As part of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s sesquicentennial, the IUP Office of International Education coordinated a four-day visit to IUP April 14 to 17 for 29 international representatives from IUP’s international partner institutions.
The visiting institutions included:
- North South University
- Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso
- Beijing Foreign Studies University
- Nanjing University
- Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
- Ean University
- University of Zagreb
- Civitas Global Educational Services
- Universidad de Cienfuegos
- Cours d’etat Nancy
- Christ University Dharmaram College
- Jesus and Mary College Delhi University
- Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College
- PA HUB
- Nagoya University of Foreign Studie
- University of Miyazaki
- Adam Mickiewicz University
- Tamkang University
- Arab American University
IUP’s “official” 150th birthday is May 17, 2025; the university (then Indiana Normal School) opened for its first 10-week term on May 17, 1875, with 80 students, which grew to 150 students by the end of that first week.
International visitors during a tour of Kopchick Hall
The visit included performances by IUP student musical groups and the Indiana High School String Quartet, tours of IUP offices and facilities, and a number of presentations and discussions, including:
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“Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Opportunities, Risks, and Responsible Futures” panel discussion moderated by IUP Interim Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Hilliary Creely.
IUP panelists were Chief Information Officer Todd Cunningham; Sam Grieggs, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences; Jacqueline McGinty, Professional Studies in Education, Instructional Design and Learning Technologies; Scott Moore, Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies; Hans Pedersen, philosophy professor in the Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy, and Religious Studies; and William Schleicher, Professional Studies in Education.
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A special international lunch hour featuring student research posters and a presentation about IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine with Founding Dean Miko Rose and Director of Admissions and Student Affairs Jamie Murphy.
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A presentation on “Food as Medicine” by Lei Hao, associate professor of Allied and Public Health.
“It was just an outstanding celebration of our partnerships and global exchanges for the entire university community,” IUP Associate Vice President for International Education and Global Engagement and Executive Director of the American Language Institute Michele Petrucci said.
“Our international visitors were deeply impressed with our students, faculty, and our programs, including the proposed college of osteopathic medicine,” she said. “It was a wonderful way to celebrate and strengthen our international relationships, deepen global understanding, and build more opportunities for our students and faculty,” she said.
In addition to the visit, in celebration of IUP’s sesquicentennial, the Office of International Education contacted former and current international students, IUP faculty and staff, and community members to contribute favorite recipes for an “International Cookbook.” Copies of the International Cookbook were gifted to all of the members of the international group during the April visit to IUP.
The cookbook includes 130 recipes representing 70 countries, with comments about each recipe and its traditional role in the country of origin and includes international alumni from the 1970s to today.
In the cookbook’s forward, Petrucci said:
“For over 75 years, Indiana University of Pennsylvania has enriched our community by welcoming international students and scholars to campus as well as by sending our students to international partner institutions and programs around the globe. Each of these engagements included food: from quick meals on the go to complicated and time-consuming dishes. To celebrate IUP’s 150th anniversary, we wanted to showcase the richness of our vibrant, delicious community through the power of cooking. We believe food is a gateway to understanding and sharing the best of our cultures,” she wrote.
The International Cookbook is available for purchase by contacting the Office of International Education (intl-education@iup.edu).
About IUP’s International Education Office and Program
In 2024, IUP was selected for the Open Doors 75 Seal of Excellence for its 75 years of collaboration with the international Open Doors program.
The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange is the only long-standing, comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars in the United States and on US students studying abroad for academic credit.
IUP has provided data to the Open Doors program on its work with international education since 1949, when it began hosting international students.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, IUP had the greatest number of international students in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, welcoming more than 1,000 international students annually for study at IUP. In fall 2025, IUP welcomed 321 international students from 64 countries.
Over the past 75 years, IUP has hosted tens of thousands of international students from almost every country in the world. The IUP Office of International Education, part of the Division of Academic Affairs, offers educational programs throughout the year for IUP and the area community in addition to its hands-on work supporting international students and helping to coordinate scores of study-abroad experiences for current IUP students who wish to study abroad.
For the past 40 years, IUP’s American Language Institute, directed by Petrucci, has provided intensive English programs for students from all over the world who want to improve their language proficiency and cultural understanding of the United States. Enrollment in the American Language Institute is up by more than 72 percent, with a total of 69 students.
The Office of International Education has secured 18 Institute of International Education Emergency Student Fund scholarships for IUP international students over the past four years. These scholarships provide financial help to students who come from countries facing natural disasters, war, or other crises.
In June 2024, Petrucci and Emma Archer, director of IUP’s International Student and Scholar Services and the American Language Institute, were recognized by the Institute of International Education with certificates of appreciation from the Scholar Rescue Fund Alliance “with deep gratitude for your extraordinary efforts to preserve the life, ideas, and work of a threatened scholar from Afghanistan by providing a safe academic haven at IUP.” Petrucci also has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Council for International Education for her work in international education.
In addition to directly working with students here and abroad, the Office of International Education does extensive outreach and educational programming for the IUP and the area community, including International Unity Day, International Lunch Hour, and International Education Week.
Petrucci has also secured more than $2.4 million for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers over the past 10 years. This program brings international primary and secondary educators who are Fulbright recipients in their home countries to the United States. As part of the program, the visiting teachers complete professional development coursework at IUP and are guest teachers in the Indiana Area School District and in the Pittsburgh Public School system.
From 2011 to 2024, IUP hosted a United States Customs and Immigration Service naturalization ceremony for new citizens as part of IUP’s International Education Week celebration.
The Office also offers the Conversation Partners program, which matches international students with American partners in an effort to promote global awareness, multicultural interaction, diversity, and friendship; and Culture Café, which brings together international and American students and provides opportunities to talk about each other’s languages and cultures, for networking, and to socialize with fun activities in an informal environment.
The Office of International Education also works with IUP’s National Achievement Scholarship Office and qualified students to help students secure international scholarships and awards, including Boren Fellowships, Fulbright awards, Freeman-Asia awards, and Gilman scholarships.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.