The University of Iowa is weighing an idea to charge all undergraduates an extra $30 a year to encourage more of them to study abroad. The fee, if ultimately approved by UI leadership and the Board of Regents, would generate about $770,000 a year. That would boost study abroad support about 66 percent, according to Downing Thomas, associate provost and dean of International Programs. “Unlike any other fee, 100 percent of the revenue would go back to students in the form of scholarships,” he told faculty leaders this week in presenting the idea.

Nearly 120 flags will drape the pedestrian bridge behind the Iowa Memorial Union to recognize the University of Iowa’s international students and their significant role in the life of the university. The bridge over the Iowa River will be the focus of Bridging Our World, a five-day display featuring the flags of the 116 countries represented by international students attending the UI during the fall 2018 semester. “Bridging Our World colorfully symbolizes the university’s longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion, and creating a welcoming campus environment for our international students,” says J. Bruce Harreld, University of Iowa president.

Dr. Hyaeweol Choi describes her academic journey as “rather peculiar and unconventional.”While pursuing her undergraduate degree in Korea in the 1980s, Hyaeweol was deeply engaged in intellectual political movements that advocated Korean scholars developing indigenous ways of knowing and creating a deeper understanding of their own history, society, and culture instead of constantly relying on Euro-American theories and methods. With that background, she was resistant to the idea of going to the U.S. for her advanced studies. However, after being accepted to and receiving a scholarship to SUNY-Buffalo, she decided to take a chance and move to the U.S. When she told her colleagues of her decision, many of them were shocked, some even actively opposed the idea. Still, she decided to take the plunge and now looks back fondly at that decision.

When I arrived in the United States, I faced many barriers. Everything was so new and different. I struggled with my English and the culture was very different from my own.

WorldCanvass begins its tenth season of internationally focused discussions on October 9 with “The Politics and Impact of Immigration.” Arguments over reasonable and desirable immigration legislation and the control of U.S. borders have long vexed the political class, policy makers, and the American public, but they’ve become extraordinarily polarizing under the heightened rhetoric of recent years. WorldCanvass will explore, from diverse and often divergent points of view, the complexities that make the immigration discussion so nuanced and difficult. We’ll also hear stories of recent immigrants who’ve chosen to bring their skills, talents, and energies to their new home, Iowa. Joan Kjaer hosts the program, which takes place in downtown Iowa City at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 9, and is free and open to the public. We invite you to come at 5 and join us for a pre-show catered reception.

A study abroad experience in Venice, Italy, introduced Abby Restko (BBA marketing ’05) to the beauty of Italian glass jewelry—an experience so profound that she switched her major from accounting to marketing and launched Glassando, a jewelry store featuring Murano glass jewelry, just months after receiving her degree. Thirteen years later, Glassando is a thriving business. Read on to learn more about Restko’s time in Italy and how it impacted her life—both personally and professionally.

The International Writers Program allows writers to get a taste of life in Iowa City.

Join the UI Japanese Program for two evenings (October 15 & 16) of bilingual readings with author Takiguchi Yūshō.  Takiguchi Yūshō, winner of the Akutagawa Prize and 2018 International Writing Program participant, will read selections from two of his works in the original Japanese, and members of the Workshop in Japanese Literary Translation will read their English translations. Both events are free and open to the public. 

A new proposal offers three parts to increase study abroad rates, including a $15-per-semester fee for all undergraduate students that will go towards study abroad scholarships.

School just recently started and as classes began, it gave me the opportunity to meet so many new people from so many different places!