Alumni Newsletter - Winter/Spring 2021
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Edition no. 27
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Do you have any updates, stories, remembrances, or information you would like to share in the next alumni newsletter? Contact alumni@iau.edu to share your story. We'd love to hear from you! |
Table of Contents |
Updates from IAU |
Although the pandemic has shaken the field of international education to its core, IAU has been fortunate to be able to maintain in-person study abroad programs against many odds during this unique year. Through thoughtfully designed and transparent COVID-19 protocols, IAU successfully hosted students in fall 2020, and is currently hosting 67 students in both France and Spain during the spring 2021 semester. After two semesters with students on the ground during the pandemic, IAU's COVID-19 protocols have allowed us to run high-quality academic programs in a safe and healthy environment. Central to these protocols are:
This year has presented many challenges as well as many opportunities for IAU-ACM. It has taught us all how to be flexible, to adapt our policies and programs to new regulations and guidelines, and to support our students even more than we already had been. We wanted to share our enrollment numbers with our alumni community (below) so that you know how IAU-ACM is weathering this pandemic. IAU-ACM welcome usually around 1,000 students per year, but we have had to reduce our operations this year because of the pandemic, and have been operating at about 20% of our normal capacity. We are looking forward to a full summer term and fall semester to get back to our normal numbers. We fully expect both our study abroad and degree-seeking numbers to return to their previous levels for the next fall 2021 semester as more people get vaccinated and the pandemic recedes. Fall 2020 Enrollments: Aix-en-Provence: 29 students (12 study abroad and 17 degree-seeking students) Virtual: 15 students Spring 2021 Enrollments: Aix-en-Provence: 46 students (29 study abroad and 17 degree-seeking students) Barcelona: 21 students Virtual: 74 students |
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U.S. Regional Accreditation Update |
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The New England Commission of Higher Education has determined that the American College of the Mediterranean is eligible to proceed with an application for candidacy for accreditation within two years. A determination of eligibility is not candidacy or accreditation, nor does it indicate a likelihood of eventual accreditation. Questions about eligibility and the accreditation process should be directed to the President of the Commission. |
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Visa, COVID-19, and Border Closures: Current Situation in France and Spain |
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Since early 2020, IAU-ACM has been closely following all announcements, regulations, and guidelines put forth by the U.S., French, and Spanish governments concerning students' ability to enter France and Spain from the United States. While students remain eligible to enter Spain for short-term (under 90 days) or long-term (over 90 days) programs with the appropriate visa, France's regulations have recently changed. A full udpate about the current situation in France is below. |
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Call for Legacy Donors - Is IAU Remembered in Your Estate Plans? |
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IAU is extremely grateful to our alumni and other supporters who have remembered IAU in their estate plans. The Mont Saint-Victoire Legacy Society is an association for donors who have included IAU in their estate plans through a planned gift or other charitable donation. |
Stories from Our Alumni |
Then & Now: Brian Grogan '71-'72 |
For our "Then and Now" features, we ask two open-ended questions of our alumni: 1. Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself; and 2. How did your time abroad with IAU influence/inspire/change/or otherwise affect your life afterward? Here, Brian Grogan ('71-'72) tells us about how IAU influenced his life after his time abroad. IAU: Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself? |
IAU Love Story: Ted Morton and Bambi (Lathrop) Morton '70 |
Thank you for sharing your love story, Bambi and Ted!
Photos (from left to right): Bambi and Ted in France in 1971; Bambi and Ted with their children in Rousset in 1987; Bambi and Ted at IAU's 2bis rue du Bon Pasteur in May 2017 for IAU's 60th Anniversary Celebration. |
IAU Legacy Story: Kevin James '90 and Sophia James '21 |
IAU is always grateful to students who loved their experience abroad so much that they encourage their children to also attend IAU! This creates a family legacy that strengthens our alumni community and is a testament to the influence our programs have on students and families beyond their semester or year abroad. We talked to a current Spring 2021 IAU student in Aix-en-Provence, Sophia James, and her father, Kevin James, an alumnus from Fall 1990, about their experiences with IAU.
