IPO News
UMass Amherst to Celebrate Campus Installation of Berlin Wall Segment April 25 with German Consul General
The University of Massachusetts Amherst will celebrate the installation of a 12-foot segment of the Berlin Wall painted by famed French artist Thierry Noir on Tuesday, April 25 at 2 p.m. at the Memorial Hall patio. Sonja Kreibich, Consul General of Germany to the New England States, will join UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and other campus officials for the event, which is the highlight of a week of art exhibitions and film screenings related to the history, impact and legacy of the structure that divided Germany’s capital for three decades.
Donated to the university by the family of Eric Hanson, the wall segment painted by Noir is titled “The Power of Creativity over Concrete.” In the 1980s, Noir, credited with being the first artist to paint the Berlin Wall, risked arrest by East German authorities for illicitly painting on the west side of the wall three meters beyond the western border. He ultimately painted nearly six kilometers of the wall over the course of five years. The campus’s wall segment was originally painted by Noir in 1990 in front of an old print factory in the former southeast Berlin district of Treptow.
The wall segment is being installed outside in an east/west direction — reflecting its placement in Germany — within a glass case next to Herter Hall, which is home to the history and German and Scandinavian studies academic departments and the DEFA Film Library. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, DEFA is the only archive and research center outside of Germany devoted to a broad spectrum of filmmaking from and related to the former East Germany.
“The university is grateful to the family of Eric Hanson for the generous donation of this segment of the Berlin Wall,” Subbaswamy said. “For nearly 30 years, the wall stood as a cruel symbol of division — dissecting not only a city and a country, but families and entire societies — and its fall marked a joyous occasion of unification and the beginning of the end of the Cold War. This particular segment of the wall shows that inspiring art can be made amid terrible situations, and its presence at the heart of campus reflects UMass Amherst’s revolutionary spirit.”
A Special Week Featuring Films and Events
A number of related supporting events, including art exhibits and film screenings presented by the German department and DEFA, will also take place on campus the week of the installation celebration.
- From April 24-28, “The Berlin Wall: Borders and Barriers in the Past and Present” will exhibit art submitted by undergraduate students from the Five Colleges in the lobby of the Bromery Center for the Arts. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held Monday, April 24 at 5 p.m.
- Also on April 24, DEFA will present a screening of the film Drawing a Line, followed by a Q&A session with director Gerd Kroske. On Wednesday, April 26, DEFA will present a screening of the documentary “The Wall,” which will also be followed by a Q&A with Kroske, who served as assistant director on the film. Kroske will also visit German and history classes while on campus April 24-26.
More information about the events surrounding the installation celebration can be found on the DEFA website.
Hokkaido University Delegation Visits UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst officials welcomed Hokkaido University President Kiyohiro Houkin and his delegation this week to celebrate the long-lasting partnership between the two institutions and explore opportunities for future collaborations.
This is President Houkin’s first visit to UMass Amherst. Before his role at Hokkaido University, he was a leading expert in neurosurgery and served as the director of Hokkaido University Hospital from 2013 to 2019.
Led by Houkin, the delegation from Hokkaido University is visiting from April 19-21. Delegation members include: Dr. Aya Takahashi, executive vice president for international affairs; Masaharu Yoshioka, professor of information science and technology; Yoichiro Hoshino, professor for field science for northern biosphere; Tetsuya Aikoh, associate professor of agriculture; Tetsuya Sato, manager of international planning; and Taena Uemura, research administrator at the Institute for International Collaborations.
Hokkaido University is one of the oldest and most prestigious national universities in Japan. Established in 1876, Hokkaido is attended by over 18,000 students, including 2,000 international students from over 130 countries. The university is known for its strengths in natural sciences, social sciences and engineering.
UMass Amherst and Hokkaido University have enjoyed a strong partnership since the late 1800s. The two universities have been linked ever since William S. Clark, the third president of Massachusetts Agricultural College (now UMass Amherst), helped establish Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University) and served as the vice president of the Japanese college for eight months. The bond has remained strong over the years as both universities underwent transformations.
During their visit, Houkin and his delegation planned to meet with UMass Amherst's leadership including Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Provost Tricia Serio, faculty members and researchers to discuss new and ongoing collaborations in research, student exchange programs and joint academic initiatives. The discussions are focused on several areas of mutual interest, including environmental sustainability, health and well-being, agricultural innovations and international education.
The visit itinerary also featured a tour of research facilities, including the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, the Conte National Center for Polymer Research and the UMass Center for International Education. In addition, the delegation planned to visit the oldest and largest Japanese elm tree on American soil, which was planted from gifted seeds brought back from Japan and is housed on the southeast side of South College. They also planned to attend a curated presentation on the Hokkaido Archives and Special Collections at the DuBois Library and to tour the UMass Cold Spring Orchard and Agricultural Learning Center.
President of Kyiv School of Economics Visits UMass Amherst
As part of UMass Amherst’s ongoing partnership with the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of KSE, visited campus and met with UMass leaders on Feb. 22. Mylovanov has previously served as the minister of trade for Ukraine.
