The Anne Frank Initiative welcomed over 250 eighth graders from Clear Creek Amana (CCA) Middle School where they learned about Anne Frank’s story, her legacy, and her special connection to Iowa.

The Anne Frank Initiative, an International Programs affinity group, welcomed approximately 200 students from the Clear Creek Amana Community School District to the University of Iowa campus on Friday, May 19.

Over 250 middle school students from Eastern Iowa schools participated in the International Day Human Rights Conference 2023. Organized by the University of Iowa Baker Teacher Leader Center and sponsored by International Programs and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, this year’s conference theme was Education for All.  

The mission of the Anne Frank Initiative is to investigate Anne Frank’s literary contributions and her legacy in a more contemporary context. 

Kirsten Baele’s talk is entitled “Anne Frank Branching Out in Iowa – The Significance of the Sapling Project in the Hawkeye State.

Hillel International covers the Anne Frank sapling planting at the University of Iowa.

n Friday, April 29, the University of Iowa became the 13th location in the United States to plant a sapling grown from the chestnut tree that symbolized hope for Anne Frank as she hid from the Nazis during World War II.

n Anne Frank sapling, which was propagated from the chestnut tree Anne Frank and her family saw outside their window, was planted on the Pentacrest at the University of Iowa on Friday, April 29.

On this episode of Talk of Iowa (Iowa Public Radio), host Charity Nebbe talks to Kirsten Kumpf Baele of the University of Iowa and Ali Borger-Germann, who teaches at City High in Iowa City, about the life and legacy of Anne Frank and the trees that are a powerful symbol of hope and help keep her legacy alive.

Dean Ganim discusses visits by consular and cultural representatives from Israel and Taiwan, and the Provost's Global Forum on the legacy of Anne Frank.

For many, Anne Frank’s name conjures imagery of a young Jewish girl with long dark hair and twinkling eyes, a secret hiding space, and of course, a diary. 

The UI will put an iron cage and other safety precautions in place to protect the Anne Frank tree sapling arriving in April.e