines is to build educational infrastructure by introducing our colleagues to the various research facilities and student support resources on campus. The plan is to secure significant grant funding on which to extend and deepen the foundation already built.

Moving into November, we are looking forward to the many events planned for International Education Week.  Among the highlights for IEW (November 15-19) are our International Photo Contest, the International Impact and Global Student Awards, the Global Health Case Competition, and the Commitment to Internationalization Lecture Series. This year, we are privileged to welcome Dr. Jewell Green Winn, Senior International Officer and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer at Tennessee State University. Dr. Winn is also the President-Elect of the Association for International Education Administrators, the chief professional society for those in charge of global programming at U.S. institutions of higher learning. Dr. Winn’s visit furthers IP’s commitment to promoting linkages between international education and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Dr. Winn’s talk, “Where I Come From: Leading Campus Internationalization Without Walls,” is scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, November 18. It will be live-streamed, and I urge you all to tune in.

In addition, International Education Week will see the grand opening of our U.S. Passport facility on Wednesday, November 17. We will give a full report—complete with pictures of Herky and the ribbon cutting ceremony—in next month’s newsletter, but for now, I wanted to signal our excitement at having a full-service passport in the UI and Iowa City community that advances our mission to bring the world closer to our door.

And finally, please let me send my warmest wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate.

Thank you for your continued support and all best wishes,

Russ