IAU: Sophia, what made you want to study in Aix? Did your dad influence you to follow in his footsteps? |
Then & Now '68-'69 edition: Ken Butler, Stuart Shapiro, and Randall Sunday |
For our "Then and Now" features, we ask two open-ended questions of our alumni: 1. Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself; and 2. How did your time abroad with IAU influence/inspire/change/or otherwise affect your life afterward? Here, in a special 1968-1969 edition of "Then and Now," Ken Butler, Stuart Shapiro, and Randall Sunday tell us how their year with IAU in Aix-en-Provence influenced their lives. |
Ken Butler ('68-'69) |
![]() ![]() Photos (left to right): A photo of Ken from the 1968-1969 La Cigale Yearbook, which Ken designed; a recent photo of Ken. IAU: Would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself? He has been featured in exhibitions and performances worldwide including The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, The Prada Foundation in Venice (as part of the “Art or Sound” exhibition at the Venice Biennale in 2014), The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Mass Moca, and The Kitchen, The Brooklyn Museum, Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Museum in New York City as well as in Canada, South America, Thailand, and Japan. You can see more of Ken's work at his website, linked here." IAU: How did your time abroad with IAU influence/inspire/change/or otherwise affect your life afterward? Ken: My year at the Institute was very formative and has had a significant effect on my life after that remarkable experience. Aside from a few lasting friendships, unique interactions with a rich community of students from far and wide, and a strong formation of the French language, the creative environment and rich history of art from the region had a marked and lasting influence on my creative endeavors. I immersed myself strongly in art history and gained a strong overview of many areas of strong importance, and was happy to live in the shadow of Cezanne’s Mt. St. Victoire. Although I moved away from the landscape oil painting focus of that time, I did develop an artistic identity that gave me a grounding sense of self as a creator. I was very motivated and was happy to have been allowed to design the entire yearbook staying in Aix while everyone else vacationed to parts beyond. The entire year was unforgettable. |
Stuart Shapiro ('68-'69) |
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I had just gone to Israel with Stuart where we visited the Via Della Rosa, Gethsemane, kibbutzim, coral corridors in the Red Sea at Eilat, the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, (Hallelujah had not yet been written), Caesarea, the sea caves on the Lebanese border, and climbed Masada at 4 am in the morning to escape the desert sun to the sound of distant gunfire and explosives. We took a furtive ferry from Tel Aviv to Turkey and escaped from Istanbul after an aborted overland trip to Afghanistan with a man who had just been released from a Turkish prison. We snuck away under the cover of darkness when we realized how crazy he/we were, and left a little wiser. He did tell us of an unannounced festival to be held soon on a Hudson Valley farm north of NYC... It was all a bit frantic and ultimately fulfilling and this is just a faded snapshot of a journey with changing paces and serendipitous pleasures. Perhaps all foreign students in Europe those days enjoyed themselves in the same ways but for us, it was grounded in Aix-en-Provence and the welcoming warmth that echoed throughout the year and survives in my heart and friendships to this day.
Thank you, Ken, Stuart, and Randy, for sharing these beautiful remembrances and stories! |
Opportunities for Alumni |
Master's Programs through ACM |
If you are like many other IAU alumni looking for reasons to return to IAU and Aix-en-Provence, consider the Master’s degrees offered through IAU’s degree-granting university, the American College of the Mediterranean (ACM). ACM offers a two-year MFA degree in Painting and one-year master's degrees in Art History, French Studies, International Education Administration (new!), International Relations, Media Studies (enrolling students for Fall 2022), and Business Administration. All IAU alumni who enroll in an ACM master's program are automatically eligible for a $1,000 annual alumni grant. Read below for more information about ACM's master's programs:
Learn More About ACM |
Maymester 2021 Traveling Program |
We invite our alumni to join IAU for this multidisciplinary Maymester traveling seminar that will explore various regions of France, researching its history as well as contemporary society and France’s position on the world stage. Students will focus on the cultural foundations that make up the complexities of France as we know it today. The program will run in both French and in English and is suitable for students with all levels of French.
To learn more, please visit the Maymester Traveling Seminar webpage. Do not hesitate to reach out to the U.S. Office of Alumni Affairs with any questions or to get enrolled in this exciting program. |
Virtual Courses & Internships |
IAU is pleased to offer Virtual Global Experiences to its alumni during the upcoming summer term. This 8-week virtual program will draw on IAU's expertise in experiential-based learning while taking advantage of our wide network of professional contacts in France, Spain, Morocco, and beyond. Students will choose from academic courses, global internships, consulting projects, and social impact practicums/experiential learning projects to customize their summer virtual experience. Alumni are eligible to receive a $250 alumni grant toward their virtual summer program. ![]() ![]()
Learn More About IAU's Virtual Programs |
Summer 2021 Programs |
This summer, IAU is offering a wide array of academic courses as well as hands-on practical experiences including Consulting Projects and Internships in both Spain and France. While the published deadline for summer 2021 is April 1, we will continue to accept applications until April 30, 2021, and thereafter on a space-available basis. SUMMER 2021 IN BARCELONA, SPAIN There are no entry restrictions for students participating in academic programs in Spain, and student visas for U.S. passport-holders are not required. Courses are being offered this summer in art, art history, business, communications, cross-cultural studies, history, international relations, psychology, Spanish, and more. Learn more about course offerings here. SUMMER 2021 IN AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE IAU is monitoring the current entry restrictions for France, and French authorities are expected to re-evaluate the current entry restrictions at the end of April. Please see section above for more information regarding the entry restrictions in France. Courses are being offered this summer in archaeology, art, art history, communications, environmental studies, French, history, psychology, and more. Learn more about course offerings here.
