Last week, we were pleased to host a workshop at Slezká University in Opavá with Dr. Jos Beelen as part of our 2025 World Expert Series. The workshop focused on supporting the university and their international partners in internationalizing their curriculum. Many thanks to Jana Šimáková, the Vice Dean for Internationalization, and everyone who attended for all they do to provide all their students with an outstanding international experience!
We are pleased to announce our upcoming Train-the-Trainers Workshop: Advancing Intercultural Work in Business. The workshop will be held on June 17th, 2025, at Langhan’s Gallery in Prague, and will be led one of the leading experts on intercultural competence, Dr. Darla K. Deardorff.
The training is aimed at professionals working in diverse, international environments, HR and marketing teams engaged with foreign nationals, and managers leading international teams. In this interactive session, we will explore various frameworks and tools designed to enhance intercultural competence. As a trainer, you’ll learn to facilitate the renowned UNESCO Story Circles methodology, a proven approach to fostering intercultural understanding. You will collaborate with fellow experts to exchange effective tools and activities that help navigate intercultural interactions, build stronger international teams, and cultivate deeper, more meaningful relationships. You will also leave with a personalized action plan and practical intercultural tools that you can immediately apply in your own professional and personal contexts.
Dr. Darla K. Deardorff, the leader of the workshop, is the UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Competence at Stellenbosch University, a research scholar at Duke University and teaches through Harvard University. She holds faculty appointments around the world, including in Japan, China, and Canada. Deardorff is the founding president of the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence, a global nonprofit, and has authored/edited 14 books and over 80 articles/chapters.
We are excited to share this opportunity with you and hope you will join us for the event. The link to register can be found here. For additional information about the workshop, click here.
Last week, we joined the JAM Meeting of EAIE: European Association for International Education leadership and volunteers in Amsterdam. This was an opportunity to talk about the challenges our field is undergoing at the moment. We put our heads together on how to help our US colleagues, how to overcome challenges in Europe, and how to stay global. Most of all, it was refreshing to once again be around like-minded passionate professionals who care about students, the field, and each other.
As part of our 2025 World Expert Series, we were proud to host a workshop on Practical Approaches for International Student Success at VUT Brno, led by intercultural communication expert Barbara Kappler Mikk. The workshop highlighted different frameworks that can be used to enhance intercultural communication skills, giving participants new tools to take with them and use in their work with International students.
Last week, MIIC held an event at Komenský University in Slovakia called Stepping Up recruitment of International Students. The afternoon was spent with colleagues at Komensky University discussing with Dr. Shanton Chang and Dr. Eva Janebová. We were delighted to hold this event on the invitation of Martin Považan and Vice Rector Josef Tanzer, and thank them for the opportunity to join their hardworking International Office team.
A group of twenty colleagues working on and for the internationalisation of University of Ostrava spent the afternoon of April 10 in an engaging and inspirational workshop on intercultural skills led by Barbara Kappler Mikk from University of Minnesota and Eva Janebova from MIIC at the UO Centre for International Cooperation.
Summer School: Cross Cultural Pathways for Young Leaders is a 10-day summer program in the Czech Republic designed for young people with Czech and Slovak heritage. More information about the program can be found here: https://miic.world/programmes/ To apply for the program: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLZpzbZmpJr5NKA_K01E4uE51ZaILUEHCVvZLsojTNDKt3rA/viewform?usp=sharing For questions, contact institute@miic.world
This course offers an immersive experience in Czech language, culture, history, and leadership alongside Czech high school and university students. Through site visits in Silesia, Bohemia, and Moravia, as well as activities in Prague with local buddies, participants explore architecture, food, and history while forming Czech-American friendships. Discussions with university students and campus visits provide insight into studying in the Czech Republic.
Click here to register. Application deadline: May 30th, 2025.
For more information on our cultural diplomacy programs, click here.
A Year of Global Collaboration! MIIC has brought together global thought leaders, educators, and students through groundbreaking initiatives and transformative educational programs so that everyone can have international experience!
MIIC with 16 other European partners in Brussels kicked off the new research Horizon Europe project on European citizenship.
The workshop by Dr. Shanton Chang and Dr. Eva Janebová was a powerhouse of insightful student observations, revealing research data, and inspiring projects presented (Daniel Caleb, Charles University)
Symposium with the Czech Ministry of Education and the University of Minnesota on the challenges Czech and Slovak universities face in delivering comprehensive internationalization. The conversation involved over 50+ university leaders and policymakers top world experts from the USA, the Netherlands, and Sweden.