International Programs is pleased to announce that David A. Hamod (BA political science ‘81), an advocate for U.S. businesses overseas and champion of American citizens abroad, and Richard J. Tyner (BA French, political science '70), an international business lawyer by trade and staunch proponent of international education, are the winners of the 2024 International Impact Award.

University of Iowa alumna and recipient of the UI International Impact Award in 2020, Sarah Lande (BA and MBA) is a true global Hawkeye. She shared details of her reunion with Mr. Xi during his recent visit to the U.S.

As part of the University of Iowa’s annual celebration of International Education Week, International Programs will host a WorldCanvass program to present both the International Impact Award and the Global Student Awards for 2023.

Andy Code, 2022 recipient of the UI’s International Impact Award, and Global Student awardees yet to be named, will be honored on the November 7 WorldCanvass which officially opens the UI’s celebration of International Education Week (November 14-18).

UI undergraduate and graduate alumni Sarah Lande will receive the award recognizing her key work as an Iowan representative to China.

Sarah Lande, a lifelong proponent of citizen diplomacy and key figure in the history of Iowa's relationship with China, and Patrick and Susan Keefe, whose commitment to serving the health needs of under-resourced and marginalized communities has taken them to many parts of the U.S. and the world, are the recipients of the UI's 2020 International Impact Award. UI President Bruce Harreld and International Programs Associate Provost and Dean Russell Ganim will present the International Impact Awards during WorldCanvass, the official kick-off for the UI celebration of International Education Week (November 16-20).  Recognition will also be given to Mishma Nixon and Nicholas Stroup, recipients of the UI's Global Student Awards.  WorldCanvass will be held virtually this year through Zoom, beginning at 5:30p.m. on November 16.

The International Impact Award recognizes distinguished alumni and other individuals with significant ties to the UI who have made important contributions internationally or, in the case of international alumni, abroad in their home countries. It honors exceptional individuals in any field who have made sustained and deep contributions internationally or in the U.S. to promote global understanding.

UI alum and world renowned opera singer Simon Estes was awarded the 2019 International Impact Award as part of this special program of WorldCanvass.

UI President Bruce Harreld will present the 2019 International Impact Award to internationally acclaimed opera singer Simon Estes in a public ceremony at the beginning of the November 21 WorldCanvass program. Following the presentation of the award, Estes will be interviewed by WorldCanvass host Joan Kjaer about his young life in Centerville, Iowa, his long and successful international operatic career, and the racism he faced in both the European and American contexts as his talents carried him to greater heights but his color often prevented consideration for stage appearances. This special event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m., November 21, in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building, on the corner of Burlington and Clinton Streets in Iowa City. All are invited to a pre-show reception from 6:30-7 p.m.

Dr. Trudy Huskamp Peterson, our 2011 International Impact Award winner, was recently recognized with the Emmett Leahy Award. This award recognizes pioneers in the field of records and information management.

WorldCanvass will celebrate International Education Week* with a program on “Educational Cross-fertilization: the Iowa/India Connection.” The program will feature UI President Bruce Harreld’s presentation of the 2018 International Impact Award to Rajat Jay Sehgal and the Sehgal Foundation for their leadership in support of community-based development activities, educational access, and the empowerment of women, particularly in rural India. Sehgal will also be recognized for the foundation’s multi-year partnership with the University of Iowa’s award-winning India Winterim program. Joining the discussion about the Iowa/India educational connection are Craig Just, Marian Muste, and Allen Bradley from the College of Engineering, Stephanie Gilbertson-White from the College of Nursing, Vijay Kamalumpundi from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs Downing Thomas. WorldCanvass begins at 5:30 on November 13 at MERGE, 136 South Dubuque Street, with a pre-show reception from 5-5:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

A former naval commander and aide to two U.S. vice presidents and one president, Howard Kerr says his greatest pleasure today comes from bringing a little ‘real world’ experience into the academic space. “When students tell me that I’m lucky to have had the experiences I’ve had, I agree, but with a big caveat. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt once defined luck for me as preparation waiting for opportunity,” says Kerr. “I took classes in Schaeffer Hall sixty years ago, sitting in the same seats they’re in, and I didn’t have any idea what I’d be doing when I left the university. But I found out that my time here at the university had prepared me to take advantage of opportunities that presented themselves. This is the message I try to pass on to students.”