“I am honored that we had the opportunity to welcome President Mylovanov to campus as we approach the first anniversary of the brutal and illegal war on Ukraine,” said Kalpen Trivedi, vice provost for global affairs. “It is very important for us to show that UMass stands with Ukrainian academia, and the work we have begun this year will surely be the foundation of a lasting partnership.”
Last March, the campus community united to offer support to Ukraine, and the partnership with KSE was established as a means of supporting Ukrainian scholars. The initiative was spearheaded by Anna Nagurney, Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies at the Isenberg School of Management, in collaboration with Bogdan Prokopovych, an Isenberg lecturer; Ina Ganguli, associate professor of economics; and Lauren McCarthy, associate professor of legal studies and political science. Support was also provided by the International Programs Office and then-Provost John McCarthy.
As a result of their efforts, UMass’ series of memoranda of agreement with KSE culminated in an academic exchange program for students and established a non-resident, virtual scholar in residence program for Ukrainian scholars to continue their research during wartime.
Fifteen scholars from Ukraine in a variety of fields have been matched with UMass faculty in Isenberg School of Management, the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Natural Sciences. A virtual symposium is planned for the spring semester to showcase the collaborative projects.
During his visit, Mylovanov met with a number of UMass officials including Provost Tricia Serio; Provost Emeritus McCarthy; Vice Provost Trivedi; Isenberg Dean Anne Massey; SBS Dean R. Karl Rethemeyer; and CNS Interim Dean Nathaniel Whitaker.
UMass Amherst Ranks Fifth Among Massachusetts Colleges and Universities in Economic Benefits Generated by International Students
International students attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst generate nearly $157 million in economic impact for the region and state and support nearly 1,800 jobs, according to a new report released by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
The report shows that UMass Amherst’s approximately 4,200 international students – over 1,800 undergraduate and nearly 2,400 graduate students – contribute $156.9 million to the economy, fifth-most among Massachusetts colleges and universities. Based on the association’s estimates, that spending in the higher education, accommodation, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications and health insurance sectors supports 1,773 jobs.
For the second straight year, NAFSA found that the Bay State saw the third-largest economic activity created by international students in the country, with a 2021 financial contribution of $3.1 billion and 31,420 jobs supported by 71,026 students. Nationally, the nearly one million international students at U.S. colleges and universities contributed $33.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2021-22 academic year.
“International Education Week is a time to reflect on and celebrate the diversity of our international community and the value of global educational exchange,” says Kalpen Trivedi, UMass Amherst vice provost of global affairs in the International Programs Office (IPO), which in celebration of International Education Week is conducting a number of events on campus for international students, including relaunching the popular IPO Coffee Hour Series. “Our classrooms and our communities are infinitely richer for the viewpoint diversity and cultural vibrancy our international students and scholars bring to UMass, and as the data from NAFSA shows, they make a major material contribution to the state and the region’s economic development.”
A summary of the complete national report, released in conjunction with the U.S. State Department’s celebration of International Education Week, as well as the report on Massachusetts colleges and universities, can be found on NAFSA’s website.
UMass Amherst and INTO Form New Student Recruitment Partnership
INTO University Partnerships has announced a new partnership with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The partnership will support international student recruitment for 17 UMass master’s degrees in highly sought-after fields such as business, science and engineering. The majority of programs are STEM-designated.
Leveraging its extensive recruitment network worldwide, INTO will work closely with UMass to further build the university’s profile in key student mobility markets and expand its global reach.
INTO will begin recruiting students to these programs starting in October.
“We are proud to partner with the University of Massachusetts Amherst, an elite institution known globally for its commitment to academic excellence and pursuit of progress. With INTO’s unparalleled reach and market knowledge, we look forward to helping some of the best talent in every corner of the world join the world-class UMass community,” said Olivia Streatfeild, CEO of INTO.
“This new partnership with INTO represents an important new step in our strategy to grow the number and diversity of international graduate students”, said Kalpen Trivedi, vice provost for global affairs at UMass Amherst. “INTO’s global reach will ensure broad visibility for our world class programs.”
By focusing on research, diversity and revolutionary thinking — what the university refers to as the UMass Edge — exceptional students from across the globe graduate from UMass Amherst with the industry knowledge and technical skills they need to launch rewarding careers.
“This partnership will build on the university’s reputation for world-class academics and innovative research, ensuring more students benefit from the educational and professional opportunities available at UMass,” said Streatfeild.
INTO University Partnerships is an independent organization committed to expanding higher education and career opportunities for students across the globe. Since its inception in 2005, INTO has pioneered innovation in international education and created partnerships with 30 universities in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. It has helped more than 130,000 students from 190 countries realize their dream of achieving a degree from a world-class university.
Standing in Solidarity with Our Iranian Students
To our Graduate Students,
We are writing to express our strong solidarity with our Iranian student and scholar community in light of the recent, unconscionable violations of women’s personal freedoms, bodily autonomy, and speech in Iran as well as the egregious violence used to suppress protests against these repressions. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to supporting the freedoms of thought and speech and we unreservedly condemn the actions of the Iranian regime.
