Through the generous support of the Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization, the Provost’s Global Forum is the premier annual event on campus focused on international and global issues. The forum brings together experts from the faculty and leading voices from a variety of areas to raise awareness about and contribute to debate on the foremost issues in globalization that face us today. In addition to serving the University of Iowa community broadly, the forum endeavors to build connections between the University and the state of Iowa, and positions the UI as a national node in discussions of global affairs.
Current Award Winner
Cinematic Connections in a Polarized World: How Movies Bring Us Together
In a time when the world feels increasingly divided, this 2-day Provost’s Global Forum looks at how movies can bring people together. Through public film screenings and conversations, the forum features films from the global Jewish diaspora, many rarely seen by U.S. audiences, that show how humor, friendship, family, romance, food, music, dance, and sports help bridge differences across cultures and generations. Faculty, students, and guest speakers from a wide range of backgrounds will come together to talk about these films and what they reveal about connection in a polarized world. At its core, the forum celebrates the power of storytelling and laughter to help us see ourselves in one another.
Organized by:
- Elke Heckner, associate professor of instruction, German; Department of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures; UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Denise Filios, associate professor, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
More information coming soon.
About the Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization
C. Maxwell (Max) and Elizabeth (Betty) M. Stanley were exemplary visionary leaders in philanthropic and educational endeavors. They strove to promote public understanding, constructive dialogue, and cooperative action on critical international issues and worked to recognize the essential roles of both the policy community and the broader public in building sustainable peace.
Alumni of The University of Iowa and longtime active volunteers and generous supporters of the institution, the Stanley's created The Stanley-University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization in 1979. which provides funding for projects across The University of Iowa.
Interested in applying?
All University of Iowa tenured, tenure-track, clinical, and research faculty are invited to submit proposals.
Past Winners
2025: Private Sector and University Partnerships: Pursuing Pathways for Global Collaboration, Learning, Prosperity and Democracy
Co-organizers:
Cassie Barnhardt, professor of higher education and student affairs, UI College of Education
Ken Brown, Department Executive Officer, UI College of Education; Tippie Children Professor of Management, UI Tippie College of Business
Dimy Doresca, executive director, Institute for International Business; clinical associate professor in management and entrepreneurship, UI Tippie College of Business
Erin Johnson, professor of instruction in management and entrepreneurship, UI Tippie College of Business
Christopher Kromphardt, career readiness and success consultant, USAID-funded Activity 'Private Sector Partnerships to Strengthen Higher Education
Zoie Schares, senior program manager in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, UI College of Education
2024: LGBTQ Youth in Global Perspective - Resistance, Resilience, Reimagination
Co-organizers:
Will Coghill-Behrends, clinical associate professor of Multilingual Education, UI College of Education, and co-director of the Linda R. Baker Teacher Leader Center
Josh Coleman, assistant professor of English education, UI College of Education
Allison Rowe, assistant professor of art education, UI College of Education
2023: Festival of Contemporary Music from Israel
Organizer:
David Gompper, professor and director of the Center for New Music
2022: Teaching Anne Frank
Co-organizers:
Kirsten E. Kumpf Baele, lecturer and outreach coordinator of German
Waltraud Maierhofer, professor of German, global health studies
2019: Why School? International Perspectives on Education and Social Transformation
Co-organizers:
Gavin Fulmer, associate professor of science education
David Bills, professor, educational policy and leadership studies
Gregory Hamot, professor, education
Lia Plakans, chair of the Department of Teaching & Learning, and professor of foreign language and ESL education
Amanda Thein, professor and associate dean for academic affairs and graduate programs, language, literacy, and culture, UI College of Education
2018: Against Amnesia: Archives, Evidence, and Social Justice
Co-organizers:
Paula Amad, associate professor of film studies and chair of the Department of Cinematic Arts
Amy Chen, special collections, library
Matthew Hannah, Obermann postdoctoral fellow
Teresa Mangum, professor, gender, women's, and sexuality studies and English
Jennifer Sessions, adjunct associate professor, history
Miriam Thaggert, associate professor of English
2017: Women's Health and the Environment: Going up in Smoke
Co-organizers:
Jerry Anthony, associate professor, urban & regional planning
Matthew Hill, associate professor, anthropology
Meena Khandelwal, associate professor, anthropology and gender studies
Marc Linderman, associate professor, geography
HS Uday Kumar, professor, mechanical engineering
2016: The Nation, the State, and the Global Redefinition of Self-determination
Co-organizers:
Nathan Miller, assistant director, Center and the Senior Fellow in Human Rights and Social Justice at the UI College of Law
Adrien Wing, associate dean, International and Comparative Law Programs, UI College of Law
2015: The Arab Spring in a Global Context
Co-organizers:
Ari Ariel, associate professor, history and international studies
Paul Dilley, associate professor, ancient Mediterranean religions
Edward Minor
Yoko Nakamura
Ahmed E. Souaiaia, professor, religious studies, international studies, law
2014: Child Protection: A Global Responsibility
Organizer:
Resmiye Oral, M.D., director of the Child Protection Program at University of Iowa Children's Hospital
2013: Refugees in the Heartland
Organizer:
Amy Weismann, lecturer in law and assistant director, UI Center for Human Rights