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Ways to Support IAU |
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There are many ways to donate to IAU. Regardless of the amount or the form that a donation may take, IAU is deeply humbled by the action itself. Whether donors wish to honor or commemorate an individual or contribute to buildings and classrooms through IAU's Naming and Legacy Opportunities or help ensure the excellence of IAU programs for future generations of students, we invite potential donors to consider and select one or more of the donation opportunities listed below and on the IAU website. We sincerely thank you for your support. |
Donate Now
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Where Do Donations Go? |
The Allison Benson Memorial Scholarship Fund |
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IAU was struck by tragedy on February 7, 2020, when Allison Benson, a student from Kansas State University, died unexpectedly while studying in Aix-en-Provence, France. Allison had been a member of the IAU community from a young age, as her aunt Kirsten Kircher was a student with IAU in the mid-1980s. Allison had long nourished the dream of studying with IAU and had set a goal of becoming a French teacher. Allison’s generosity of spirit, coupled with her delight in discovering France and its culture, won her many friends during her short time in Aix-en-Provence. IAU extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of Allison Benson for their tragic loss. |
Support IAU on Amazon Smile |
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Consider supporting IAU on Amazon Smile. You shop how you normally would on Amazon.com, and a percentage of the proceeds goes directly to IAU. |
Support IAU on Amazon Smile
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Did you know that many students find IAU through Google, Facebook, and study abroad review sites? Because of this, positive reviews from our dedicated alumni help us market to prospective students. We encourage you to take a few minutes to write a thoughtful review of your time at IAU!
We appreciate the time and effort it takes to write these reviews. If we have not listed a site above that you have used to review IAU in the past, please let us know! Thank you! |
Remember IAU in Your Estate Plans: The Mont Sainte-Victoire Society |
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IAU is extremely grateful to our alumni and other supporters who have remembered IAU in their estate planning. The Mont Saint-Victoire Legacy Society is an association for donors who have included IAU in their estate plans through a planned gift or other charitable donation. |
Tell a Friend About IAU or ACM Do you have children, nieces, nephews, friends, grandchildren, or acquaintances that are in high school or college? One of the best ways to support IAU is by spreading the word to those in your community. Tell the story of your own personal experience and encourage students to learn more about study abroad programs in France, Spain, and Morocco with IAU or about degree-granting undergraduate and graduate programs in Aix-en-Provence with ACM. More information about all of our programs is at our websites: www.iau.edu and www.acmfrance.org. Pass it on! |
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IAU and ACM both have social media accounts on all the major platforms. We post updates from campus, opportunities for alumni, nostalgic photos of Barcelona, Aix-en-Provence, and other locations in Europe and North Africa, and more! We invite you to follow along! |
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IAU: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn |
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Have you heard about IAU's Alumni Ambassador Program? If you are interested in staying connected to your time abroad with IAU, spreading the word about study abroad, and sharing your love for international travel with others, then the Alumni Ambassador Program might be for you! The IAU Ambassador Program was established in 2010 as a way to organize the more than 20,000 alumni who have completed their summer, semester, J-Term, or academic year at IAU. The goal of the program is to build a volunteer corps that can best represent IAU and to develop a robust and active network of IAU students, past, present, and future. Alumni of IAU have gone on to become diplomats, businessmen and women, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and leaders in their respective fields. The IAU Ambassadors form a prestigious group designed for interested IAU alumni to share their study abroad experience with prospective students, faculty, and the study abroad office on their home campus as well as organize with other alumni to keep the IAU network strong. Over the years, the program has evolved, and now in addition to fulfilling the program's original goals, IAU Ambassadors assist with visits to other university campuses, represent IAU at Study Abroad Fairs across the United States, and organize alumni events across the nation. IAU Ambassadors are drawn from all IAU programs, academic disciplines, and class years. IAU has over 40 ambassadors representing it at over 30 universities.
If you're interested in becoming an alumni ambassador at your current university or at your alma mater, please click the button below or email alumni@iau.edu. Apply to Become an Alumni Ambassador |
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Do you have any updates or information you would like to share in the next alumni newsletter? Contact alumni@iau.edu to share your story. We'd love to hear from you! |