To our Iranian students and scholars, we recognize the emotional toll that current events are taking on you and we hear your distress. The effects of the human rights violations are exacerbated by the restrictions placed on access to internet and other means of communication, thus cutting students and scholars off from their families and communities in Iran. Please know that the following offices stand ready to support you at this time:
International Programs Office
Dean of Students Office
Center for Counselling and Psychological Health
Office of Equity and Inclusion
Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Engagement
Employee Counseling and Consultation Office (ECCO)
Please do not hesitate to contact these offices for any immediate assistance you may need.
Jacqueline Urla, Dean of the Graduate School
Kalpen Trivedi, Vice Provost for Global Affairs
The Pie News: UMass partners with Kyiv School of Economics
Read more of the article written by Maureen Manning from The Pie News: News and business analysis for Professionals in International Education below:
UMass Amherst Establishes Partnership with Ukraine’s Kyiv School of Economics
AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst has signed a series of memoranda of agreement with the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) to assist students and scholars affected by Russia’s war with Ukraine.
UMass Amherst’s new multi-level partnership with KSE will establish several modalities for Ukrainian students and scholars to be part of the UMass academic community. An academic exchange program for students will enable undergraduate and graduate students from Ukraine to study at UMass for a semester or academic year with nearly all costs waived.
In conjunction with the academic exchange program for students, a non-resident, virtual Scholar in Residence program will be created for scholars affiliated with KSE. Selected Ukrainian scholars will collaborate with centers, departments and faculty at UMass Amherst on relevant research topics virtually and will receive a stipend through the KSE Foundation.
The agreements were finalized between March and July 2022 by KSE President Tymofiy Mylovanov and Rector Tymofii Brik and John McCarthy, now emeritus provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs for UMass Amherst.
Anna Nagurney, professor and the Eugene M. Isenberg Chair in Integrative Studies in the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, played a central role in driving these collaborative efforts. As a longstanding member of the International Academic Board at KSE, and now also co-chair of the board of directors at KSE, Nagurney was instrumental in nurturing the relationship between the two institutions. Most recently, Nagurney has been a leading expert in providing insights on Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
Nagurney is thrilled about the opportunity for Ukrainian scholars to continue their research during this challenging time and hopes that this program will provide them with additional moral and professional support. “We expect good interaction with research centers, institutes and departments. I foresee fantastic research outcomes coming out of this program.”
These agreements resulted from UMass Amherst faculty’s call for more support for Ukrainian scholars and students. In a letter addressed to Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy and Provost McCarthy on March 29, a group of UMass faculty, led by members of the Russian, Eurasian, and Polish Studies program, provided a detailed list of requests for action and urged senior leadership to act in support of students and scholars displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Founded in 1996 by the Economics Education and Research Consortium and the Eurasia Foundation as a master’s program in economics, KSE is now a leading world academic institution. It currently offers degrees in programs such as economics, business analytics, mathematical economics and public policy.
The UMass Amherst International Programs Office will be spearheading and overseeing these program initiatives through its units of Education Abroad and International Student and Scholar. “It has been absolutely inspiring to work with our Ukrainian colleagues who are committed to maintaining the continuity of the academic experience in the face of terrible odds. As both Tymofiy Mylvanov and Tymofii Brik have shared in public fora, a strong, independent academic sector is crucial to Ukraine’s political and intellectual survival” says Kalpen Trivedi, UMass Amherst vice provost for global affairs and director of the International Programs Office.
Senior administrative leaders at UMass Amherst are fully supportive of these programs to aid Ukrainian scholars and students.
Nagurney is especially appreciative of the joint efforts by the administration, faculty, and senior staff leaders in ensuring that UMass offers many means of support for students and scholars.
“I enthusiastically support these efforts to assist our Ukrainian colleagues and their students in continuing their research, study, and teaching despite the war in their country,” McCarthy said.
“What [KSE] have been doing in wartime has been absolutely awe-inspiring —still hosting top speakers virtually and even in-person,” said Nagurney.
UMass Amherst to Welcome Inaugural Fulbright Visiting Chair
International Student Earns 21st Century Leadership Award
Kanon Kobata of Saitama, Japan, majored in food science with a second Bachelor’s Degree in Individual Concentration in sustainable food business. Outside of class, she performed cutting-edge research, entered product competitions, led food science student groups, and performed ballet with the student group Alive with Dance. Kobata’s research on the safety and quality of plant-based proteins with Distinguished Professor David Julian McClements contributed to papers published in top journals. A lab patent is pending based on her design of plant-based scallops that mimic the color and texture of real seafood. Through food science competitions, Kobata discovered her talent for entrepreneurship. Her team won first place at the 2021 Institute of Food Technologists Smart Snacks for Kids Product Development Competition. Kobata’s accomplishments have been recognized with the UMass Amherst Rising Researcher Award, admittance to the William Lee Science Impact Program, and other major prizes in Japan and the U.S. After graduation, Kobata will either study for her Ph.D. in food science or work as a researcher in the plant-based alternative food industry. Her ultimate goal is to launch a food tech company.
