A vibrant display on the pedestrian bridge near the Iowa Memorial Union is more than an attractive sight on the University of Iowa campus—it is meant to recognize the University of Iowa’s international students and their significant role in the life of the university.
The display, called Bridging Our World, is a five-day installation featuring the flags of the 116 countries represented by international students attending the UI during the fall 2018 semester. University leaders spoke at a dedication ceremony for the installation on its opening day, Oct. 15.
“Bridging Our World colorfully symbolizes the university’s longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion, and creating a welcoming campus environment for our international students.”
—J. Bruce Harreld, University of Iowa president.
The flags will be displayed along the bridge during the day from Monday, Oct. 15, to Friday, Oct. 19. They will be displayed again for five days in May to recognize the international students who are on campus during the spring 2019 semester.
The flags will be displayed in accordance with the United States Flag Code. They will be installed by faculty and student members of the UI Army ROTC every morning starting at 7 a.m., and taken down every evening starting at 5 p.m. by members of the Veteran Student Association, assisted by students from other groups. Security will be provided by a video surveillance system during the day.
International students make up an increasingly important part of the University of Iowa, with 3,665 enrolled in the 2018–19 academic year. That’s nearly double the 2,153 international students enrolled in 2007. Melissa Shivers, vice president for student life, says the flags powerfully represent how important international students are to helping the university prepare all students to succeed in a globalized, cross-cultural world.
“The learning and discovery that students encounter reshapes their understanding of the world, improves quality of life for many, and creates economic benefits in the state of Iowa and around the globe,” says Shivers. “International relationships and partnerships, from the individual to the institutional within and beyond our campus, add value to and expand the reach of our classroom, research, outreach, and economic development activities.”
Downing Thomas, associate provost and dean of International Programs, says that student success is at the core of the university. For students today, that means exposure to a broad variety of cultures and people.
“The diversity of our campus community is an asset that we must cultivate because it enriches the educational experience students have while at Iowa,” Thomas says. “By deliberately engaging students who come from different walks of life, different cultural backgrounds, and different parts of the globe, all students have opportunities to learn to function successfully and with ease in global environments.”
Jack Feng, a senior from Lanzhou, China, says the flags on the bridge can offer emotional support to international students who may feel lost in a new country. He remembers when he first arrived at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids to start his undergraduate experience at the University of Iowa and how he immediately felt more comfortable in his new home seeing his country’s flag in a terminal concourse display featuring the flags of dozens of other countries.
“International students might get homesick, but once they walk across that bridge and see those flags, they’ll be encouraged to feel at home,” says Feng, who is also a senator in University of Iowa Student Government. “When I see a flag representing my country on the pedestrian bridge, it will make me feel at home and more comfortable. It will tell me the university is making a commitment to building an inclusive campus environment that is welcoming and valuing of all people and the diversity in our human qualities, opinions, and backgrounds.”
Bridging our World is co-sponsored by the Office of the President and the Division of Student Life.
