As an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa, Elisha Smiley (BBA accounting ’01; MAc accounting ’02) studied abroad in Dijon, France. It was a semester filled with learning to adapt, meeting new friends, and expanding her worldview, but perhaps most impactful was the connection she made to food. This connection helped to spark a career change from accounting to that of pastry chef and instructor.

Please join International Programs for one of several information sessions to discuss the process of applying for a Gilman Scholarship. Applications are now being accepted for summer and fall 2022.

Monica Ernberger, senior study abroad advisor and program coordinator at the University of Iowa, has been selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to serve as an inaugural Gilman Advisor Ambassador. Over the next two years, she will serve as a voice for higher education to inform and advise colleagues at diverse U.S. colleges and universities about the Benjamin A. Gilman Program International Scholarship Program.  They will share their expertise and best practices for promoting the Gilman Program and guiding students in the application process, as well as provide input to program administrators on program policies and implementation.  

A turned-down internship, a bet, and two novels later, J.C. Geiger says the University of Iowa gave him the opportunity to see the world and find the type of writing he loved best.

Led by UI English Professor Blaine Greteman, the Irish Writing Program is a rigorous and exciting creative writing study abroad program in Dublin, Ireland, designed to help aspiring writers become better at their craft. 

From outstanding universities to the great outdoors, learn why Germany is one of the most popular destinations for studying abroad.

Would you like to teach English, study, or do research or creative work abroad for an academic year at no cost? Join International Programs for the tenth annual intensive Fulbright U.S. Student Program workshop on Friday, January 28, 2022, from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. 

‘There is pent-up demand for international experiences’

Lauren Smiley (BA journalism and mass communication; Spanish ’05) is an award-winning freelance journalist (https://laurensmiley.contently.com/) based in San Francisco, California. Writing for publications such as WIRED, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, Smiley feels her study abroad experience in Guadalajara, Mexico, as an undergraduate at Iowa helped her build skills that contribute to her success writing in-depth magazine stories—namely navigating the arrival in a new community with grace and resourcefulness. We caught up with Marion, Iowa, native Smiley to learn more about her study abroad experience and how it shaped her personally and professionally.

The generosity of Drs. Joel and Sandra Barkan led to the creation of a scholarship for undergraduate students to study abroad in non-Western countries. Both Sandra (PhD comparative literature ’84), formerly comparative literature professor and associate dean of the Graduate College, and her late husband, Joel, political science professor, had distinguished careers at Iowa and helped to infuse international education on campus.

International Programs was proud to celebrate the Grand Opening Celebration of the University of Iowa Passport Office, Wednesday, November 17, in 1111 University Capitol Centre. 

Learn about an amazing opportunity to travel to Greece with Assistant Professor of Counselor Education and Supervision in the Department of Rehabilitation and Counselor Education Gerta Bardoshi.