A Time to Celebrate Our Global University

Today is the first day of International Education Week—a time to remind ourselves of the critical role internationalization plays in the strength of our world-class university. We must also acknowledge that international education sits at the crossroads of the many challenges facing higher education and immigration. That’s why International Education Week provides a much-needed opportunity to celebrate and reflect on all we have accomplished in 2025. Here are just a few examples that encourage us to remain hopeful:

• A larger-than-expected number of new international students were able to make it to our campuses this fall, despite the challenges they faced.
• The University was recognized with a 2025 Heiskell Award for creating the first-of-its-kind position focused on mental health in education abroad.
• We honored faculty and staff for their dedication to internationalization through the Award for Global Engagement and the Innovative International Initiatives Award.
• The University has launched a search for our new Senior International Officer, who will guide us through the current challenges and set a strategic course toward comprehensive internationalization.
• Colleagues from Upsaala, Sweden, visited this fall to celebrate historic relationships and remind us of the value of international partnerships.
• See many more stories of success on M Global.

To our friends, partners, and colleagues across the University—thank you for all that you do. We look forward to another productive year working toward our shared goal of making the University of Minnesota a truly global university.