University of Iowa News Release

Jan. 5, 2006

During the summer of 2005, University of Iowa President David J. Skorton and his wife Robin Davisson, UI associate professor of anatomy and cell biology, traveled to Southeast Asia, where they visited with the leaders of more than a dozen universities. The subject of international education once again was on the table when Skorton attended the Washington, D.C. Jan. 5-6 U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education, an event he recently discussed with University of Iowa News Services writer/editor Gary Galluzzo. (Posted Jan. 12, 2006)

Skorton To Participate In University Presidents International Education Summit

University of Iowa President David Skorton will join college and university presidents from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico when he participates in the Jan. 5-6 U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education in Washington D.C.

President George W. Bush is scheduled to address the meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5.

Co-hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, the summit will focus on how to attract more foreign students and scholars to the United States, as well as how to encourage more American students to study abroad. In addition, participants will discuss marketing of U.S. higher education programs abroad, reaching out to underserved populations, understanding visa and regulatory processes, cooperating to meet exchange priorities and employing community college international education resources.

According to 2004-2005 figures given by the Institute of International Education (http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/), the University of Iowa ranks 40th among U.S. Universities with 2,373 international students enrolled (Iowa State University is 41st with 2,296 students), and the state of Iowa ranks 23rd among the states with 7,675 students.

Having spoken with the leaders of more than a dozen universities during a summer 2005 trip to Southeast Asia and co-authored (with wife Robin Davisson, UI associate professor of anatomy and cell biology) an Aug. 2, 2005 opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Skorton is keenly aware of international education issues. In September, his annual keynote address, titled "Exchange," focused on the increasing need for international cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries. Also, Skorton declared the 2005-2006 UI academic year the Year of Public Engagement, during which the university community is being encouraged to intensify its efforts and sharpen its focus on engagement with the public and public issues at the local, state, national and international levels. (More information is online at http://www.ype.uiowa.edu/.)

"It's an honor and a great opportunity to be involved in the summit and in the dialog involving the President, the Secretaries of State and Education, and other leaders in higher education," Skorton said. "Educational and cultural exchange are powerful forces in the world, yet they are not always recognized as such. This summit presents an opportunity to make these forces more visible as vital national interests."

The summit is also expected to draw attention to the key investments required to strengthen international higher education for Americans, including increasing access to study abroad, encouraging non-traditional study abroad locations, strengthening non-traditional language acquisition, developing coherent international strategies at U.S. universities and colleges, and engaging the public and private sectors in a shared national vision for the future.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500.

MEDIA CONTACT: Gary Galluzzo, 319-384-0009, gary-galluzzo@uiowa.edu