University of Missouri-Columbia

  International Programs & Faculty Development, Office of the Vice Provost, University of Missouri-Columbia
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Message from the Vice Provost

Welcome to the e-newsletter of International
Programs and Strategic Initiatives (IPSI), at the University of Missouri, Columbia. I hope that your review of our exciting initiatives will leave you stimulated and hopeful about a significantly new
Global Approach to education, service and collaboration.

Beginning in 2001, we embarked on a global approach to diversity and internationalization to harmonize with contemporary and future demographic, economic and social trends, now sweeping the globe. We moved in this direction so that our students, university personnel and various constituents may discover and embrace the necessity to be prepared to manage and succeed during a time of unprecedented change.

Our initiatives fall mainly into five broad categories: International Education; Research and Outreach; Faculty Recruitment and Development; Academic Hiring; Institutional Access through Universal Design; and supporting Academic Cultural Studies Programs. We have collectively packaged these endeavors into one office known as International Programs and Strategic Initiatives (IPSI).

Like many of the few Institutions designated as a Land-Grant, Research One, AAU, Flagship University, the University of Missouri is positioned to move with the pace of change. Our IPSI initiatives recognize the importance of change and are uniquely designed to help people here at home and around the globe achieve a higher level of understanding and comfort. Indeed, the challenges we are called upon to address are not uniquely confined to the state of Missouri or the United States. As teeming headlines will show, migration, global market forces and unprecedented expectations for inclusion and equity are leading people and industry to transcend borders today, as freely as capital and ideas began to do so long ago. Needless to say, stress and tension result from the clashing of cultures, ideas and expectations.

We believe the initiatives of IPSI are designed to help people, organizations and communities move with and through these changes with less stress and with more commitment to helping uplift all of humankind. Please enjoy your visit with us as we embark upon this bold endeavor. We invite your comments and appreciate your suggestions for improvement.

Sincerely,

Dr. Handy Williamson