Letter from Vice Provost for International Affairs

Welcome to the spring issue of Emory in the World magazine. The year 2007 began auspiciously for Emory University when, in January, His Holiness the Dalai Lama accepted President Wagner's invitation to serve as Presidential Distinguished Professor. Emory is the only university to be honored with the distinction of having His Holiness as a member of the faculty. There is much excitement in anticipation of his forthcoming visit to Emory in October 2007. This spring, Emory celebrated this special relationship with events that spoke across the disciplines, and you can read about this and more inside this issue of Emory in the World magazine.

Albie Sachs, the anti-apartheid freedom fighter, author, and justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, is another living example of courage and compassion. Sachs visited Emory early this year to share his remarkable life experiences. Emory's strong links to South Africa cross the university from the arts and sciences to the health sciences.

Emory's new Global Health Institute (GHI), launched early this year, is directed by internationally renowned Jeffrey Koplan, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. GHI sponsors a number of major projects in countries around the world. The first GHI-funded projects are already underway, and you can learn more about them in this issue.

Emory's celebration of International Awards Night was news in the Gulf region when the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing's Shariffa Al-Jabri flew in from Oman, accompanied by her two sisters, to accept the Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award. Emory School of Medicine's Carlos del Rio won the Marion V. Creekmore Award for Internationalization. Read more inside about the impact of their work.

This issue of Emory in the World also brings news from faculty and students who share their fascinating international experiences with us. Emory in the World publications bring to life the work of faculty, staff, and students who are making a difference in the world, with a design that reflects the vibrancy and richness of intellectual activity under way across the University. Visit www.international.emory.edu to learn more about Emory's international programs, centers, and institutes, as well as the latest news on people and initiatives, and mark your calendar for the upcoming events in the fall.

It continues to be an exciting time for international at Emory.

Holli A. Semetko
Vice Provost for International Affairs
Director, Office of International Affairs & The Claus M. Halle Institute for Global Learning
Professor of Political Science