GCIV recently hosted a delegation of twelve deans and university presidents from Iraq who came to Atlanta to explore all aspects of higher education. Obviously the university system Iraq has faced a myriad of challenges in recent years. The group came to the U.S. to share best practices and innovations in the ways universities and colleges are managed. In addition to Atlanta, they also spent time in Washington, DC and Austin, Texas.

The delegation began their first day of programming at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where they were able to meet with a number of their professional counterparts, including Dr. Gary Shuster, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs,

Dr. Richard DeMillo, Academic Dean for the College of Computing, Dr. Anderson Smith, Senior Vice Provost, and Dr. John Leonard, Associate Dean for the College of Engineering. They were then hosted for lunch by Dr. Sue Rosser, Academic Dean for the Ivan Allen College. Afterwards, they met with Ms. Kathie Robichaud of the Georgia Research Alliance to discuss the formal partnership for Georgia's research universities, the business community, and state government. That evening they were hosted for dinner by some of our gracious members and were able to experience true southern hospitality.

For their second day of professional programming, Vice Provost for International Affairs at Emory University organized a day of meetings. The began their day by meeting with Dr. William Sexson, the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, who discussed medical education and gave them a tour of Grady Memorial Hospital. They were then hosted for lunch and had the opportunity to meet with many members of the Emory University faculty and administration. They ended their day at the Carter Center, where Dr. John Stremlau, Vice President of Peace Programs, met with them to discuss the center’s programs around the world.

On Saturday, they were able to experience some of Atlanta’s culture with visits to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and the Georgia Aquarium. GCIV was honored to have these distinguished visitors come to Atlanta and meet with our many valuable professional resources. Their experiences here in gave them a first-hand view of the United States, and gave them the opportunity to learn from and share with their distinguished professional counterparts in higher education in Atlanta.