The changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have impacted every person, every industry, every region, and every communal activity for nearly the whole of 2020. Even after the much-hoped-for vaccine is developed and distributed, some believe that life and work patterns have been forever altered. What comes next in the field of global education is the subject of the December WorldCanvass on the topic “Teaching and Learning Post-COVID.”  WorldCanvass will be held virtually through Zoom, from 5:30-7 p.m. on December 8.

Associate Provost and Dean Russell Ganim provides a welcome back message

Staff members at International Programs at the University of Iowa created a video message for students to convey the message, "we are here for you." President Harreld and Provost Fuentes also lent a hand to the video production. 

Concerns about the present and future danger of the 2019 novel coronavirus will be addressed by an expert panel on a special WorldCanvass called "Coronavirus: Perceptions and Precautions" to be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., February 21, in 1117 University Capitol Centre (UCC). The event is free and open to the public.

When Downing Thomas ends his tenure as associate provost and dean of International Programs at the end of the semester, he’ll be making two significant shifts in his life. Professionally, Thomas will return to teaching French literature as a professor in the Department of French and Italian in the College of Arts and Sciences, effective Dec. 31. The second significant shift in his life is personal. Thomas and his wife, Joy, are expecting a baby in December.

The final production of our tenth season inaugurated this year's Provost's Global Forum, "Why School? International Perspectives on Education and Social Transformation."  Host Joan Kjaer and expert panelists discussed school and educational systems around the world, and how schools are both products of society and a process for effecting changes in society.  Panelists answered questions such as: What is the purpose of schooling in society? And what are the relationships between educational reform, globalization, and social change?