A growing Iowa City skyline stands against a muggy afternoon sky on Monday, July 17, 2006. A story released Monday in Money Magazine ranked the city No. 74 on its "Best Places to Live" list out of an original pool of nearly 750.
Kinsey Phipps, The Daily Iowan
Last year, Iowa City hosted 189 visitors from 68 different countries, helping build global ties locally.
This effort is led by Council for International Visitors Iowa Cities. Founded 33 years ago, CIVIC is a nonprofit organization that collaborates with the Department of State to host short-term professional programming for international visitors, director Jo Butterfield said.
The individuals who pass through Iowa City are typically leaders in their field, Butterfield said. Often, they are on international tours to speak about practices in their home country and how they may be applied here.
On April 16, Lana Zak gave a keynote speech at CIVIC’s annual Celebration for Citizen Diplomacy Dinner. Zak is a UI alum who works as ABC News correspondent. She also serves on the Honors Program Advisory Board.